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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 26 Jan 2010 [PDF]
• Airpower Summary: January 22 AFNS 26 Jan 2010
• Airpower Summary: January 23 AFNS 26 Jan 2010
• Airpower Summary: January 24 AFNS 26 Jan 2010
• Airpower Summary: January 25 AFNS 26 Jan 2010
• New Distribution System Powers Iraqi Province AFPS 26 Jan 2010 -- Members of the 17th Fires Brigade, the provincial reconstruction team and community leaders gathered at the recently refurbished Al Quibla market in Iraq’s Basra province Jan. 17 to celebrate the completion of 14 U.S.-funded projects designed to deliver reliable electricity to nearly 15 of the province’s districts.
• U.S. Still Holds 5,000 Prisoners In Iraq RFE/RL 26 Jan 2010 -- A U.S. military commander says there are still some 5,000 prisoners in Iraq under the control of American troops, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI) reports.
• Suicide Blast Kills at Least 22 in Baghdad VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- Another big explosion shook Baghdad, Tuesday. Officials say at least 22 people have been killed and some 80 others injured, in an attack on a government building. The blast follows a series of bombings Monday.
• Iraqis controlling air traffic alongside U.S. counterparts Army News 26 Jan 2010 -- As aircraft pour in and out of the Taji flight line, a flurry of Iraqi and American accents can be heard directing the flow of traffic over the airwaves.
• Fort Campbell unit purifies water for "car wash" at FOB Warhorse Army News 26 Jan 2010 -- The 102nd Quartermaster Company, 80th Ordnance Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), produced over 150,000 gallons of potable water in August for the 25th Brigade Support Battalion to clean their equipment for redeployment.
• Quartermaster Co. completes Operation Clean Sweep at Normandy Army News 26 Jan 2010 -- The 910th Quartermaster Company, an Army Reserve unit out of Ardmore, Okla., completed Operation Clean Sweep Jan. 14 at Contingency Operating Location Normandy, Iraq.
• Mobile Container Inspection Team works to ensure shipping containers' seaworthiness Army News 26 Jan 2010 -- As the U.S. prepares for the upcoming drawdown of troops and equipment from Iraq, its service members work together to make positive the footprint it leaves behind.
• USS Eisenhower Relieves USS Nimitz to Continue Navy Support to Coalition Troops in Afghanistan Navy NewsStand 26 Jan 2010 -- The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG) relieved the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group as Commander, Task Force 50 Jan. 25.
• Afghanistan Seen On Tipping Point In Run-Up To London Conference RFE/RL 26 Jan 2010 -- only one of the threats," Karzai stressed in words to his cabinet at the inaugural ceremony.
• Combined Forces Capture Insurgents Across Afghanistan AFPS 26 Jan 2010 -- Afghan and international forces captured multiple insurgents, including a Taliban cell leader, in operations across five Afghan provinces last night, military officials reported.
• U.S., U.K. Share History, Values in Afghanistan AFPS 26 Jan 2010 -- “The United States has no closer ally than the United Kingdom,” Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said here yesterday.
• Afghans urge accountability of int’l forces towards Afghanistan IRNA 26 Jan 2010 -- Several prominent members of the Afghan society on Tuesday called on the leaders participating in the London conference to maintain “accountability” towards the people of Afghanistan.
• Iran: London Conference on Afghanistan will solve no problem IRNA 26 Jan 2010 -- First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said on Tuesday that the upcoming London Conference on Afghanistan will solve no problem of the country.
• Germany to start cutting troop levels in Afghanistan in 2011 IRNA 26 Jan 2010 -- Germany is to begin to lower its military presence in Afghanistan next year, only hours after Chancellor Angela Merkel announced plans to send 850 additional soldiers to the war-stricken country, media reports said Tuesday.
• UK troops to remain in Afghanistan for 5 years – leaked document IRNA 26 Jan 2010 -- British troops are expected to remain in Afghanistan at least for another five years, according to a leaked draft communiqué being prepared for this week’s international conference on Afghanistan.
• Neighbor States Endorse Afghan Plan For Reconciliation RFE/RL 26 Jan 2010 -- provided that the factions involved accept the Afghan Constitution, renounce violence, and publicly break with groups that advocate violence.
• Afghan President Warns 'Military Solution Alone' Not Viable VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned Tuesday that military action alone cannot stabilize his country.
• National Guard Responds to Winter Storms AFPS 26 Jan 2010 -- The National Guard responded to severe weather in the Dakotas and Arizona yesterday.
• US, Pakistan Coordinate Military Operations Against Terrorists VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- The top U.S. military officer says the United States and Pakistan are working together more closely to fight terrorist groups whose operations span the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Admiral Mike Mullen spoke in Washington on Monday at a meeting of senior officers from the region, sponsored by the U.S. military.
• PAKISTAN: Aid workers bracing for possible new IDP influx IRIN 26 Jan 2010 -- Aid agencies are preparing for an influx of a possible further 150,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northwestern Pakistan in 2010, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other agencies.
• Transcript: DOD News Briefing with Lt. Gen. Keen from Haiti DoD 26 Jan 2010 -- Presenter: Deputy Commander, U.S. Southern Command Lt. Gen. Ken Keen
• Commodore Conveys Gratitude for Multinational Effort in Haiti Navy NewsStand 26 Jan 2010 -- The commodore of Combined Task Group 41.8, in port off the coast Haiti, expressed gratitude and appreciation for the men and women dedicated to the support of the battered nation in the multinational relief effort named Operation Unified Response Jan. 24.
• Carter Hall Arrives in Guantanamo, Onloads Relief Supplies Navy NewsStand 26 Jan 2010 -- USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) onloaded more than 400 pallets of water, food rations and medical supplies, as well as thousands of cots and tents to support Operation Unified Response, in less than 24 hours during a brief stop at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay (GTMO) Jan. 24.
• JTF Haiti Commander Visits Killick, Praises Progress Navy NewsStand 26 Jan 2010 -- The commander of Joint Task Force (JTF) Haiti visited the medical triage and treatment center in Killick, Haiti, Jan. 25 to observe the teamwork of the Sailors, Coast Guardsmen and Haitian volunteers providing care to earthquake victims.
• HAITI: Looking to the hurricane season IRIN 26 Jan 2010 -- The Haitian government estimates at least 500,000 need shelter after the 12 January earthquake devastated the city, but the challenge is to find options that will get people through the upcoming hurricane season, which typically starts in May, said Jean Phillippe Antolin, with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which is coordinating UN efforts to provide shelter.
• Press Conference on Situation in Haiti by Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant Administrator of United Nations Development Programme United Nations 26 Jan 2010
• Dyess Airmen support Haiti relief efforts AFNS 26 Jan 2010 -- Six Dyess Air Force Base C-130 Hercules aircraft and aircrews supported relief efforts Jan. 17 following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti Jan. 12.
• Charleston officials keep supplies moving to Haiti AFNS 26 Jan 2010 -- Officials from the 437th Airlift Wing here established a C-17 Globemaster III stage here to manage aircrews supporting Operation Unified Response following the Jan. 12 earthquake that devastated Haiti.
• 244th deploys to support humanitarian efforts in Haiti Army News 26 Jan 2010 -- The largest Army Reserve aviation brigade, the 244th Aviation Brigade, has geared up to deploy troops and equipment to Haiti in support of Operation Unified Response.
• Tyndall airfield pavement evaluation team heads to Haiti AFNS 26 Jan 2010 -- A three-person Air Force airfield pavement evaluation team from the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency here will spend at least 30 days in Haiti identifying construction repairs needed to increase the capacity of the country's airfields. Four RED HORSE heavy construction operators from Malmstrom AFB, Mont., are driving to Tyndall AFB to join the AFCESA team. The seven Airmen will then board a plane later this week headed for Port-au-Prince.
• Predator team deploys to support Haiti relief efforts AFNS 26 Jan 2010 -- Approximately 50 Airmen from the 432nd Wing here, along with RQ-1 Predator assets, deployed Jan. 22 to assist 12th Air Force and Air Forces Southern officials with providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts in Haiti.
• 24th MEU delivers food, medical supplies and a few smiles USMC News 26 Jan 2010 -- A Landing Craft Utility boat filled with Marines quickly approaches the shore of La Gonave. Anticipation hangs heavy in air almost as heavy as the humidity.
• Haitian leadership vital to post-quake response – UN relief officials UN News Centre 26 Jan 2010 -- Haitians must have leadership of the post-earthquake recovery process, top United Nations humanitarian officials stressed today as they reported that aid agencies are making important progress in reaching people affected by the disaster.
• Haitians in UN’s cash-for-work scheme earn income as they help their country UN News Centre 26 Jan 2010 -- Thousands of Haitians are gaining a semblance of normalcy following the recent devastating earthquake in their homeland by gaining employment and rebuilding their neighborhoods through a cash-for-work scheme run by the United Nations.
• Aid Distribution Improves As Clinton Defends US Haiti Leadership VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended aid efforts in Haiti on Tuesday, following international criticism of the U.S.-led earthquake relief operation. There are more signs that international troops, aid groups and Haitian authorities are improving the distribution of free food and water.
• Wilford Hall team heads to Haiti AFNS 26 Jan 2010 -- A team of more than 30 Air Force medics including 13 from the 59th Medical Wing here travelled to Haiti early Jan. 24 to provide medical support to earthquake victims.
• Hurlburt Field medics continue to save lives in Haiti AFNS 26 Jan 2010 -- Medics from the 1st Special Operations Support Squadron here have performed dozens of surgeries, evacuated scores of citizens and delivered tons of vital supplies as part of the ongoing relief effort in Haiti after the devastating earthquake Jan. 12.
• 5,000-Bed Hospital to Increase Haitian Medical Capacity AFPS 26 Jan 2010 -- U.S. and international relief workers in Haiti are developing a 5,000-bed hospital in the capital of Port-au-Prince to increase medical capacity as the country struggles to recover two weeks after a devastating earthquake struck.
• Survivors of Haiti's Earthquake in Urgent Need of Tents, Food VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- United Nations aid agencies say millions of survivors of Haiti's catastrophic earthquake are in urgent need of tents and food. The United Nations also is appealing to donors to convert their pledges of money into cash, which is desperately needed to finance this complex and expensive emergency operation.
• Clinton 'Deeply Resents' Criticism of US Role in Haiti Relief VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she "deeply resents" foreign criticism of the United States' response to the earthquake in Haiti.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Military Panel Hears 1st Guantanamo Appeal VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- A panel of U.S. military judges has heard the first direct appeal of a convicted detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that of al-Qaida's former top propagandist. Oral arguments in Washington focused on a wide range of issues including whether Guantanamo Bay detainees should face military commissions and if America's free speech guarantees apply to foreigners who take part in plots to harm the United States.
• Obama to Unveil New Plan to Fight Bioterrorism VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- U.S. President Barack Obama will use his State of the Union address Wednesday to unveil a new plan for a better and quicker response to bioterrorism and other threats to public health. The announcement comes just hours after the release of a report critical of the U.S. government's ability to prepare for and respond to bioterrorist attacks.
• US Provides Training for Yemen's Battle Against Al-Qaida VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- World powers are scrambling to find a way to help Yemen fight extremism and the conditions that breed it. The poorest Arab nation has been drawn back into the spotlight after Yemen-based al-Qaida members claimed responsibility for a failed attempt to blow up an airplane in the U.S. last month.
• E-4 commemorates 35 years on alert AFNS 26 Jan 2010 -- To say there have been a lot of changes in the past 35 years would be a bit of an understatement.
• NMCB 1 Nears Completion on One Project, Gets Ready for More Navy NewsStand 26 Jan 2010 -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 executed a concrete pour Jan. 22 for the roof of a chemical storage addition to a demineralized water plant at Polaris Point on U.S. Naval Base Guam.
• Navy Cyber Forces Established Navy NewsStand 26 Jan 2010 -- Navy Cyber Forces (CYBERFOR) was established in a ceremony at Joint Expeditionary Base, Little Creek-Fort Story Jan. 26.
• Center for Surface Combat Systems Provides Training to Support Navy's Newest Ship Navy NewsStand 26 Jan 2010 -- Six years of training program development came to fruition when the second ship in the revolutionary Littoral Combat Ship class, USS Independence (LCS 2) was commissioned in Mobile, Ala., Jan. 16.
• USS Samuel B. Roberts Departs Congo Navy NewsStand 26 Jan 2010 -- USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) departed the Republic of the Congo Jan. 26 after a seven-day Africa Partnership Station (APS) West port visit.
• Aviation Career Continuation Pay 2010 Program Released Navy NewsStand 26 Jan 2010 -- Adjustments to the Aviation Career Continuation Pay (ACCP) program were announced in NAVADMINs 031/10 and 032/10 to provide selected bonuses as an incentive to eligible pilots and naval flight officers through department head, sea duty and command billets.
• Navy Modifies Sexual Assault Reporting Procedures Navy NewsStand 26 Jan 2010 -- The Navy announced new requirements Jan. 26 for commands reporting sexual assault.
• Pay, Medical, Family Issues Highlight Budget Request AFPS 26 Jan 2010 -- Recognizing the nation’s responsibility to support its men and women in uniform and their families, President Barack Obama will request increased funding for military pay, housing allowances, family support programs and care for wounded warriors, White House officials said today.
• General views weapon system testing at Yuma Proving Ground Army News 26 Jan 2010 -- Documents, briefings and videos are useful, but there is no substitute for viewing conditions on the ground, up close and personal. Lt. Gen. David Huntoon, director of the Army staff, got that invaluable opportunity yesterday when he spent the day at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground in southwest Arizona.
• Transportation training facility receives railcars Army News 26 Jan 2010 -- Some important Transportation Corps assets have arrived at Fort Lee.
• U.S., ROK train side by side in simulated exercise Army News 26 Jan 2010 -- 'Manchus' from 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, trained alongside with some very special guests at the Close Combat Tactical Trainer facility on USAG-Casey.
• DoD News: Senior Executive Service Appointments And Reassignments DoD 26 Jan 2010-- Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced the following Department of Defense Senior Executive Service appointments and reassignments
• First group of BMT graduates begin sensor operator technical school AFNS 26 Jan 2010 -- Fourteen Basic Sensor Operator Training students, eight of whom are the first to begin the course fresh from Basic Military Training, began their first day of academics Jan. 15 here.
• Russia, NATO resume military cooperation RIA Novosti 26 Jan 2010 -- Russian and NATO chiefs of staff met Tuesday in Brussels, resuming the work of the Russia-NATO Council frozen after a Russian-Georgian war in August 2008.
• Twin-seater trainer plane missing CNA 26 Jan 2010 -- A twin-seater T-34 trainer plane from Taiwan's Air Force Academy lost contact with the military flight control tower Tuesday afternoon during a routine training flight, with two pilots aboard, the Air Force Command Headquarters said.
• Taiwan to seek U.S. arms sales: president CNA 26 Jan 2010 -- President Ma Ying-jeou said Monday that Taiwan will continue seeking U.S. arms sales to beef up its defenses.
• Search continues for missing trainer plane CNA 26 Jan 2010 -- No clues had been found to an Air Force twin-seater T-34 trainer plane that went missing during a routine training flight Tuesday with two pilots aboard, military sources said later that day.
• Briefing by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, 1/26/10 The White House 26 Jan 2010
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 26 Jan 2010

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 26, 2010
• Northrop Grumman to Supply Navigation Radars for Australian Ferry Fleet Northrop Grumman 26 Jan 2010 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Sperry Marine business unit has been chosen to supply radars for the Sydney Harbour Ferries fleet.
• CACI Receives Favorable Court Decision CACI 26 Jan 2010 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CACI) announced today that the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has denied a petition for rehearing in two lawsuits alleging detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq filed against CACI in 2004. On September 11, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit had ruled in CACI's favor in the two lawsuits. The Iraqi plaintiffs then asked the court to rehear the appeals, which the court declined to do.
• Thales Alenia Space: contract signed for the Galileo system Support Service Thales 26 Jan 2010 -- Today in Brussels, the European Commission has communicated the decision to award to Thales Alenia Space Italia through a framework contract lasting from 2010 till 2016 for the “System Support” to European Space Agency (ESA).

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 26 Jan 2010
• News Agency: Two Koreas Exchange Artillery Fire Along Western Sea Border VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- South Korea's Yonhap news agency says North and South Korea have exchanged artillery fire along their disputed western sea border.
• Heavy firing at India-Pakistan border, Army on alert IRNA 26 Jan 2010 -- The Indian Army was put on alert following heavy exchange of fire at the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir early Tuesday following a major infiltration bid, defence sources said as the country celebrated its 61st Republic Day.
• UN Legal Counsel discusses closer cooperation with tribunal chiefs in The Hague UN News Centre 26 Jan 2010 -- The United Nations legal chief and the heads of courts and tribunals based in The Hague have held talks this week on how to improve cooperation between the UN and the tribunals set up to deal with war crimes and other grave violations of international law.
• UN officials set to take part in high-level meeting on challenges facing Yemen UN News Centre 26 Jan 2010 -- The United Nations political chief will head a delegation from the world body taking part in tomorrow’s international high-level meeting in London on the situation in Yemen, amid rising concerns about the possible influence of Al-Qaida and other radical elements in the Arab country.
• Yemen Rebels Demand Truce with Saudi Arabia VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- The leader of a northern Yemen insurgency that has spilled into neighboring Saudi Arabia offered a truce on Monday, saying his forces will withdraw from Saudi territory. But the rebel chief added that if Saudi Arabia does not agree to abandon the war, the Houthi rebels will open new battlefronts.
• Britain Hosts Meeting on Yemen VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- Britain hosts a one-day meeting on Yemen January 27 with foreign ministers and senior officials from the United States, Europe, Gulf nations and elsewhere. The immediate focus is how to deal with the threat of terrorism from Yemen. The meeting was prompted by the alleged attempt by a young Nigerian man to ignite explosives aboard a US airliner on Christmas Day.
• Mideast Quartet may meet in Moscow in February - Lavrov RIA Novosti 26 Jan 2010 -- The next meeting of the international mediators of the Middle East conflict may be held in Moscow in February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
• Formula for Mideast peace talks not in sight - Abbas RIA Novosti 26 Jan 2010 -- A solution to the Middle East conflict has yet to be found, PNA leader Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday.
• UN agency assisting thousands uprooted by insecurity in eastern DR Congo UN News Centre 26 Jan 2010 -- The United Nations refugee agency said today it is assisting over 100,000 civilians who have fled eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in recent months due to the ongoing military offensive against Hutu militants and banditry by armed groups.
• Al-Shabab Attacks Peacekeeping Hospital in Somalia VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for an attack on a hospital run by the African Union peacekeeping force. The explosion occurred near the peacekeeping base, killing at least five, including one soldier.

News Reports

• Supreme Leader outlines US-Israel anti-Iran plots in past 30 years IRNA 26 Jan 2010 -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that the US government and the Zionist regime have been the worst enemies of the Iranian nation in the past 30 years.
• FM says ways worked out to confront soft war against Iran IRNA 26 Jan 2010 -- Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said ways have been worked out in different theoretical and communication areas to confront soft warfare.
• No change in US government’s approach towards Iran IRNA 26 Jan 2010 -- No change has been observed yet in the US administration’s approach towards Iran one year after President Barack Obama has come to power, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mihman-Parast said Tuesday.
• EGYPT: Pig-cull induced street rubbish a “national scandal” IRIN 26 Jan 2010 -- The Egyptian government’s decision to cull all of the country’s 300,000 pigs in May 2009 is increasingly being viewed by experts and officials as a gross mistake as piles of organic waste the pigs once ate accumulate in Cairo’s streets, posing serious health hazards.
• Senior UN health official refutes accusations of inflating risk of H1N1 flu pandemic UN News Centre 26 Jan 2010 -- The top United Nations flu official today rejected allegations that the World Health Organization (WHO) exaggerated the severity of the H1N1 influenza pandemic under pressure from business interests.
• UN experts point to widespread use of secret detention linked to counter-terrorism UN News Centre 26 Jan 2010 -- Despite the fact that international law clearly prohibits secret detention, the practice is widespread and “reinvigorated” by the so-called global war on terror, several independent United Nations experts stated, outlining a series of steps aimed at curbing this human rights violation.
• Russia to finalize design of manned spacecraft booster in Aug. 2010 RIA Novosti 26 Jan 2010 -- Russia will finalize in August 2010 the design of a new booster rocket for a manned spacecraft it is planning to launch in 2017, a design bureau chief said on Tuesday.
• Russia set to launch manned spacecraft in 2017 RIA Novosti 26 Jan 2010 -- Russia intends to keep up with the U.S. in the space race and launch a new manned spacecraft by 2017, a senior Russian space official said on Tuesday.
• Sri Lankan Government Disputes Eligibility of Opposition Candidate in Presidential Election VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- Even before the results have been announced for the country's first peacetime Presidential election, Sri Lanka's . His main rival is the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
• 70 per cent voters cast their franchise in Lanka’s Prez election IRNA 26 Jan 2010 -- Nearly 70 per cent of voters cast their franchise in Sri Lanka's first post-LTTE presidential election on Tuesday, expected to be a close finish between incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa and his main challenger Gen Sarath Fonseka.
• Ballot Counting Underway in Sri Lanka Presidential Election VOA 26 Jan 2010 -- After a violence-marred campaign, vote counting is underway in Sri Lanka for its first peace-time presidential election in decades. Voters, including Tamils displaced by the civil war. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is facing his former ally, ex-Army chief Sarath Fonseka.
• Analysis: Sri Lankan election a last chance for healing IRIN 26 Jan 2010 -- Sri Lanka's first post-war election may not deliver any substantial improvement in healing long-lasting divides between the country's majority Singalese and minority Tamal communities unless the winner institutes substantive power sharing.
• French Panel Recommends Partial Ban On Muslim Face Veil RFE/RL 26 Jan 2010 -- Following six months of hearings surrounded by public debate, a French parliamentary commission has recommended barring Muslim women from wearing full Islamic veils in public institutions.