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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 29 Mar 2010 [PDF]
• Recovery supports convoys during travel Army News 29 Mar 2010 -- Recovery Soldiers travel with convoys throughout Iraq, supporting units should vehicles break down during their mission.
• Logistics partnering in Maysan Province Army News 29 Mar 2010 -- The 121st Brigade Support Battalion's partnership with the Iraqi Security Forces focuses not only on developing their ability to conduct combat operations, but also upon developing their administrative and logistics capabilities.
• Troops Kill, Capture Militants, Seize Weapons AFPS 29 Mar 2010 -- U.S. and Afghan forces killed and detained militants and discovered weapons in operations in Afghanistan in recent days, military officials said.
• Kandahar Ops Reflect Complexity, Subtlety AFPS 29 Mar 2010 -- More than 96 percent of the people of Afghanistan oppose the Taliban, but that doesn’t mean the Afghan government and the coalition are home free.
• Airmen train Afghan C-27 loadmaster AFNS 29 Mar 2010 -- Airmen from the 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron and Afghan soldiers with the Afghanistan National Army Air Corps completed a successful check ride for the nation's first qualified C-27 Spartan loadmaster March 28 here.
• Air Force officials release Predator accident report AFNS 29 Mar 2010 -- Pilot error caused the crash of an MQ-1B Predator Oct. 3, 2009, at a forward operating area in Afghanistan, according to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report released March 29 here.
• Mortarmen bring 81s to the fight USMC News 29 Mar 2010 -- The Marines and soldiers were going about their daily business, setting up their new company operating base in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 21. There wasn’t much going on at the time.
• More than 110,000 explosive devices destroyed in Afghanistan this year – UN UN News Centre 29 Mar 2010 -- The United Nations-supported mine action centre in Afghanistan destroyed nearly 112,000 different types of explosives in the first two months of this year and could do much more with additional funding, one of its top officials said today ahead of next week’s International Mine Action Day.
• Obama Returns After Brief Afghanistan Visit VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- U.S. President Barack Obama has returned to Washington from a brief, unannounced trip to Afghanistan where he pressed President Hamid Karzai to crack down on corruption and improve his government's performance.
• AFGHANISTAN: Insecurity slowing IDP return to Marjah IRIN 29 Mar 2010 -- Over a month since pro-government Afghan and foreign forces retook Nad Ali District, including the town of Marjah, in the southern province of Helmand from Taliban insurgents, thousands of the displaced are yet to return to their homes, according to aid agencies.
• Transcript: DOD Background Briefing with a Senior Military Official from the Pentagon DoD 29 Mar 2010 -- Presenter: Senior Military Official
• Military Official Discusses Pakistani Offensive AFPS 29 Mar 2010 -- Roughly 40,000 Pakistani troops are conducting operations against militants in the country’s North Waziristan region near the Afghan border, a senior U.S. military official said today.
• PAKISTAN: Help at hand for traumatized conflict victims IRIN 29 Mar 2010 -- Nearly a year after the army defeated the Taliban in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, a district of North West Frontier Province, the physical impact of the conflict is plain to see in damaged or destroyed buildings, but the underlying psychosocial impact is harder to gauge.
• Press Conference on International Donors’ Conference for Haiti United Nations 29 Mar 2010
• Guardsmen Fight Floods in Three States AFPS 29 Mar 2010 -- As North Dakota begins to draw down the number of National Guard members fighting floods, at least three other states are calling up personnel for the same mission.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Wants Nuclear Treaty with Russia Ratified this Year VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev are set to sign a nuclear arms reduction treaty on April 8 that will reduce the atomic arsenals of the two largest nuclear powers. After the treaty is signed, the U.S. Senate and the Russian Duma must ratify the treaty before it becomes binding. A senior U.S. official says she hopes to have it ratified by year's end.
• Chairman’s Corner: Solidly Behind New START Treaty AFPS 29 Mar 2010 -- As I stated during a March 26 news conference, the vice chairman, the Joint Chiefs, our combatant commanders around the world, and I stand solidly behind this new START treaty. We greatly appreciate the trust and confidence placed in us by the president and by Secretary Gates throughout this process. We are also satisfied with our opportunity to provide counsel, make recommendations, and to help shape the final agreements.
• Carl Vinson Visits Callao, Peru Navy NewsStand 29 Mar 2010 -- USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) dropped anchor off the coast of Callao, Peru, for a scheduled port visit in the South American nation as part of Southern Seas 2010, a major component of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command's Partnership of the Americas.
• APS Medical Outreach Team Provides Care in Ghana Navy NewsStand 29 Mar 2010 -- U.S. Navy and Air Force medical personnel conducted medical outreach programs in Tema, Ghana, March 16-25 as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS) West 2010.
• New Drugs, Same Navy Policy - Zero Tolerance Navy NewsStand 29 Mar 2010 -- With the emerging popularity of designer drugs, the Navy has underscored its zero tolerance drug abuse policy by establishing new guidelines in NAVADMIN 108/10, released March 25.
• Naval Station Mayport Conducts Exercise Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2010 Navy NewsStand 29 Mar 2010 -- Naval Station (NAVSTA) Mayport participated in exercise Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2010 (SC/CS 2010), an annual security training exercise coordinated by U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF), in Mayport, Fla., March 22-26.
• GTMO Welcomes New CMC Navy NewsStand 29 Mar 2010 -- Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NAVSTA GTMO) welcomed its new command master chief (CMC) March 26
• Base study could launch Air Mobility Command closer to energy independence AFNS 29 Mar 2010 -- A renewable energy study at six installations may result in a different kind of Air Mobility Command "power projection."
• U.S. Crew Rescues Somali Mariners AFPS 29 Mar 2010 -- The crew of a U.S. Navy ship saved 30 men, women and children off the coast of Somalia March 25.
• TRADOC releases new Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills Army News 29 Mar 2010 -- U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command released the Army's new Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills, and the Critical Individual Supporting Task List elaborating on those tasks and battle drills, March 25.
• KPA Warns Any Act of Disturbing Security and Order in DMZ KCNA 29 Mar 2010 -- These days witness a lot of serious developments in the area along the Military Demarcation Line where huge armed forces are standing in acute confrontation for which the south Korean military authorities are to blame. They may drive the present touch-and-go situation to a more dangerous phase.
• No harbor barricade drill: Navy CNA 29 Mar 2010 -- A military official denied Monday that the Navy will perform a harbor-barricading drill as part of forthcoming war games.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 29 Mar 2010

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 29, 2010
• BAE Systems Hands Over Last Viking MK2 to Uk Ministry of Defence BAE Systems 29 Mar 2010 -- known as Vikings in British service - proved extremely successful because of their ability to provide the element of surprise in carrying the fight to the enemy. Before long they came under attack from improvised explosive devices and in response they were fitted with extra armour in Afghanistan under an urgent operational requirement.
• L-3 WESCAM Awarded $110 Million Contract from U.S. Air Force L-3 Communications 29 Mar 2010 -- L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that its WESCAM subsidiary has been awarded a $110 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract from the U.S. Air Force. As part of this contract, L-3 will supply WESCAM's imaging turrets, including the electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) MXTM-15Di, accompanied with training courses and service programs.
• Lockheed Martin’s DAGR Guided Rocket Fires Successfully From Kiowa Warrior Helicopter Lockheed Martin 29 Mar 2010 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] hit the target in two tests featuring DAGR guided rockets launched from an airborne OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter. This is the fourth aircraft DAGR has fired from in the past year—prior platforms include the AH-64D Apache and the AH-6 Little Bird.
• Oshkosh Defense Awarded $41 Million for M-ATV Protection Kits Oshkosh 29 Mar 2010 -- Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), has received an order valued at more than $41 million from the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) to supply more than 1,000 add-on rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) protection kits for the MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV). Timing for the work is expected to be completed by September 2010 and installation will occur in theater.
• ThalesRaytheonSystems Receives Follow-on Contract for U.S. Army Sentinel Radar Support Raytheon 29 Mar 2010 -- ThalesRaytheonSystems has been awarded a $12.5 million follow-on contract for its AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air defense radar Life Cycle Contractor Support (LCCS) program.
• ThalesRaytheonSystems receives follow-on contract for U.S. Army Sentinel Radar support Thales 29 Mar 2010 -- ThalesRaytheonSystems has been awarded a $12.5 million follow-on contract for its AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air defense radar Life Cycle Contractor Support (LCCS) program.
• SAIC Awarded $22 Million Task Order to Support the Tri-Service Infrastructure Management Program Office SAIC 29 Mar 2010 -- Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) (NYSE: SAI) today announced it has been awarded a task order by the U.S. Army Medical Acquisition Activity to support the Tri-Service Infrastructure Management Program Office (TIMPO) with capacity planning and management (CPM) services. The task order has a one year base period of performance, four one year options and a total value of more that $22 million if all options are exercised. Work will be performed primarily in Falls Church, Va., and San Diego. The task order was awarded under the Defense Medical Information System/Systems Integration, Design, Development, Operations and Maintenance Services (D/SIDDOMS) 3 contract.
• SAIC Awarded Contract by Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific SAIC 29 Mar 2010 -- Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) [NYSE: SAI] today announced it has been awarded a contract by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) to provide technical and engineering support services for security, surveillance, and unmanned systems. This single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity five-year contract valued at $47.6 million includes three, one-year award terms and has a potential value of more than $63 million, if all award terms are exercised. Work will be performed in San Diego.

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 29 Mar 2010
• UN probe into alleged massacre in remote northeast of DR Congo continues UN News Centre 29 Mar 2010 -- United Nations inquiries are continuing into a recent massacre of civilians in the remote northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), reportedly by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a UN spokesperson confirmed today.
• Russia Faces Continuing Problems in the Northern Caucasus VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- Authorities in Russia suspect a connection between Monday's subway bombings in Moscow and rebel activity in the country's troubled Northern Caucasus. The region has a centuries-long history of resistance to Russian rule.
• Ugandan Rebels Deny DRC Massacre VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- A Ugandan rebel group has denied accusations it took part in the massacre of hundreds of civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• SUDAN: Violence fears as election approaches – the view from Unity IRIN 29 Mar 2010 -- Tension is mounting as elections approach in Sudan, with analysts, candidates and voters concerned about potential violence in flashpoint areas in the South.
• YEMEN: IDP returnees face tough challenges IRIN 29 Mar 2010 -- Hundreds of displaced families have returned to their homes in the northern governorate of Saada after more than six months of displacement after clashes between the army and Houthi-led Shia rebels.
• SOMALIA: Situation of IDPs "at its worst" as aid runs out IRIN 29 Mar 2010 -- As more aid groups pull out of camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) and more people flee Mogadishu to escape the violence, the plight of IDPs is at its most extreme, says a doctor-turned-relief-worker in Mogadishu.
• DRC-UGANDA: Still afraid of the LRA IRIN 29 Mar 2010 -- Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are still afraid to return to their villages, despite a lull in attacks, a UN spokesman said.

News Reports

• Moscow metro bomb blasts kill 40 people IRNA 29 Mar 2010 -- 40 people were killed and 37 injured after two bomb blasts ripped through two packed metro stations in Moscow Monday.
• FSB Suspects North Caucasus Link In Deadly Moscow Bombings RFE/RL 29 Mar 2010 -- The head of Russia's national security agency says insurgents linked to the North Caucasus region are suspected of carrying out two bombings on Moscow's metro system that killed at least 38 people.
• Moscow subway bombings kill 38, are condemned worldwide (WRAPUP 2) RIA Novosti 29 Mar 2010 -- Two terrorist attacks on the Moscow subway on Monday killed 38 people and left over 60 injured, forcing enhanced security measures across Russia and drawing international condemnation.
• Interpol ready to help Russia investigate Moscow subway attacks RIA Novosti 29 Mar 2010 -- International police agency Interpol has offered to help Russian authorities investigate the Moscow subway explosions, pledging its "full support and assistance."
• Terrorists responsible for Moscow blasts will be eliminated - Putin (WRAPUP 1) RIA Novosti 29 Mar 2010 -- The terrorists behind the two blasts that killed at least 38 people in the Moscow metro system on Monday morning will be eliminated, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed.
• Obama condemns Moscow subway blasts RIA Novosti 29 Mar 2010 -- U.S. President Barack Obama condemned Monday's deadly terrorist attacks on the Moscow subway, calling them "heinous," and expressed his condolences to the Russian people.
• Terrorists responsible for Moscow blasts will be eliminated - Putin (WRAPUP) RIA Novosti 29 Mar 2010 -- The terrorists behind the two blasts that killed at least 37 people in the Moscow metro system on Monday morning will be eliminated, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed.
• Total of 6 kg in TNT used in Moscow subway blasts RIA Novosti 29 Mar 2010 -- The two bombs in the Moscow subway blasts that killed 37 and injured at least 65 people had the equivalent of up to 4 kg and 2 kg of TNT, the Federal Security Service (FSB) director said on Monday.
• Putin sure blasts organizers to be punished, orders $10,000 allocation to victims' families RIA Novosti 29 Mar 2010 -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has no doubts that the organizers of the deadly blasts in the Moscow subway carried out on Monday morning will be punished.
• North Caucasus terrorists may be linked to Moscow blasts - FSB RIA Novosti 29 Mar 2010 -- Terrorists from Russia's volatile North Caucasus may have been responsible for Monday morning's blasts in the Moscow metro, the head of the country's Federal Security Service (FSB) said.
• Female suicide bomber blamed for deadly Moscow metro blast RIA Novosti 29 Mar 2010 -- At least one of the two bombs which killed over 30 people in the central Moscow metro system on Monday morning was carried out by a female suicide bomber using plastic explosives, Russia's top investigator said.
• UN chief deplores deadly bombings in Moscow’s subway system UN News Centre 29 Mar 2010 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned this morning’s twin suicide bombings in the Moscow subway system that have killed dozens of people and injured scores more.
• Russia Suspects Northern Caucasus in Moscow Subway Bombing VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- Senior Russian officials say terrorists from the troubled Northern Caucasus could be behind two deadly explosions that ripped through Moscow's subway during morning rush hour on Monday. Female suicide bombers are suspected of carrying out the bomb attacks that killed at least 38 people and injured dozens more.
• Moscow Metro Rocked By Explosions RFE/RL 29 Mar 2010 -- Two explosions at subway stations in the Russian capital of Moscow have killed scores of people.
• US, India Reach Reprocessing Agreement as Part of Civil Nuclear Deal VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- The U.S. State Department says negotiations have been "finalized" with India on the procedures for the reprocessing of spent atomic fuel - one of the last unsettled elements of the landmark 2008 civil nuclear energy deal between the two countries.
• Iran not to halt peaceful nuclear activities: official IRNA 29 Mar 2010 -- First Vice- Speaker of Iran’s Majlis Mohammad-Hassan Abutorabi-Fard said Monday Tehran will continue its programs to gain access to peaceful nuclear technology.
• Iraqi PM says He Will Form Broad Coalition Government VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- Outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki says he will put together a large coalition to form the next government. Our correspondent reports for VOA from Cairo about the wrangling between Maliki and former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi over who will form the next government.
• US Blames Burmese Government for Opposition Election Boycott VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- The U.S. State Department on Monday blamed Burma's military government for the opposition's decision to boycott upcoming elections. The United States called the situation in Burma "disappointing," but added that Washington will continue its efforts to engage Rangoon.
• Burma's Opposition Democracy Party Rejects Election VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- Burma's opposition democracy party has said it will not contest controversial elections expected this year because of strict election rules. The decision means Burma's strongest opposition party may be outlawed for failing to register.
• Turkey, US Discuss Armenian 'Genocide' Resolution VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- Turkey is pressing the U.S. to oppose a measure that would label the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago as genocide, ahead of the April anniversary of the killings.
• Poll Finds Minority Of Armenians Support Rapprochement With Turkey RFE/RL 29 Mar 2010 -- Around one in three Armenians supports rapprochement with Turkey and the possible opening of the border between the two estranged countries, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports on the basis of a new opinion poll.
• Russia to set aside 40 tons of low-enriched uranium for guaranteed pool RIA Novosti 29 Mar 2010 -- Russia will set aside 40 metric tons of low-enriched uranium by the end of this year to provide guaranteed services of the nuclear fuel cycle, Russia's civilian nuclear power chief said on Monday.
• Russia, IAEA Agree To Establish World's First Nuclear Fuel Bank RFE/RL 29 Mar 2010 -- Russia has signed a deal with the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to set up the world's first nuclear fuel bank of low-enriched uranium for countries that need fuel for civilian purposes, including nuclear power plants.
• Mexican Troops Arrest Suspect in the Killing of US Consulate Worker VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- In Mexico, soldiers have arrested a suspect in the shooting deaths of a U.S. consulate worker and her husband in the border city of Juarez on March 13. But, authorities are being kept busy as the drug violence continues in Mexico.
• H1N1 Swine Flu Cases Increasing in Southern Hemisphere VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- Nurse Kim Bigham gives Alfredo Ochoa a vaccination against the H1N1 or "swine flu," as his daughter Monserrat Ochoa and her cousin Esteban Ochoa, 3, watch at the Riverside Neighborhood Family Health Center in Riverside, California, 17 Feb 2010
• Germany's Merkel On Delicate Visit To Turkey RFE/RL 29 Mar 2010 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has arrived in Turkey for a two-day visit, which is notable for the number of differences of view she has with her hosts. European Union membership for Turkey, sanctions against Iran, the place of the Turkish diaspora in Germany -- all these topics are seen differently in Ankara and Berlin.
• Thai PM to Hold Second Round of Talks with Red Shirts VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and leaders of the so-called Red Shirt opposition movement met for a second day of talks Monday in a bid to resolve the country's political crisis.
• Niger Military Arrests Former President's Aides VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- Niger's military rulers have arrested members of the former government for questioning over what they say are subversive activities. The country's former president remains under house arrest.
• China Convicts, Sentences 4 Rio Tinto Executives VOA 29 Mar 2010 -- A Chinese court has handed down stiff prison terms to four executives of Australian mining corporation Rio Tinto, after convicting them of bribery and commercial spying.
• In Brief: Top 10 ‘non-traditional’ aid donors IRIN 29 Mar 2010 -- Some 36 bilateral and multilateral development donors have made their aid and loan figures available online for the first time, enabling analysts to build a more accurate picture of who is funding what and where.
• Russian foreign minister to start Canada tour with Arctic talks RIA Novosti 29 Mar 2010 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend an Arctic Five ministerial meeting on Monday as part of his two-day visit to Canada.