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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 31 Mar 2010 [PDF]
• 36th Engineer Brigade uncases colors, 194th reaches mission end Army News 31 Mar 2010 -- The 194th Engineer Brigade out of Jackson, Tenn., transferred authority to the 36th Engineer Brigade out of Fort Hood, Texas, during a ceremony March 25 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
• Providers operate Army's largest supply support activity Army News 31 Mar 2010 -- Soldiers with the 716th Quartermaster Company out of Jersey City, N.J., manage the largest multi-category Supply Support Activity facility in the Army at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
• Air Cav conducts joint air assault demo with elite ISF Army News 31 Mar 2010 -- After spending several weeks working with an Iraqi strike force on planning and executing air assault missions and the importance of air-ground integration, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade concluded the training with a culminating demonstration March 29 to show off their newly capabilities.
• Explosion Kills At Least 13 in Southern Afghanistan VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- Afghan authorities say at least 13 people have been killed in a bombing in southern Afghanistan.
• Radar bound for Bagram will help pilots avoid birds AFNS 31 Mar 2010 -- A trailer with antennas and wires temporarily parked on base awaiting transit to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, might not look like much, but it could save the military lives and money when it gets shipped later this spring.
• Visiting Mullen Says Kandahar Is Key To Curbing Rise Of Taliban RFE/RL 31 Mar 2010 -- The top U.S. military commander, Admiral Mike Mullen, has said that wresting control of the area around the southern Afghan city of Kandahar is a "cornerstone in reversing the momentum" of the Taliban.
• Forces in Afghanistan Detain Suspected Militants AFPS 31 Mar 2010 -- Afghan and international security forces detained several suspected militants in recent operations, military officials reported.
• Chairman Emphasizes Eliminating Civilian Casualties AFPS 31 Mar 2010 -- The coalition record on civilian casualties has improved significantly as a new strategy has gone into place in Afghanistan, but American leaders continue to hammer home how important it is to avoid killing civilians.
• Challenges Clear to U.S.-Afghan Partnership, Mullen Says AFPS 31 Mar 2010 -- After visits to U.S., coalition and Afghan forces in Afghanistan’s Helmand and Kandahar provinces, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today that “never has our partnership … been stronger, or the challenges we face, clearer.”
• Eight Afghan people die in terrorist attack on farmers IRNA 31 Mar 2010 -- Eight Afghan people were killed when a remote control bomb placed on a motorcyle exploded near a queue of farmers to get anti-opium aid Wednesday in southern Afghanistan, police said.
• UN envoy to Afghanistan deplores deadly attack against German aid agency UN News Centre 31 Mar 2010 -- The top United Nations official in Afghanistan has condemned an attack by gunmen against a German aid agency in the east of the country that killed a local engineer and severely injured an international aid worker.
• Afghanistan world leader in hashish production: UNODC IRNA 31 Mar 2010 -- The first-ever UNODC Afghanistan Cannabis Survey produced by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, launched in Vienna today, shows that the world’s biggest producer of opium is also a major producer of cannabis.
• Afghanistan leads global hashish production, UN report finds UN News Centre 31 Mar 2010 -- Afghanistan, the world’s biggest producer of opium, is now also the global leader when it comes to the production of hashish, according to a new United Nations survey released today.
• Pakistan Clash Kills 6 Soldiers, 20 Militants VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- Pakistani officials say six soldiers and at least 20 militants have been killed in a clash in the country's northwest, along the border with Afghanistan.
• Guardsmen in Three States Battle Floods AFPS 31 Mar 2010 -- More than 1,500 National Guard members in three Northeast states are waging a war against rising flood waters after several days of rain combined with melting snow.
• Billions pledged at donors’ conference as Ban calls for wholesale rebuilding of Haiti UN News Centre 31 Mar 2010 -- Dozens of nations and organizations today pledged almost $10 billion in immediate and long-term aid to help Haiti recover from the recent devastating earthquake, just hours after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened a day-long donors’ conference by calling for the wholesale rebuilding of the country.
• International Community Pledges Billions for Haitian Reconstruction VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- More than 50 countries and institutions pledged $5.3 billion Wednesday to help Haiti jumpstart its reconstruction from January's earthquake over the next 1 1/2 years. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who co-hosted the donors' conference along with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Haitian President René Préval, said their actions far exceeded expectations.
• Press Conference by European Union on Donors’ Conference for Haiti United Nations 31 Mar 2010
• Press Conference by Secretary-General, Participants of Haiti Donors’ Conference United Nations 31 Mar 2010
• Press Conference on Japan’s Participation in Haiti Donors’ Conference United Nations 31 Mar 2010
• International Community Pledges Billions for Haitian Reconstruction VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- Members of the international community are at the United Nations Wednesday, committing serious financial assistance to Haiti for its long term reconstruction. Donors' offered millions of dollars to all sectors in a bid to help Haiti "build back better" after its devastating January earthquake.
• World descends upon UN Headquarters to show support for Haiti UN News Centre 31 Mar 2010 -- United Nations Headquarters in New York was bursting at the seams today as delegates from countries large and small attended a donors’ conference to show solidarity with Haiti in the wake of January’s catastrophic earthquake and help lay the foundations for the country’s long-term recovery and reconstruction.
• Ban names new top UN envoy for Haiti as it seeks to rebuild following quake UN News Centre 31 Mar 2010 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today named Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet as his Special Representative in Haiti in succession to Hédi Annabi, who died in the earthquake that devastated the impoverished Caribbean country in January.
• Billions for Haiti Pledged at UN Donors Conference VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- International donors are pledging billions of dollars in assistance to help Haiti recover from this year's devastating earthquake.
• Ban opens donor conference with call for wholesale rebuilding of Haiti UN News Centre 31 Mar 2010 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for the wholesale rebuilding of Haiti as he urged donors to provide $11.5 billion over the next 10 years for the reconstruction of the Caribbean nation that was devastated by a massive earthquake in January.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DOD News Briefing with Geoff Morrell on the KC-X Tanker from the Pentagon DoD 31 Mar 2010-- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell
• DIA Deputy Discusses Role of Women in Intelligence AFPS 31 Mar 2010 -- The deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency celebrated Women’s History Month by discussing the contributions women are making to the intelligence field.
• CNO Visits Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Qatar Navy NewsStand 31 Mar 2010 -- The chief of Naval Operations (CNO) visited Africa and the Middle East to strengthen maritime partnerships, attend the Doha 2nd International Maritime Defence Exhibition (DIMDEX) 2010/Middle East Naval Commander Conference and spend time with Sailors in the region, March 25–30.
• Navy Reserve Force Changes Command Navy NewsStand 31 Mar 2010 -- Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command (CNRFC) held a change of command ceremony at the Joint Forces Staff College MacArthur auditorium March 31.
• Destroyer Squadron 24 Departs for Joint Warrior 10-1 Navy NewsStand 31 Mar 2010 -- Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 24, embarked aboard USS Laboon (DDG 58), departed Naval Station Norfolk March 28 to participate in the multinational exercise Joint Warrior 10-1 off the coast of Scotland.
• Long Barracks gets long-awaited facelift, new mission - MICC Headquarters Army News 31 Mar 2010 -- Some of the oldest structures on Fort Sam Houston are in the midst of spit-and-polish cleaning and major renovations. The famed Long Barracks is being converted into an Army Contracting Command campus, set to open November 2011.
• Relationship with Indian Army continues to grow at 14th ESG Army News 31 Mar 2010 -- Senior leaders and planners from the Indian Army, U.S. Army, Pacific, Marine Forces Pacific, Special Operations Command, and the Department of the Army met at the Indian Army's Western Command headquarters in Chandigarh, India to discuss the future of bilateral ground and amphibious engagements between the two countries during the 14th Executive Steering Group, March 22-23.
• Shoup Sailors Groomed for Success at Port Hueneme Navy NewsStand 31 Mar 2010 -- USS Shoup (DDG 86) completed an intense period of combat system maintenance and repair at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Port Hueneme, Calif., March 22-25.
• Navy Aircraft Mishap in North Arabian Sea Navy NewsStand 31 Mar 2010 -- An E-2C Hawkeye from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121 stationed aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) crashed at sea March 31 while operating in the North Arabian Sea.
• Search Efforts Continue for Missing Aviator Navy NewsStand 31 Mar 2010 -- Search and rescue efforts continue for a missing crew member of an aircraft that crashed in the North Arabian Sea March 31.
• Navy Public Health Center Concludes 49th Conference Navy NewsStand 31 Mar 2010 -- The 49th annual Navy Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) Conference concluded March 25 in Hampton, Va.
• Tools for Sailors to Maintain Their Personnel Records Online Navy NewsStand 31 Mar 2010 -- The Navy is planning to phase out enlisted field service records, and Sailors, who are ultimately responsible for maintaining their service records, need to access their records online.
• PELARG Blue/Green Team Combines for VBSS Navy NewsStand 31 Mar 2010 -- Sailors and Marines of the Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group (PEL ARG) and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) completed an integrated demonstration of a Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) proof-of-concept exercise March 29 that could change the course of Maritime Interdiction Operations.
• Kunsan Airmen train with South Korean fighter pilots AFNS 31 Mar 2010 -- Kunsan Air Base officials hosted an exercise with South Korean airmen March 15 through 17 here to operate effectively together for possible joint combat actions.
• Airmen provide satellite support for Haiti, Chile earthquake relief efforts AFNS 31 Mar 2010 -- Members of the Tactical Satellite-3 program team here and at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., answered the call when U.S. Southern Command officials requested imaging collection to assist with rebuilding and humanitarian relief efforts after an earthquake struck Haiti and Chile.
• Wright-Patterson officials to host Installation Acquisition Transformation unit AFNS 31 Mar 2010 -- Air Force officials announced March 30 that Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has been selected as the site for the new Installation Acquisition Transformation Enterprise Sourcing Group.
• Obama: Energy Initiatives Seek to Bolster Security AFPS 31 Mar 2010 -- President Barack Obama today announced a series of energy initiatives, including plans to expand off-shore drilling, aimed in part at bolstering national security by weaning the United States off foreign oil.
• US wanted tougher UK interrogation in Iraq, inquiry told IRNA 31 Mar 2010 -- The US wanted British forces to adopt tougher interrogation techniques in Iraq even though they were already using methods officially banned by the government, the UK's most senior military intelligence officer in Iraq has suggested.
• Pakistani President says no cut in defence spending IRNA 31 Mar 2010 -- President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday said under the present circumstances, there would be no cut on the defence expenditure as Pakistan is fighting a war for its survival.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 31 Mar 2010
• Press Briefing by Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton, 3/31/2010 The White House 31 Mar 2010

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 31, 2010
• BAE SYSTEMS WINS £111M READINESS AND SUSTAINMENT CONTRACT IN THE AIR SECTOR BAE Systems 31 Mar 2010 -- BAE Systems has won a four-year contract worth £111 million from the UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD) to support and maintain the 28 new Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force.
• General Dynamics Delivers First F-15 Wideband Radome to Boeing in Support of Radar Modernization Program General Dynamics 31 Mar 2010 -- General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products has delivered its first F-15 wideband nose radome to The Boeing Company in support of the F-15 Radar Modernization Program (RMP) under a system development and demonstration (SDD) contract that was awarded in October 2008. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
• Lockheed Martin Successfully Tests Joint Air-To-Ground Missile (JAGM) Tri-Mode Seeker Lockheed Martin 31 Mar 2010 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has successfully completed a wide-ranging series of tests on the multi-mode seeker for its Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) system. JAGM will provide a precision, adverse weather, low-collateral-damage weapon to rotary- and fixed-wing pilots, as well as the unmanned aerial system community.
• Northrop Grumman Laboratory-Based Prototype Advances U.S. Army Training on Integrated Battle Command System Contract Northrop Grumman 31 Mar 2010 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Virtual, Interactive, Collaborative, Training, Resource/Environment (VICTR/E) laboratory is revolutionizing U.S. Army training with its innovative use of avatars. The company created the lab, located in Huntsville, Ala., as part of its pursuit of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) contract.
• Raytheon Delivers on Miniature Air Launched Decoy Contract Raytheon 31 Mar 2010 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) delivered an operationally significant quantity of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy to the U.S. Air Force. This delivery allows the U.S. Air Force to reach its "required assets available" as scheduled.

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General and the Spokesperson for the General Assembly President United Nations 31 Mar 2010
• Serbia's Parliament Apologizes for Srebrenica Massacre VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- Serbia's parliament has apologized for the massacre of 8,000 Muslims by Bosnian-Serb forces in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995. But, the declaration does not directly call the crime "genocide", as survivors had demanded.
• Serbian Parliament's Srebrenica Apology Hailed, Criticized RFE/RL 31 Mar 2010 -- An apology issued by Serbia's parliament for not doing enough to prevent the Srebrenica massacre of 1995 is being hailed by the European Union and human rights activists as a step toward reconciliation in the Balkans -- a move that ends years of denial by Serbian politicians.
• EU Welcomes Srebrenica Declaration As 'Important Step Forward' RFE/RL 31 Mar 2010 -- A former military leader of the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh has warned of the growing threat of another Armenian-Azerbaijani war, which he said could break out "at any moment," RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.
• Serbia apologizes for massacre of Muslims in Srebrenica IRNA 31 Mar 2010 -- The Serbian Parliament has officially condemned the 1995 massacre of thousands of Muslim men and boys in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica.
• US Seeking 4-Month Jerusalem Building Freeze VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- An Israeli newspaper is reporting that U.S. President Barack Obama wants Israel to freeze construction in East Jerusalem for four months so that stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks can resume.
• Ban names new head for UN mission in Chad and Central African Republic UN News Centre 31 Mar 2010 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today named a veteran United Nations official as his Acting Special Representative for the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), which was set up over two years ago amid increasing unrest, partly due to the war in neighbouring Sudan’s Darfur region.
• Chad, UN at Odds Over Peacekeeping Force VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- The United Nations and the government of Chad are to wrap up talks on extending a U.N. peacekeeping force in the African country. The two sides disagree over the future size of that force.
• Fighting Stops in Casamance, But Conflict Continues VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- Though the recent fighting in Senegal's Casamance region has stopped, the country's minister of foreign affairs said the region's independence is not up for negotiation.
• Cyprus Talks Future in Doubt as Election Looms VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus say they are encouraged by the progress they have made so far during discussions to reach a settlement to the 35-year-old division of the Mediterranean island.
• Kenya Reportedly Rejects Somali Request to Deploy Troops VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- A disagreement between Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and the Kenyan government about where to deploy 2,500 Kenyan-trained Somali troops is raising questions about why Kenya agreed to train the troops.
• SOMALIA: Importing food against all odds IRIN 31 Mar 2010 -- Prolonged conflict in Somalia and rising world food prices have severely undermined food security, forcing most Somalis to rely on imports.
• PHILIPPINES: Mindanao conflict fuels trafficking IRIN 31 Mar 2010 -- Shahana [not her real name] was 14 when she took her first trip abroad - to work as a domestic helper in Kuwait.
• 3 Indian Army personnel lost their lives in gun battle in Kashmir IRNA 31 Mar 2010 -- Four Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) militants were killed and three army personnel also lost their lives in a two-day fierce gun battle in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir that ended Wednesday.

News Reports

• As Regime Turns Up The Heat, Iran's Rafsanjani Abides RFE/RL 31 Mar 2010 -- Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is one of the most powerful men in Iran.
• Obama Says He Wants Iran Sanctions 'In Weeks' RFE/RL 31 Mar 2010 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says he wants to see a tough new round of sanctions against Iran taken up by the UN Security Council "within weeks."
• Obama would like to see UN sanctions against Iran "in weeks" RIA Novosti 31 Mar 2010 -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday he would like to see international sanctions imposed on Iran as soon as possible.
• Iraq Vote Winner Allawi Accuses Iran Of Interference RFE/RL 31 Mar 2010 -- Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is accusing Iran of seeking to prevent him from becoming prime minister again following his bloc's win in Iraq's national elections.
• Iraqi Blocs Negotiating To Form Ruling Coalition RFE/RL 31 Mar 2010 -- Iraqi politicians say the parties that placed second and third in the March 7 parliamentary elections are in advanced talks on forming a broad ruling coalition, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI) reports.
• Security Council congratulates Iraqis on successful elections UN News Centre 31 Mar 2010 -- The Security Council today congratulated the people and Government of Iraq on a successful parliamentary election, and said it looked forward to the certification by the Supreme Court of the results announced last week.
• Russia Seeks to Eliminate North Caucasus Terrorists VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- At least 12 people were killed on Wednesday in the Russian republic of Dagestan following twin bombings in Moscow on Monday. Islamist militants in Chechnya have claimed responsibility for the Moscow blasts and Russian authorities suspect they are behind the Dagestan attack. Dagestan is one of several republics in Russia's turbulent North Caucasus region.
• Chechen Militant Claims Responsibility for Moscow Bombings VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov has claimed responsibility for Monday's suicide bombings in the Moscow subway system.
• Umarov Purportedly Claims Moscow Metro Blasts RFE/RL 31 Mar 2010 -- In a new video posted to an Islamist website, Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov appears to claim responsibility for two suicide bombings on the Moscow metro system that killed at least 39 people.
• Russian Authorities Warn of Possible New Attacks RFE/RL 31 Mar 2010 -- The images are grim: photos of two dead young women who Russian police say detonated twin metro blasts that killed 39 people and injured more than 70 on March 29.
• Twin Bombings Kill 12 In Daghestan As Moscow Mourns Blast Victims RFE/RL 31 Mar 2010 -- At least 12 people have been killed by twin bombs in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Daghestan, including a top police official.
• Medvedev vows not to allow terrorists to destabilize Russia RIA Novosti 31 Mar 2010 -- Terrorists will not be allowed to destabilize the situation in Russia, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday following two double bombings in Dagestan and Moscow.
• 12 killed in south Russia twin bombings days after Moscow attacks RIA Novosti 31 Mar 2010 -- Twin blasts rocked Russia's North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people, just two days after two metro suicide bombings in Moscow.
• Single terrorist group may be behind Moscow, Dagestan bombings - Putin RIA Novosti 31 Mar 2010 -- A single terrorist group may be behind the bombings in Moscow and Dagestan, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
• More Suicide Bomb Attacks in Russia VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- Two suicide bombers have killed at least 12 people in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region. The attacks occurred two days after at least 39 people were killed in dual suicide bombings in Moscow's metro system.
• Trial Concludes of Pakistani Gunman Captured In Mumbai Terror Attacks VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- The trial of the lone Pakistani gunman captured in connection with the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai has concluded.
• UN delays Ms Bhutto assassination inquiry report IRNA 31 Mar 2010 -- The UN Commission, probing the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, has delayed presentation of its inquiry report for two weeks on the request of the Pakistani president, the UN said.
• India plans to launch 10 satellites annually - space chief RIA Novosti 31 Mar 2010 -- India is planning to launch an average of 10 satellites per year to meet the demand for various space applications, an Indian news agency said citing a top space official.
• Russia may supply Soviet-era engines for U.S. space rockets RIA Novosti 31 Mar 2010 -- Russia could soon sign a contract with a U.S. space company on the delivery of Soviet-era rocket boosters in support of the development of the Taurus II space launch vehicle, a Russian newspaper said on Wednesday.
• Belgian Parliamentary Panel Approves Draft Law Banning Full Veil In Public RFE/RL 31 Mar 2010 -- An influential committee of the Belgian parliament has approved a draft law that would ban Muslim women from wearing the full face veil in public places.
• ICC gives green light for probe into Kenya’s post-election violence UN News Centre 31 Mar 2010 -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) today granted the prosecutor’s request to investigate crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Kenya in post-election ethnic violence two years ago, when some 1,000 people were killed and 300,000 others forced to flee their homes.
• Sudanese President of Accused of Rigging Elections VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- A leading international think-tank is expressing concern that Sudan's upcoming national elections are being rigged by Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir. The group says it fears that whomever wins next month's poll will be considered illegitimate.
• Humanitarian Need in Niger Growing VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- Relief officials say Niger needs at least $150 million in international assistance to meet emergency food needs brought on by poor harvests. That estimate is up from $123 million just weeks ago.
• SYRIA: Undocumented, overlooked and struggling to survive IRIN 31 Mar 2010 -- Thousands of non-Iraqi and non-Palestinian refugees and asylum-seekers in Syria risk deportation and ill-treatment, and cannot get the help they need, according to refugee agencies.
• Impeachment Bid Against Bulgaria's President Fails VOA 31 Mar 2010 -- Bulgaria's ruling right-wing party has failed to get enough votes to impeach President Georgi Parvanov.