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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 09 Feb 2010 [PDF]
• Feb. 8 airpower summary AFNS 09 Feb 2010 -- Coalition airpower integrated with ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations Feb. 8, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Iraqi Forces Capture Terrorism Suspects AFPS 09 Feb 2010 -- Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors arrested numerous suspected terrorists and seized enemy weapons in various operations in Iraq in recent days.
• Provider leaders meet, discuss movement of troops, equipment in Iraq Army News 09 Feb 2010 -- The 49th Transportation Battalion out of Fort Hood, Texas, and 19 subordinate units throughout Iraq participated in a quarterly Green Tab Huddle Jan. 25 through Jan. 27 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
• Local nationals work to keep JBB clean Army News 09 Feb 2010 -- Soldiers with the 547th Transportation Company, 49th Transportation Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) escort the local nationals who work to beautify Joint Base Balad, Iraq, and keep it clean.
• HHC, 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion prepares for redeployment Army News 09 Feb 2010 -- Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), started the redeployment process by preparing their containers for shipment back to the United States.
• 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion conducts commo check Army News 09 Feb 2010 -- The 264th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), communications section, commonly referred to as "Section 6," set out to train over 180 drivers and truck commanders on essential operator level communication tasks beginning Jan. 21 at Contingency Operation Base Speicher.
• Mississippi Guardsman shows ingenuity during convoy security missions Army News 09 Feb 2010 -- Winter mud can pose safety and security risks to gun truck crews, but a Mississippi Army National Guard Soldier has come up with a method for minimizing those risks for his scout gun truck.
• U.S., Iraqi forces comission joint training facility in marshes Army News 09 Feb 2010 -- U.S. and Iraqi leaders joined in the marshlands of southern Maysan Province Feb. 4 to celebrate the official grand opening of the Common Training Center on Joint Security Station Umm Sa'ah.
• Wagonmasters dedicate pavilion to fallen Soldier Army News 09 Feb 2010 -- The 15th Sustainment Brigade and 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) leaders dedicated a pavilion here to a fallen Fort Hood Soldier during a small ceremony Feb. 3.
• Forces Seize Weapons, Kill Attackers AFPS 09 Feb 2010 -- Afghan and international forces seized enemy weapons and killed insurgent attackers in operations in Afghanistan in recent days, military officials reported.
• MQ-1 PREDATOR CRASHES IN EASTERN AFGHANISTAN AFNS 09 Feb 2010 -- An Air Force MQ-1 Predator Remotely Piloted Vehicle crashed on takeoff in Eastern Afghanistan at approximately 1:50 a.m. Kabul time February 9, 2010.
• German gov't gives green light for Afghanistan troop increase IRNA 09 Feb 2010 -- The German government has approved plans to boost its troop size in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 5,350, a chancellery spokesman told the press here Tuesday.
• Third British solider killed in Helmand in two days IRNA 09 Feb 2010 -- A British soldier was killed while trying to clear explosives in the Nad-e-Ali district of central Helmand province on Monday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in London has announced.
• Afghanistan Considers Conscript Army, To Mixed Reviews RFE/RL 09 Feb 2010 -- Today, President Hamid Karzai is looking for more than a few young men, and is looking at the conscript army in which the 60-year-old general cut his teeth as the model for the future.
• NATO Warns Afghan Civilians: 'Keep Your Heads Down' VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- NATO's top civilian representative in Afghanistan is urging villagers in Helmand province to "keep your heads down" when coalition forces launch a major offensive on a southern Taliban stronghold.
• Russia rules out sending troops to Afghanistan - security chief RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Russia will not send troops to help NATO forces counter Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, where it fought nine years ago during the Cold War, the country's top security official said on Tuesday.
• Humanitarian crisis for Pakistan’s displaced far from over – UN official UN News Centre 09 Feb 2010 -- The top United Nations humanitarian official in Pakistan has called on the international community not to forget the vulnerable civilians displaced in the country’s northwest, urging donors to contribute to a $537 million appeal launched to meet immediate relief needs.
• USS Normandy Completes Relief Operations in Haiti Navy NewsStand 09 Feb 2010 -- USS Normandy (CG 60) and its embarked helicopter detachment completed relief operations off the coast of Haiti as part of Operation Unified Response Feb. 6.
• Comfort Works to Expand Care Capability Navy NewsStand 09 Feb 2010 -- Personnel from USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) scouted possible helicopter landing zones near Cange, Haiti Feb. 8 that would expand the hospital ship's capability to transfer and receive patients injured in the earthquake that left hundreds of thousands of Haitians injured or dead.
• Tobyhanna employees support Haitian relief efforts Army News 09 Feb 2010 -- Tobyhanna personnel are providing a wide range of support to the international relief effort in earthquake-devastated Haiti. Depot engineering personnel traveled to a South Carolina installation in late January to modify a communications system for an Air Force AN/MPN-14K air traffic control system that will be deployed to Haiti.
• VR-57 Delivers Critical Supplies for Haiti Navy NewsStand 09 Feb 2010 -- The "Conquistadors" of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 57 (VR-57) deployed 14 San Diego-based Sailors and a C-40A "Clipper" cargo/passenger airliner to Haiti Jan. 23 to support Operation Unified Response.
• HAITI: Funding gap for nutrition IRIN 09 Feb 2010 -- Donors have earmarked just 6 percent of the funds sought for post-earthquake nutritional assistance to women and children in Haiti, according to the UN.
• March C-17 crew completes mission to Haiti AFNS 09 Feb 2010 -- A March Air Reserve Base C-17 Globemaster III aircrew returned home Feb. 1 after flying a five-day humanitarian mission to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
• Latrine shortage could worsen public health in Haiti, UN agency says UN News Centre 09 Feb 2010 -- Sanitation has become a pressing need in Haiti and the lack of it could pose health problems for the nearly 1 million people living in temporary settlements ahead of the rainy season, United Nations officials warned today.
• Needs of Haiti’s disabled must not be forgotten, says UN expert body UN News Centre 09 Feb 2010 -- A group of United Nations experts today stressed that the needs of Haitians with disabilities must be included in the relief, recovery and reconstruction processes following the earthquake that battered the small Caribbean nation last month.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Gates: Afghan Strategy Bears Fruit, Iraq on Track AFPS 09 Feb 2010 -- Noting signs that the new strategy in Afghanistan “is beginning to bear fruit,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates also said during an interview aired last night that the effort to build up Iraq’s security forces and move forward with the U.S. drawdown plan there remains on track.
• DoD News: Statement on the Death of Congressman John Murtha by Secretary of the Army John McHugh DoD 09 Feb 2010
• Gates Remembers Murtha as Champion of Troops AFPS 09 Feb 2010 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he will remember U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania as a patriot and long-time champion of the nation’s men and women in uniform.

• USS George H.W. Bush Undergoes FPCON Assessment Navy NewsStand 09 Feb 2010 -- USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) is currently preparing for an antiterrorism/force protection condition (FPCON) assessment by Commander, Naval Air Forces Atlantic, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and the Security Training Assistance and Assessment organization.
• ONR to Expand International Science and Technology Partnership Navy NewsStand 09 Feb 2010 -- The Office of Naval Research (ONR) reached an agreement to establish an ONR Global liaison office in Prague, Czech Republic,on Feb. 26.
• Essex ARG Conducts Simulated Amphibious Assault Navy NewsStand 09 Feb 2010 -- Sailors from the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESX ARG) worked with Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), as well as Sailors and Marines from the Kingdom of Thailand and the Republic of Korea (ROK), as dozens of landing crafts and hundreds of Marines from all three nations hit Hat Klod Beach in Utapao, Thailand, during a simulated amphibious assault Feb. 4.
• Carrier Air Wing 3 Changes Hands Navy NewsStand 09 Feb 2010 -- Carrier Air Wing 3 (CVW-3) held a change of command ceremony in the hangar bay aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Feb. 5.
• Flex Fuel Now Available on NAS Whidbey Island Navy NewsStand 09 Feb 2010 -- Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island is now the third installation in Navy Region Northwest to offer E-85 ethanol flexible fuel.
• Philippine Navy Acquires New Boats, JSOTF-P Assists with Training Navy NewsStand 09 Feb 2010 -- Sailors from Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) offered members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) training aboard 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) Jan. 12 as part of a six-week course at Naval Base Cavite in Cavite, Philippines.
• AFRICOM Chief Offers Support to AU Security Goals VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- The United States military command for Africa, known as AFRICOM, is offering enhanced support for African Union peace and security initiatives. The commander, General William Ward, hailed Ethiopia's decision to supply badly-needed helicopters to the joint AU/United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur.
• Aircraft arrive at Andersen for Cope North 10-1 kickoff AFNS 09 Feb 2010 -- Twenty-one aircraft from more than a six military units throughout the Pacific region arrived here for Cope North 10-1, a two-week annual bilateral exercise between U.S. forces and the Japan Air Self Defense Force that began Feb. 7.
• Airmen provide intelligence needs for Red Flag AFNS 09 Feb 2010 -- Airmen of the Core Intelligence Cell here are making sure every pilot who flies a Red Flag 10-2 mission is prepared to accomplish their goals and come home safely.
• Kirtland munitions squadron decertified AFNS 09 Feb 2010 -- The 898th Munitions Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base was decertified Jan. 27, according to Air Force Materiel Command officials at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
• Europe's Nuclear Deterrent Debated VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- Germany's new coalition government is calling for U.S. nuclear missiles to be removed from Europe.
• French president defends sale of Mistral warship to Russia RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy has defended his decision to allow the sale of a Mistral-class amphibious assault ship to Russia by saying it would not threaten regional security, the Daily Herald reported.
• Lithuanian defense minister calls on Russia to trust NATO RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Lithuania's defense minister said that a decision by NATO member France to sell Russia a top-of-the-range warship demonstrates that the alliance is no threat to Moscow.
• Georgia ready to join NATO but Russia stands in way - minister RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Georgia is ready to join NATO but Russia's position prevents the alliance from accepting the South Caucasus country, the Georgian foreign minister said Monday.
• Russian 5th-generation fighter deliveries delayed until 2015 RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Deliveries of fifth-generation fighters to Russia's Air Force will start in 2015 rather than in 2013 as previously announced, the Air Force chief said on Tuesday.
• Russia still weighing Mistral warship options - security chief RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- The Russian leadership is still considering whether to buy a Mistral-class amphibious assault ship from France or to build a similar ship domestically, Russia's top security official said Tuesday.
• Russian security chief says NATO still serious threat to Moscow RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- NATO continues to pose a serious threat to Russia, not least because of its desire to expand closer to Russia's borders, Russian security chief Nikolai Patrushev said on Tuesday.
• Briefing by Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley US Dept. of State 09 Feb 2010

Defense Industry

• MARINE AVIATORS COMPLETE OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF ADVANCED PRECISION KILL WEAPON SYSTEM WITH 8-FOR-8 PERFORMANCE BAE Systems 09 Feb 2010 -- Aviators from the U.S. Marine Corps have completed their operational assessment of BAE Systems' Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, scoring eight direct hits in eight shots in the past two weeks. Operational assessment gives Marine aviators the opportunity to "test drive" the system before it is deployed and confirms that the laser-guided 2.75-inch rocket will meet their needs in combat.
• U.S. Army Awards General Dynamics $253 Million for Stryker Logistic Support General Dynamics 09 Feb 2010 -- The U.S. Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command recently awarded General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), $253 million for contractor logistics support of the Stryker family of combat vehicles. Logistics support, vehicle resets and upgrades are a continuing portion of General Dynamics’ combat systems-related business.
• MOD and MCA/DfT selects Soteria for SAR-H programme Thales 09 Feb 2010 -- Helicopter (SAR-H) programme.
• Lockheed Martin Delivers 50th Fully Missionized MH-60R Multimission Helicopter to the U.S. Navy Lockheed Martin 09 Feb 2010 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] has formally delivered the 50th MH-60R helicopter, fully equipped for its mission to protect the U. S. Navy fleet from hostile submarines and surface ships.
• Astrium and EADS Defence & Security selected by the European Defence Agency (EDA) to study integration of UAVs into civil airspace EADS 09 Feb 2010 -- The European Defence Agency (EDA) has selected an Astrium and EADS Defence & Security (DS) consortium to lead a six-month study to demonstrate that by using satellite communications it is feasible to integrate UAVs into civil airspace.

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 09 Feb 2010
• Press Conference on Sexual Violence in Conflict United Nations 09 Feb 2010
• Joint UN-African Union envoy to Darfur talks peace with armed rebel movements UN News Centre 09 Feb 2010 -- The newly appointed head of the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known as UNAMID, today met with members from key rebel militia as part of a series of talks on the prospects for a durable peace in the war-scarred region in western Sudan.
• Sudan, Chad Agree to End Hostilities VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- The presidents of Chad and Sudan have agreed to end hostilities and normalize relations between their countries.
• SOMALIA: Community leaders pool together to deliver water to IDPs IRIN 09 Feb 2010 -- Community leaders in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, are filling the gaps in aid distribution by raising funds to assist thousands displaced by fighting, leaders said.
• Al-Qaida Group in Yemen Reaches Out to Somali Rebels VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- A Yemen-based al-Qaida group is calling for regional coordination with rebels in Somalia. The governments of both countries are facing powerful insurgencies from Islamist forces.

News Reports

• US Welcomes Chinese Dialogue with North Korea on Nuclear Issue VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- The United States on Wednesday expressed support for a new Chinese effort to get North Korea back to the Chinese-sponsored six-party talks on its nuclear program. The State Department said North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's recommitment to the negotiating process should be followed by action.
• North Korea repeats calls for denuclearization RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has reiterated that his country is willing to continue efforts toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the Xinhua news agency said Tuesday.
• North Korean Leader Pledges Commitment to Nuclear-Free Peninsula VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- Diplomatic activity on the North Korean nuclear issue is picking up steam. North Korean leaderKim Jong Il has reportedly told a Chinese official that he is committed to a nuclear-free country, while dispatching his own senior nuclear negotiator to Beijing.
• Obama: New Iran Sanctions Being Developed Quickly VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- As Iran accelerated its nuclear program on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that major new sanctions on the Iranian government are being developed. The president says Tehran is still pursuing a program that would lead to nuclear weapons.
• Twenty-percent enrichment not contradictory to fuel swap: spokesman IRNA 09 Feb 2010 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mihman-Parast said on Tuesday that Iran’s readiness for 20-percent enrichment is not in contradiction with the issue of fuel swap.
• Iran says nuclear swap case still open IRNA 09 Feb 2010 -- The Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday the issue of nuclear exchange for Tehran’s research reactor is still open to talks.
• IAEA confirms reception of letter from Iran IRNA 09 Feb 2010 -- An IAEA spokesperson confirmed late Monday night agency has received a letter from Atomic Energy Organization of Iran on February 8th.
• MP: No need to acquiring others’ permit for 20% enrichment IRNA 09 Feb 2010 -- A Parliament Member said here Monday Iran produced its 3% enriched uranium without acquiring others’ permit and is needless of other countries, or IAEA permit for 20% enrichment.
• Obama Says Sanctions Moving Forward For Iran's Nuclear 'Misbehavior' RFE/RL 09 Feb 2010 -- Declaring that the world is "unified around Iran's misbehavior," U.S. President Barack Obama said today that a regime of international sanctions against Tehran is moving forward and should be completed in the next few weeks.
• Tehran warns Moscow over S-300 missile delivery delays RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Failure to deliver S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Tehran could provoke bad feelings in the Islamic Republic, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.
• Iran says enriched uranium production no obstacle to swap plan RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Iranian production of 20%-enriched uranium does not mean the end of a possible fuel swap scheme, the Islamic Republic said on Tuesday.
• Russia criticizes Iran over uranium enrichment RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Iran's decision to enrich uranium to 20% casts doubt on its intentions to address international concerns about its nuclear program, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
• Iran enrichment plans cast doubt on nuclear program - Russia RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Iran's announcement that it is starting production of 20%-enriched uranium creates doubts about the peaceful nature of the country's nuclear program, Russia's security chief Nikolai Patrushev said on Tuesday.
• Iran starts production of 20%-enriched uranium RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Iran began on Tuesday production of 20%-enriched uranium at the Natanz nuclear facility, the Iranian Fars news agency reported.
• Iran says starting production of higher-grade nuclear fuel RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Iran will start production of 20%-enriched nuclear fuel at the Natanz nuclear plant on Tuesday afternoon, the Fars news agency said, citing an Iranian nuclear official.
• Israel Calls for 'Crippling' Sanctions as Iran Enriches Uranium VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- Israel has issued a stern warning after Iran said it had begun making a higher-grade nuclear fuel.
• Iranian Opposition Kept Off Guard Ahead of 1979 Celebrations VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- With two days to go before the anniversary celebration of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, authorities are slowing the internet and disrupting mobile phone service in what is believed to be an effort to disrupt opposition protests. A top religious leader is also urging Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to release prisoners.
• Iran Defies West, Begins Boosting Uranium VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- Iran says it has begun further enriching uranium, a move some Western nations say should be met with sanctions. But China continues to push for a diplomatic solution.
• A Vote Of Confidence: Democracy Is Real Winner Of Ukrainian Election RFE/RL 09 Feb 2010 -- Reports of the death of the Orange Revolution have been greatly exaggerated.
• Lawmakers Say Tymoshenko To Challenge Ukraine Vote Results RFE/RL 09 Feb 2010 -- Lawmakers from the bloc of Ukraine's prime minister, presidential challenger Yulia Tymoshenko, say she intends to mount a legal challenge to the results of the weekend presidential runoff that handed a narrow victory to rival Viktor Yanukovych.
• Russia hopes for positive relations with Ukraine's new leadership RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Russia on Tuesday congratulated Viktor Yanukovich on his victory in Ukraine's presidential election, saying that it hoped for better ties with his government.
• Medvedev congratulates Yanukovych on election as president RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Viktor Yanukovych on Thursday on his victory in Ukraine's presidential election.
• Yanukovych's party forming coalition in Ukraine parliament RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Ukraine's opposition Party of Region, whose leader Viktor Yanukovich looks set to become president after tight polls on Sunday, said on Tuesday it could put together a coalition this week giving him control over parliament.
• Tymoshenko supporters to contest election results RIA Novosti 09 Feb 2010 -- Yulia Tymoshenko will contest the presidential runoff results in court if reports of extensive voting procedure breaches in several regions of the country prove true, a deputy leader of her bloc said on Tuesday.
• Tymoshenko Camp Vows to Contest Ukraine Election Results VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- Aides to Ukrainian presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko say she is planning a legal challenge of Sunday's presidential election results, which showed a victory for opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych.
• Sri Lanka: UN chief urges due process for arrested opposition leader UN News Centre 09 Feb 2010 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on authorities in Sri Lanka to ensure the rights and safety of the defeated presidential candidate and former army chief that was arrested yesterday, and said he intends to speak to the country’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss the issue.
• Sri Lanka's President Dissolves Parliament VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has dissolved his country's parliament, clearing the way for legislative elections two months ahead of schedule.
• Muslim student released after terror conviction overturned IRNA 09 Feb 2010 -- A Muslim student is to be released from custody in Scotland after prosecutors decided Tuesday he should not face retrial for an overturned terrorism conviction.
• European Parliament Approves New Executive Commission RFE/RL 09 Feb 2010 -- The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to approve the next European Commission.
• Nigerian Lawmakers Name Acting President VOA 09 Feb 2010 -- Nigeria's parliament says Vice President Goodluck Jonathan is the country's acting leader, more than ten weeks after President Umaru Yar'Adua left for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia.