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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 04 Aug 2010 [PDF]
• Iraqi Forces Arrest 3 Terrorism Suspects AFPS 04 Aug 2010 -- Iraqi security forces arrested three suspects with ties to al-Qaida in Iraq in recent operations, military officials reported.
• Closure comes with JSS Tarmiyah transfer Army News 05 Aug 2010 -- 4/2nd Infantry Division squadron had the honor and privilege of transferring authority of JSS Tarmiyah to the Iraqi Security Forces.
• Petraeus Issues Order To Protect His Troops and Afghan Civilians VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- The U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, has issued his first tactical directive to the nearly 150,000 troops under his command, designed in part to address concerns expressed by some troops that previous orders made it too difficult for them to defend themselves.
• New NATO Military Directive Aims to Avoid Afghan Civilian Casualties VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- The top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has issued a new directive to troops, repeating his predecessor's emphasis on the need to avoid civilian casualties.
• Coalition, Afghan Forces Capture Taliban Leaders, Others AFPS 04 Aug 2010 -- Coalition and Afghan forces have detained more than 50 insurgents in Afghanistan in recent days, including a senior Taliban explosives expert and an arms and drug trafficker, military officials reported.
• Tactical Directive Stresses Coalition, Afghan Partnership AFPS 04 Aug 2010 -- All patrols and operations in Afghanistan must include Afghan security forces partners, according to an updated tactical directive from the commander of coalition and U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
• Westerwelle warns of worsening Afghan security situation IRNA 04 Aug 2010 -- German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Wednesday warned of a further deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.
• British Support for Fight in Afghanistan Falls VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- Opinion polls indicate support in Britain for the war in Afghanistan is falling as the public grows skeptical of the government's justification for the conflict. A total of 15 British servicemen were killed in July.
• U.S. military in Afghanistan responds to Pakistan flood Army News 05 Aug 2010 -- US military forces in Afghanistan are responding rapidly to the disastrous flooding that has reportedly killed more than 1,200 people in Pakistan.
• Guard Disputes ‘Missed Deadline’ on Southwest Border AFPS 04 Aug 2010 -- Despite recent media reports, the National Guard has missed no deadlines in the deployment of up to 1,200 Guardsmen to the Southwest border, a Guard official said today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• QDR Panel Calls for More Force Structure Changes AFPS 04 Aug 2010 -- The Defense Department must plan to maintain recent additions to the ground forces for the foreseeable future and boost its long-range strike, maritime and cyber capability to confront global trends and threats, the Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel told Congress yesterday.
• DoD News: Lavelle Posthumously Nominated to General DoD 04 Aug 2010 -- The Department of Defense announced today that retired Air Force Maj. Gen. John D. Lavelle has been nominated posthumously by the President for advancement on the retired rolls to the rank of general. This follows an Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records decision and recommendations from the secretary of defense and secretary of the Air Force.
• Coronet mission helps fighters cross Atlantic, other long distances AFNS 04 Aug 2010 -- From a spectator's point of view, a Coronet mission may seem simple; a group of tankers flies with a group of fighters across the ocean, ensuring the smaller aircraft have enough fuel to get home.
• Acquisition Improvement Plan recaptures excellence AFNS 04 Aug 2010 -- When the Air Force Secretary and Chief of Staff signed the Acquisition Improvement Plan in May 2009, they launched a significant effort to help the service recapture acquisition excellence.
• Elmendorf unit wins DOD maintenance award AFNS 04 Aug 2010 -- Department of Defense officials announced Aug. 4 that the 3rd Component Maintenance Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, won the 2010 Secretary of Defense Field-level Maintenance Award in the small category. This was one of seven awards announced for depot and field-level units. These awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements in weapon system and military equipment maintenance.
• Joint: The new 'buzz word' in family support AFNS 04 Aug 2010 -- National Guard officials are willing to help family members around the country, no matter which branch or component their servicemember belongs to, the Guard's top family programs official said Aug. 3.
• Air Force vice chief of staff visits Andersen AFB AFNS 04 Aug 2010 -- Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Carrol H. "Howie" Chandler stopped here Aug. 2 through 4 to see firsthand how the 36th Wing Airmen furthers regional security in the Pacific theater.
• Casey Shares Vision of National Guard’s Future AFPS 04 Aug 2010 -- Returning the National Guard to its Cold War-era strategic reserve posture is not the answer when Defense leaders discuss the future, the Army’s chief of staff said here yesterday.
• DoD News: Army Swears In New Assistant Secretary for Installations and Environment DoD 04 Aug 2010 -- The Department of the Army announced today that Katherine Hammack was officially sworn in as the assistant secretary of the Army for installations and environment here today during a ceremony in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes at 9 a.m. EDT by the Undersecretary of the Army Joseph W. Westphal.
• USS Crommelin Deploys to Western Pacific Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- The guided-missile frigate USS Crommelin (FFG 37) departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific Aug. 3.
• Enterprise Departs for Training Assessments Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- USS Enterprise (CVN 65), Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 began their tailored ship's training assessment (TSTA)/final evaluation period (FEP) Aug. 3.
• Lemoore Firefighting School Reopens Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) Lemoore's firefighting school held a grand opening ceremony July 14 to officially reopen after being closed for almost two years.
• NECC Force Leadership Participate in Media Roundtable Discussion Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- Commander of Maritime Civil Affairs and Security Training Command and the executive assistant to Commander, 1st Naval Construction Division addressed commitment to global partnerships and humanitarian assistance.
• Center for Surface Combat Systems Changes Command Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- Center for Surface Combat Systems (CSCS) held a change of command ceremony aboard Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, Va., July 30.
• RTC Changes Command Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- Recruit Training Command (RTC) held a change of command ceremony July 23 at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill.
• US Navy Ships Arrive at Seattle for Seafair 2010 Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- USS Port Royal (CG 73), USS Kidd (DDG 100) and USS Green Bay (LPD 20) arrived in the Port of Seattle Aug. 3 for Seattle Seafair 2010.
• Second Fleet Ships Conduct PASSEX with Japanese Counterparts Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- Three Norfolk-based U.S. Navy ships participated in a Passing Exercise (PASSEX) with the Japanese Navy off the east coast of Virginia, July 30.
• Iwo Jima Changes Command During Continuing Promise 2010 Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- The multipurpose amphibious ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) held a change of command ceremony July 31, while deployed to the 4th Fleet Area of Operations.
• USS Vandegrift Arrives in Aomori, Japan Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- The guided-missile frigate USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) arrived in Aomori, Japan, Aug. 2, to participate in a port call in the northern Japanese city.
• USS Blue Ridge, 7th Fleet Visits Manila Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- The 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) visited Manila, Philippines, Aug. 4.
• Sports, Burgers Bring Nations Together During SPS 2010 Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- USS New Orleans along with Amphibious Squadron 5 and other embarked units participated in a sports day and barbecue with Colombian service members.
• EOD techs take bite out of bombs during inertion training USMC News 04 Aug 2010 -- Marines from Explosive Ordinance Disposal Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group participated in an inerting operation training exercise as part of annual qualifications July 30 at EOD site two aboard Camp Lejeune.
• Marine motor transport on the move in Mozambique during Shared Accord 2010 USMC News 04 Aug 2010 -- Medicine, water, Marines and ammunition; motor transport Marines here make sure the essential ingredients of Exercise Shared Accord 2010 are in place and on time.
• Chairman’s Corner: Pride in the Coast Guard AFPS 04 Aug 2010 -- Two hundred and twenty years ago today, the United States Congress created the U.S. Revenue-Marine to safeguard our young Nation’s shores. We proudly celebrate this as the day the United States Coast Guard was born.
• Marines kick off intelligence mentoring package with Mozambican forces USMC News 04 Aug 2010 -- An intelligence team with U.S. Marine Forces Africa began sharing intelligence application tactics with about a dozen officers and senior enlisted members of the Armed Forces for the Defense of Mozambique (FADM) here July 29, 2010. The shared tactics are part of a five-day course designed to serve as a primer for a command post exercise taking place next week as part of SHARED ACCORD 2010, a 10-day event coordinated by U.S. Marine Forces Africa, and designed to increase partner nation capacity for peace and stability operations.
• Navy Leaders Want Input from Sailors and Families on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Navy NewsStand 04 Aug 2010 -- The Department of Defense is asking and it wants Sailors to share their opinions about repealing the law commonly known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT).
• US not able to attack powerful Iran: Army commander IRNA 04 Aug 2010 -- Commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan said on Wednesday that the US is not able to attack the powerful Islamic Iran.
• Belarus denies sales of S-300 air defense systems to Iran RIA Novosti 04 Aug 2010 -- The Belarusian government denied on Wednesday rumors that Minsk had allegedly sold S-300 air defense systems to Iran.
• Australia Holds Multinational War Games VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- The Australian military is fine-tuning its defensive capabilities with war games involving its Asia-Pacific neighbors.
• Video of Indonesian Soldiers Taunting Wounded Papuan Sparks Criticism VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- Human rights organizations say a video of Indonesian soldiers taunting a wounded Papuan man in their custody reflects the military's callous attitude towards human rights.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Admiral Thad Allen, Carol Browner, and Dr. Lubchenco, 8/4/2010 The White House 04 Aug 2010
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, 8/5/2010 US Dept. of State 04 Aug 2010

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 04, 2010
• U.S. Air Force Sensor Delivered for Hosting on SES Satellite Orbital Sciences Corp. 04 Aug 2010 -- SES WORLD SKIES, U.S. Government Solutions today announced the delivery of the Commercially Hosted Infrared Payload (CHIRP) sensor assembly to Dulles, VA-based satellite manufacturer, Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB). The sensor will be installed on SES-2, an SES WORLD SKIES communications satellite currently in production.
• Northrop Grumman to Close Hagerstown Maintenance and Modification Center Northrop Grumman 04 Aug 2010 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has notified the remaining employees at the Hagerstown Maintenance and Modification Center, Hagerstown, Md., that they will be laid off on August 26 and the facility will close later this year.
• CACI Awarded $22 Million Task Order to Support Joint Exercise and Training Support CACI 04 Aug 2010 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CACI) announced today that it has been awarded a $22 million task order to support research, information analysis, exercise and training development, and technical support to implement the United States Strategic Command's (USSTRATCOM) joint training objectives. The contract, for one base year and three option years, was awarded under the U.S. Air Force's United States Strategic Command Systems and Missions Support (USAMS) II contract vehicle. The contract supports the growth of CACI's business in its PM SETA (Program Management and Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance) core competency.

Other Conflicts

• 4 August 2010 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 04 Aug 2010
• Press Conference by Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping United Nations 04 Aug 2010
• S. Korea Vows Counter-Attack If North Opens Fire During Drills VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- South Korean military officials say they are ready to respond if North Korea carries out its threat to attack during the South's latest military drills. The drills are part of South Korea's response to the sinking of one of its navy ships in March, an act blamed on Pyongyang.
• Israel-Lebanon Border Tense After Deadly Clash VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- Israel's border with Lebanon is tense but quiet, a day after a deadly clash raised fears of a new round of conflict.
• UN steps in to defuse tensions on Israeli-Lebanese border UN News Centre 04 Aug 2010 -- The United Nations has brought representatives of Israel and Lebanon together, a day after a deadly skirmish along the so-called Blue Line separating the two countries, to prevent similar violence erupting in the future.
• Lebanese Army thwarts Israeli aggression IRNA 04 Aug 2010 -- The Lebanese Army on Tuesday thwarted Israeli aggression, a new record of victory for the past four years after Israel suffered a humiliating setback from Hezbollah in 2006.
• Nasrollah: Lebanese resistance will defend against Israeli invasion IRNA 04 Aug 2010 -- Secretary General of Lebanese Hezbollah Seyed Hassan Nasrollah said that in any place where the Zionist enemy attacks against Lebanese armed forces, the Resistance will not be silent and defend against the invader.
• Israel-Lebanon Border Tense After Deadly Clash VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- Israel's border with Lebanon is tense but quiet, a day after a deadly clash raised fears of a new round of conflict.
• UN Security Council welcomes intl. probe into Freedom Flotilla seizure RIA Novosti 04 Aug 2010 -- The UN Security Council has welcomed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's decision to establish an independent international commission to investigate Israel's seizure of a humanitarian convoy in late May, Russia's envoy to the UN said.
• UN peacekeeping chief calls for stepped-up efforts ahead of Sudan referenda UN News Centre 04 Aug 2010 -- Although he welcomes the commitment by the two parties to the peace pact ending Sudan’s north-south civil war to holding referenda on the country’s future on schedule, a senior United Nations official today underscored the need to accelerate efforts to resolve key issues, including citizenship and border demarcation, ahead of these ballots.
• Ugandan Opposition Leader ‘Not Surprised’ by Arrest Warrant VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- A former U.N. Under-Secretary General for Children’s Affairs has expressed shock after a Ugandan magistrate issued an arrest warrant against him shortly after he left the country for the United States.
• Supermodel to Testify Against former Liberian President Taylor VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- A former prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone said the scheduled testimony of supermodel Naomi Campbell Thursday will be crucial for the prosecution at the ongoing war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor.
• SRI LANKA: Amnesty says emergency rule must end IRIN 04 Aug 2010 -- The decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka ended more than a year ago, but emergency powers are still in place, sending the wrong message, Amnesty International says.
• DRC: Humans versus animals in a conflict zone IRIN 04 Aug 2010 -- On a Friday in Goma central prison in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, 25 dirty, barefoot men accused of illegal fishing in Lake Edward are gathered before three judges, who come once a week to hear cases against those locked up in a building unrenovated since the Belgian colonial era.
• Umarov's U-Turn RFE/RL 04 Aug 2010 -- Doku Umarov has disavowed as "totally fabricated" a video clip in which he passed on leadership of the North Caucasus insurgency to a successor.
• Cyprus leaders continue UN-backed talks on property issue UN News Centre 04 Aug 2010 -- The leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities continued their United Nations-facilitated discussions on the property issue, part of efforts to reunify the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

News Reports

• Iran Denies Attack on President VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- Iranian state TV is denying allegations an assassination attempt against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took place while he rode in a motorcade.
• Firecracker causes embarrassment for president in Hamedan IRNA 04 Aug 2010 -- A young boy threw firecracker at motorcade of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to celebrate his arrival in Hamadan causing embarrassment.
• Confusion Surrounds 'Assassination' Attempt On Ahmadinejad RFE/RL 04 Aug 2010 -- Confusion surrounded a presumed assassination attempt on Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad today after officials denied reports that an assailant had thrown an explosive device at his convoy.
• Iran's Ahmadinejad survives assassination attempt RIA Novosti 04 Aug 2010 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad survived an assassination attempt on Wednesday when a hand grenade was thrown at his convoy, regional media reports said.
• Iran Denies Attack on President VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- Iran's state media are denying reports that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was targeted in a grenade attack Wednesday.
• BlackBerry Row Spreads As Governments Seek Access To Communications System RFE/RL 04 Aug 2010 -- The high level of security provided to e-mails and other data on the BlackBerry "smartphone" has become an international issue since the United Arab Emirates announced it is banning some BlackBerry services on security grounds.
• UN Security Council Urges Iraqis to Form Government 'Quickly' VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- U.S. troops will begin their drawdown in Iraq at the end of this month, but there still is no government in place and violence is on the rise. On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council urged Iraq's recently-elected legislature to form a government quickly.
• UN officials urge Iraqi leaders to step up efforts to form new government UN News Centre 04 Aug 2010 -- The United Nations is urging Iraq’s political leaders to work together to form a new government, which is still pending five months after parliamentary elections were held, warning that further delays could impact negatively on the country’s stability, democratic transition and development.
• Inquiry should give view on legality of Iraq war, says lawyer IRNA 04 Aug 2010 -- Veteran British lawyer Sir Louis Blom-Cooper Wednesday called on the Iraq Inquiry to give a clear view on the legality of the 2003 US-led war when it reports its findings at the end of the year.
• UN relief efforts continue in flood-hit Pakistan as scope of disaster comes into focus UN News Centre 04 Aug 2010 -- The number of people uprooted by the worst floods Pakistan has witnessed in decades continues to rise as the scale of the disaster becomes better understood, the United Nations humanitarian arm reported today, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dispatched an envoy to the region to help spur momentum for relief efforts.
• Clinton: US Flood Aid to Pakistan to be Intensive, Long Term VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said Pakistan can count on long-term U.S. support as it deals with the consequences of the worst flooding in decades.
• PAKISTAN: Refusing to budge IRIN 04 Aug 2010 -- People in Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab, and in the southern province of Sindh, where serious flooding could be imminent, are extremely reluctant to abandon their homes and farms and move to higher ground, as the authorities are urging them.
• Pakistan To Speed Up Flood Aid As Country Braces For More Storms RFE/RL 04 Aug 2010 -- Pakistan's government held crisis talks today on flooding in the country's northwest as people braced for more storms that threaten to worsen a humanitarian disaster there.
• Pakistani Government Faces Growing Criticism Over Flood Response VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is urging authorities to speed aid to the more than three million people affected by floods that have devastated entire communities in the northwest.
• Suicide Bombing Kills Senior Pakistani Police Officer VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- A suicide bomber has killed the head of a paramilitary police force and at least two others in northwestern Pakistan.
• Russia ready to sell Ukraine 10% stake in uranium enrichment center RIA Novosti 04 Aug 2010 -- Russia has completed all the formalities for the sale of 10% of the stakes in the International Center for Uranium Enrichment to Ukraine, Russian Prime Minster Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
• No threat of nuke explosion at Russia's Sarov nuclear center - Rosatom chief RIA Novosti 04 Aug 2010 -- There is no threat of a nuclear explosion at the Sarov Federal Nuclear Center surrounded by wildfires since all the explosive materials have been removed, the head of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency Rosatom said on Wednesday.
• Kenyan Prime Minister Predicts Victory in Referendum VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has predicted a landslide victory for the proposed constitution in a national referendum.
• ZIMBABWE: Asking for more humanitarian money IRIN 04 Aug 2010 -- "Economic and political challenges" combined with underfunded recovery and development are keeping Zimbabwe in a seemingly perpetual state of humanitarian need, aid agencies said to justify an upward revision of US$100 million in projected funding requirements.
• Western Diplomats Refuse to Apologize for Diplomatic Dispute VOA 04 Aug 2010 -- Several senior Western diplomats in Zimbabwe have rejected a demand by the Zimbabwean government that they apologize for walking out of an official funeral to protest remarks by President Robert Mugabe.
• Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for attack on Japanese tanker IRNA 04 Aug 2010 -- The Al-Qaeda has accepted responsibility for attack on a Japanese tanker in the Strait of Hormuz last week.