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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 02 Feb 2010 [PDF]
• Airpower Summary: January 30 AFNS 02 Feb 2010
• Airpower Summary: January 29 AFNS 02 Feb 2010
• Airpower Summary: January 28 AFNS 02 Feb 2010
• Iraqis Capture Baghdad Cell Members, Find Weapons AFPS 02 Feb 2010 -- Iraqi security forces arrested a wanted Baghdad cell member and seven additional suspected terrorists, and discovered a large weapons cache during two joint security operations today in Baghdad and northern Iraq.
• Ellsworth Airmen return home AFNS 02 Feb 2010 -- Approximately 50 Ellsworth Air Force Base Airmen returned home Jan. 27 from a six-month deployment to Southwest Asia.
• "Provider" commander visits "Wagonmasters" at Habur Gate Army News 02 Feb 2010 -- Flying to Habur Gate from the south in a UH-60 Black Hawk, the scenery gradually changes from flat, tan desert sands to patchwork fields of varied shapes and shades of green to smoothly rolling hills and finally small green mountains divided into tiers by bands of brownish rock.
• DoD News: DoD Announces Afghanistan Force Deployment DoD 02 Feb 2010 -- The Department of Defense announced today the deployment of an additional 4,100 soldiers to Afghanistan, part of the 30,000 troops authorized by President Barack Obama on Nov. 30, 2009.
• Kandahar Airmen airdrop supplies to troops, prepare for troop increase AFNS 02 Feb 2010 -- Airmen of the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here dropped 56 containerized delivery systems over three different drop zones within Afghanistan from the same aircraft Jan. 27 to support Operation Enduring Freedom warfighters.
• Air Force officials release Predator accident report AFNS 02 Feb 2010 -- A mechanical failure caused the crash of an MQ-1B Predator Sept. 4, 2009, in a forward operating area in Afghanistan, according to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report released Feb. 2.
• More Campbell Troops to Deploy to Afghanistan AFPS 02 Feb 2010 -- The 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division will deploy to Afghanistan as part of the surge of American troops into that country, Defense Department officials said today.
• Attacks halt UN food agency’s deliveries in north-western Afghanistan UN News Centre 02 Feb 2010 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has temporarily suspended deliveries in north-western Afghanistan after a convoy was attacked over the weekend, resulting in the loss of over 100 metric tons of food aid.
• Afghan President Seeks Saudi Help for Taliban Peace Talks VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has arrived in Saudi Arabia to ask Saudi King Abdullah for help in reaching out to the Taliban.
• Forces Detain Suspected Militants in Afghanistan AFPS 02 Feb 2010 -- A combined Afghan and international security force detained several suspected militants in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province during two operations yesterday.
• Explosions kill two more British soldiers in Afghanistan IRNA 02 Feb 2010 -- Explosions have killed another two British soldiers in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence in London reported Tuesday.
• Fighting a thinking enemy; Marines, Afghan forces engage Taliban with more than brute force USMC News 02 Feb 2010 -- Beleaguered and tired, with combat boots half filled with water, Marines with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment and the Afghan national army soldiers attached to their unit, trudge through flooded canals in the Shorshurak region of Helmand province, Jan. 29.
• Pakistan army chief: Our war was not US war IRNA 02 Feb 2010 -- Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said Monday anti-terror fight is not part of the US war and Islamabad has the will and resolve to overcome menace of terrorism in country with public support.
• Cyber unit supports Haiti relief AFNS 02 Feb 2010 -- Airmen from the 561st Network Operations Squadron provided network support to more than 400 sorties delivering humanitarian aid to Haiti since Jan. 13.
• HAITI: Planting season in peril IRIN 02 Feb 2010 -- Ensuring seeds are sown during Haiti’s principal planting season – now just one month away – is key to averting a food crisis in the wake of January’s devastating earthquake, experts say.
• Operation Unified Response transitions to Haitian self-sustainment Army News 02 Feb 2010 -- Joint Task Force - Haiti is beginning to transition to the next phase of its involvement in Operation Unified Response, following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the island nation of Haiti about two weeks ago, said Col. Gregory Kane, the JTF-H and XVIII Airborne Corps operations officer, today.
• Maj. Gen. Allyn discusses role of U.S. forces in Haiti Army News 02 Feb 2010 -- Maj. Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, Joint Task Force Haiti and XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C., deputy commanding general, talked about the U.S. military's role in Haiti at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince Feb. 1.
• 'Sailors Ashore' from Fort McHenry Provide Relief in Haiti Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- Sailors from amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry have supported projects in the communities of Neply, Birey, Baie de Grande Gaove, Petit Gaove, and the island community of Lugonave, Haiti, since Jan. 19 in coordination with local nongovernmental organizations.
• Mission Assurance Analysts Impact Haiti Restoration and Recovery Efforts Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- U.S. Navy analysts and engineers are providing a constant real-time analysis of critical infrastructure in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean nations that is proving vital to U.S. Southern Command's (SOUTHCOM) planning and management of Haiti's recovery efforts.
• Gunston Hall Establishes Killick Landing Zone for Haitian Relief Efforts Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- A soccer field at the Killick Haitian Coast Guard Base, swampy and strewn with trash and debris, was once home to hundreds of Haitians displaced by the Jan. 12 earthquake which devastated the Caribbean nation. Today, the area is a helicopter-landing zone (LZ) for medical evacuations (MEDEVAC).
• Airmen continue relief aid flights into Haiti AFNS 02 Feb 2010 -- The Air Force Reserve's 302nd Airlift Wing delivered another bundle of relief supplies Jan. 30 to Haiti.
• Cross-command communication fuels Haiti relief efforts AFNS 02 Feb 2010 -- Two KC-10 Extender crews were wheels-up within 12 hour notice Jan. 12, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and headed for Langley Air Force Base's runway to escort and refuel cargo planes headed for Haiti in response to relief efforts.
• Shelter urgently needed for Haitian quake victims, UN reports UN News Centre 02 Feb 2010 -- Beyond food, hundreds of thousands of Haitian earthquake victims displaced from their homes in Port-au-Prince, Léogâne and Jacmel urgently need shelter, with plastic sheeting taking priority over tents, the United Nations reported today in its latest update three weeks after the catastrophe struck the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
• UN: Significant Progress in Providing Aid to Quake Victims in Haiti VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- The United Nations reports significant progress has been made in providing assistance to hundreds of thousands of quake victims in Haiti. A senior U.N. official says the relief operation is being scaled up on all levels, with shelter topping the list of priorities.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pentagon Begins Process to Allow Homosexuals into US Military VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- The top U.S. military officer has endorsed President Barack Obama's desire to integrate open homosexuals into the U.S. military. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, told Congress Tuesday he believes it is "the right thing to do," after Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the creation of a commission to study the issue and make a formal plan.
• Gates Appoints Panel for Potential End of ‘Don’t Ask, Don't Tell’ AFPS 02 Feb 2010 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today established a Defense Department panel to prepare the military for the potential elimination of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that bans openly gay people from serving in the armed forces.
• Gates Announces Joint Strike Fighter Program Shakeup AFPS 02 Feb 2010 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced a restructuring in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter office yesterday to provide increased oversight of a program he conceded has fallen behind in meeting key benchmarks.
• Gates: No Tricare Hike in 2011 Budget Request AFPS 02 Feb 2010 -- Tricare recipients will see no increase in their premiums next year, if Congress approves that provision of the fiscal 2011 defense budget request, as expected.
• Fiscal 2011 Request Improves Terror Fight AFPS 02 Feb 2010 -- The President’s Fiscal 2011 Defense Budget request grows a department fighting two wars and attacking an amorphous terror network, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
• Missile Defense Agency Requests Bigger Budget AFPS 02 Feb 2010 -- The Defense Department agency responsible for U.S. missile defense systems has requested $8.4 billion for fiscal year 2011, an increase of about a half billion dollars.
• Mullen Details What 2011 Budget Request Will Fund AFPS 02 Feb 2010 -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff did not speak about money today during his testimony on the fiscal 2011 defense budget request before the Senate Armed Services Committee, but rather what that money will do.
• Budget Request Calls for New, Renovated Schools AFPS 02 Feb 2010 -- Military children are one of the many groups poised to benefit from President Barack Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget request.
• Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hickam Air Force Base Combine To Form Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- Naval Station Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base held a Jan. 31 ceremony unveiling Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam (JBPHH), marking the beginning of the transition period which will see the two military installations combine.
• PCU Mississippi Progresses Toward Completion Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- Progress is ongoing for Pre-Commissioning Unit Mississippi (SSN 782), the latest Virginia-class attack submarine, in Groton, Conn.
• First month of 2010 chalks up two firsts for Blue Grass Chemical Weapons Destruction Plant Army News 02 Feb 2010 -- The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) team reached two significant milestones in January with the installation of the final structural steel beam on a key support facility and the first concrete placement in the main processing building of the chemical weapons destruction pilot plant.
• Navy Marks Environmental Accomplishments for At-Sea Ranges in 2009; More to Come in 2010 Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- The U.S. Navy has kicked off 2010 with a wave of training and environmental stewardship successes, the culmination of significant environmental planning efforts that were underway in 2009.
• New Hampshire's Hard Work Rewarded with Battle "E" Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- Commander Submarine Squadron (CSS) 4 presented the 2009 Battle Effectiveness, or Battle "E," award to Virginia-class attack submarine USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) Jan. 29 aboard the boat at Naval Submarine Base New London.
• Sub Tender Transfers to Military Sealift Command Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- Military Sealift Command (MSC) accepted responsibility for submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) Feb. 1. Cable, which is homeported in Guam, serves as a floating maintenance and logistics facility for Navy submarines.
• Seal Beach SAR Supports the Fleet Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Seal Beach, Calif., supported fleet readiness for San Diego-based warships and many outside agencies by providing them access to the weapons station's small arms range (SAR) Jan. 21.
• Navy Confirms Sunken Sub in Balabac Strait is USS Flier Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Seal Beach, Calif., supported fleet readiness for San Diego-based warships and many outside agencies by providing them access to the weapons station's small arms range (SAR) Jan. 21.
• The Bathyscaph Trieste Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the World's Deepest Dive Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- Today, suspended on a steel stand, in a back corner of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, is a huge piece of equipment, the bathyscaph Trieste, which holds the record for the world's deepest ocean dive. That historic descent was on Jan. 23, 1960 50 years ago. The massive machine is so large that when installed, 20 years after its famous dive, it was sectioned into several pieces to fit through the building's great rolling doors.
• NMCB 3 Receives Visit from 1st Construction Division Commander Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- The commander of 1st Naval Construction Division (1 NCD), visited Naval Station Rota Jan. 22-23 to see firsthand how the Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 are impacting the lives of the Rota community.
• Red Wolves Hold Change of Command Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- The "Red Wolves" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 84 held a change of command ceremony Jan. 30 at Naval Station Norfolk.
• Navy's Newest Aircraft Carrier Goes Cashless Navy NewsStand 02 Feb 2010 -- USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) recently became the Navy's latest ship to begin using the Navy Cash Card as the sole form of payment for goods on board.
• Guardian Challenge: The proud heritage AFNS 02 Feb 2010 -- As the Air Force space and cyberspace competition, Guardian Challenge, 'reboots' for 2010 with a new arsenal of competition events, it's key for Airmen to remember that this Air Force Space Command capabilities competition is, in the words of the Airman's Creed, "faithful to a proud heritage."
• Review Calls for Stronger Cooperation AFPS 02 Feb 2010 -- A network of strong relationships -- with U.S. allies and partners around the world as well as civilian partners at home -– is critical to executing the Defense Department’s long-term strategy, as spelled out in the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, the undersecretary of defense for policy said here today.
• Expansion of US missile presence in PG states, political cheat IRNA 02 Feb 2010 -- Expansion of US missile presence in some of the Persian Gulf states is a puppet show and a political cheat, Speaker of Iran's Parliament Ali Larijani said Tuesday.
• China confirms sanctions against U.S. suppliers of arms to Taiwan RIA Novosti 02 Feb 2010 -- China confirmed on Tuesday its decision to impose sanctions against U.S. suppliers of arms to Taiwan.
• China to Sanction US Companies That Sell Arms to Taiwan VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- China has warned of serious repercussions for relations with the United States after the Obama administration's decision to sell arms to Taiwan.
• Blair ‘misled’ parliament on Iraq war, says former minister IRNA 02 Feb 2010 -- Former international development secretary Clare Short Tuesday accused former prime minister Tony Blair of lying to her and misleading parliament in the build-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion.
• India to buy more BrahMos missiles RIA Novosti 02 Feb 2010 -- India has plans to introduce into its armed forces the new BrahMos missile, the head of the BrahMos Aerospace company, Sivathanu Pillai, told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
• Sweden, Poland Call For Tactical Arms Reduction RFE/RL 02 Feb 2010 -- The foreign ministers of Sweden and Poland are calling on the United States and Russia to sharply reduce their arsenals of tactical nuclear weapons, saying they pose a threat to Europe.
• Training centers to prepare priests for Russian army RIA Novosti 02 Feb 2010 -- Training centres to prepare priests for deployment to Russian military units will open in the near future, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said on Tuesday.
• SOUTH AFRICA: Arms export controls in meltdown IRIN 02 Feb 2010 -- A report by South Africa's Auditor-General has revealed a serious lack of controls over exports of its vast array of conventional weapons, which a non-governmental organisation monitoring the trade attributes to government's "couldn't be bothered" attitude.
• Joined hands must replace clenched fists, Ban tells nuclear disarmament meeting UN News Centre 02 Feb 2010 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today praised the role of international political, military, business and faith leaders in pushing for the phased elimination of all nuclear weapons with a global campaign to build public and political support.
• Gaggle by Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton aboard Air Force One en route Manchester, New Hampshire, 2/2/10 The White House 02 Feb 2010
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 02 Feb 2010

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 02, 2010
• STOVL Jet Is Fifth Lockheed Martin F-35 To Enter Flight Testing Lockheed Martin 02 Feb 2010 -- A Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth fighter today became the fifth F-35 to begin flight operations.
• Thales partners with Schiebel for the French DGA VTOL UAV trials Thales 02 Feb 2010 -- In December 2009, the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) selected Schiebel’s unmanned aerial system Camcopter S-100 to run a series of comprehensive trials to assess the operational advantages of a VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) UAV system. These trials will take place during the first half of 2010 on various sites representative of land /urban and coastal operations, operated by French Army and Navy forces representatives.
• Thales to support Royal Australian Air Force Wedgetail training Thales 02 Feb 2010 -- Thales Australia has signed a five-year agreement with Boeing Defence Australia to provide through life maintenance and engineering support for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) Operational Flight Trainer (OFT).
• Thales signs first contract with Dassault Aviation for through-life support of Rafale avionics Thales 02 Feb 2010 -- Thales today announced that it has signed a contract with Dassault Aviation to provide maintenance support for avionics equipment on Rafale combat aircraft in service with the French armed forces. This ten-year fixed-price contract includes a range of extended services.
• Norwegian Defense Logistics Organization Awards Materials Management Program to Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney 02 Feb 2010 -- The Norwegian Defense Logistics Organization (NDLO) has signed an agreement with Pratt & Whitney for a Materials Management Program (MMP) to support the Royal Norwegian Air Force’s F100-PW-220E engine fleet powering their F-16 aircraft.
• Egyptian Air Force Selects Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 Engine Enhancement Package Engine to Power New Fleet of F-16s Pratt & Whitney 02 Feb 2010 -- The U.S. Government’s Foreign Military Sales program has announced that the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 Engine Enhancement Package (EEP) engine has been selected by the Egyptian Air Force to power their new fleet of F-16 Block 52 aircraft.
• Pratt & Whitney Delivers First Production F135 Engine Pratt & Whitney 02 Feb 2010 -- Pratt & Whitney has delivered the first F135 production engine for the F-35 Lightning II, a major milestone and clear demonstration of the maturity of the F135 engine.

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 02 Feb 2010
• Press Conference by Security Council President United Nations 02 Feb 2010
• UN neutral in next year’s southern Sudan referendum, Ban stresses UN News Centre 02 Feb 2010 -- The United Nations has taken no position on next year’s referendum on independence for southern Sudan, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underscored today as he refuted recent media reports to the contrary.
• Parties in Western Sahara dispute to hold new round of talks next week – UN UN News Centre 02 Feb 2010 -- The parties in the dispute over the status of Western Sahara, where fighting broke out between Morocco and the Frente Polisario after Spain’s colonial administration ended in 1976, have agreed to a United Nations proposal to hold their next set of informal talks next week in the United States.
• UN closes Palestinian refugee camp straddling Iraqi-Syrian border UN News Centre 02 Feb 2010 -- The parties in the dispute over the status of Western Sahara, where fighting broke out between Morocco and the Frente Polisario after Spain’s colonial administration ended in 1976, have agreed to a United Nations proposal to hold their next set of informal talks next week in the United States.
• DRC-CONGO: Of fish wars and displacement IRIN 02 Feb 2010 -- Rival ethnic communities in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo have clashed many times over the years, but most recently over fish, observers say.
• SOMALIA: My farm "is full of mines" IRIN 02 Feb 2010 -- Mohamed Olhaye Nour, 60, last cultivated his farm in Abuda, 24km southwest of Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, more than two decades ago.
• OPT: Psychological trauma, nightmares stalk Gaza children IRIN 02 Feb 2010 -- Mona al-Samouni, 12, is depressed and has nightmares about the day - just over a year ago - when she witnessed her parents and a number of relatives being shot by Israeli soldiers in their home in Zeitoun, southeast of Gaza City.
• Hamas suspends talks on prisoner swaps with Israel RIA Novosti 02 Feb 2010 -- Hamas announced Tuesday it was freezing discussions on prisoner swaps with Israel.
• Somali violence uproots 80,000 civilians in January alone, reports UN agency UN News Centre 02 Feb 2010 -- The United Nations refugee agency today reported that a sharp rise in violence in Somalia in January left nearly 260 civilians dead, in addition to uprooting over 80,000 and causing widespread destruction.
• UN agency boosts efforts to assist rising number of hungry in southern Sudan UN News Centre 02 Feb 2010 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is ramping up efforts to assist nearly 4.3 million people in southern Sudan where the number of hungry has quadrupled over the past year due to conflict and drought.
• Violence Marks Somali Government's Year Anniversary VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- January 29 was supposed to have been a day of celebration. In the sprawling presidential compound known as Villa Somalia, preparations had been made to mark the one-year anniversary of the new transitional government with poetry readings and a military parade.

News Reports

• Ahmadinejad's Budget Hikes Funding For Hard-Line Think Tanks RFE/RL 02 Feb 2010 -- Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has proposed increasing funds for hard-line think tanks by 143 percent in his draft government budget, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.
• Biden: Iran's Leaders 'Sowing Seeds of Their Own Destruction' VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says Iran's leaders are "sowing the seeds of their own destruction" by continuing a crackdown on the Iranian opposition.
• Ahmadinejad: Iran Ready to Send Enriched Uranium Abroad VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his country is ready to send uranium abroad for further enrichment, in accordance with a U.N.-backed plan.
• US Denies Speaking to Iran About Prisoner Swap VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- The United States has denied speaking to Iran about a prisoner exchange after Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran has held discussions about such a swap.
• Leader blames negligence of certain figures for bitter events IRNA 02 Feb 2010 -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that negligence on part of certain figures caused bitter events in recent months.
• Iran To Execute Nine More Protesters, As Opposition Leader Denounces 'Dictatorship' RFE/RL 02 Feb 2010 -- The deputy head of Iran's judiciary says nine more protesters are to be executed soon over the unrest that erupted following the controversial June presidential elections.
• Iranian Opposition Leader: 'Roots of Dictatorship' Remain in Iran VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has sharply criticized Iran's conservative leadership, accusing it of failing to live up to the goals of the nation's Islamic Revolution.
• Iran to Execute 9 Protesters for Post-Election Unrest VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- A senior Iranian judiciary official says Iran will soon execute nine more convicted rioters for their connections to the unrest that erupted after the country's disputed presidential election in June.
• US Terror Suspects in Pakistan Allege FBI Torture VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- Five American terrorism suspects detained in Pakistan have declared their innocence and say they have been tortured by U.S. investigators and Pakistani police in jail.
• Obama's 2011 Budget Scraps Manned Lunar Missions VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- The U.S. space agency's ambitious plan to put astronauts back on the moon has been cancelled in the Obama administration's proposed 2011 federal budget. The $3.6 trillion spending plan for the U.S. government was submitted to Congress on Feb. 1.
• Yanukovych vows to bring Ukraine out of economic crisis RIA Novosti 02 Feb 2010 -- Front-runner in Ukraine's presidential election Viktor Yanukovych vowed to bring the country out of the economic crisis if he becomes the president.
• New AU Chief Sets Political Stability, Food Security as Priorities VOA 02 Feb 2010 -- The newly-elected African Union Chairman, Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika has pledged to make political stability a priority on a continent troubled by coups and conflicts. Mr. Mutharika set an ambitious agenda at the start of his one-year term as AU chief.