• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 10 Sep 2010 [PDF]
• New campus in Basra to strengthen Soldier resiliency Army News 10 Sep 2010 -- Nine years of persistent conflict have placed Soldiers under a number of stressors as they continue their mission. Physical demands, emotional stress, Family issues, spiritual challenges, and social hurdles can increase the demands of an already-stressful environment.
• Obama Gives Reminder of U.S. Mission in Afghanistan AFPS 10 Sep 2010 -- President Barack Obama today used the eve of the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States as a reminder of why U.S. forces still are in Afghanistan.
• Air Strike Kills Operative Planning Pre-election Attacks AFPS 10 Sep 2010 -- A coalition air strike last night killed a senior enemy commander involved in bombing attacks in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul, military officials reported.
• Trainer Sees Positive Trends in Afghan Army AFPS 10 Sep 2010 -- The quantity and quality of officers, noncommissioned officers and recruits in the Afghan army is rising, the deputy commander of the NATO training mission in Afghanistan said this week.
• Thousands Protest Koran-Burning Plans In Northeastern Afghanistan RFE/RL 10 Sep 2010 -- Local officials say protesters in northeastern Afghanistan have thrown rocks at a NATO base to protest plans by a U.S.-based church to burn copies of the Koran.
• Protests Against Quran Burning Threats Sweep Afghanistan VOA 10 Sep 2010 -- Thousands of people across Afghanistan took to the streets Friday to protest a U.S. pastor's threats to burn copies of the Quran.
• Afghan President Urges Taliban to Join Peace Process VOA 10 Sep 2010 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai used his traditional message marking the Eid-al-Fitr Muslim holiday to urge the Taliban to join peace talks with the government.
• U.S. Marines at Right Place, Right Time in Somalia Ship Rescue VOA 10 Sep 2010 -- On Wednesday, President Obama authorized U.S. Marines to rescue a German-owned ship that had been hijacked by Somali pirates. Within three hours, the Marines had captured nine pirates and freed the crew members, who had been holed up in a safe room.
• 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Maritime Raid Force recaptures ship From pirates USMC News 10 Sep 2010 -- At approximately 5 a.m. local time, Sept. 9, 24 U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Maritime Raid Force (MRF) aboard USS Dubuque (LPD 8) operating under Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151), boarded and seized control of Antigua-Barbuda-flagged, German–owned vessel M/V Magellan Star from pirates who attacked and boarded the vessel early Sept 8.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Press Conference by President Obama The White House 10 Sep 2010
• Obama to Award Medal of Honor to Afghan War Vet AFPS 10 Sep 2010 -- The Medal of Honor will be awarded for the first time to a living veteran of the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, White House officials announced today in a written statement.
• Provocations Endanger U.S. Troops, Obama Says AFPS 10 Sep 2010 -- Provocative acts such as burning Qurans – or even threats of such acts – endanger U.S. troops when they circulate widely on the Internet and rightfully gain the attention of senior leaders, President Barack Obama said today.
• DoD News: Navy to Christen USNS Washington Chambers DoD 10 Sep 2010-- The Navy will christen and launch the dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Washington Chambers, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, during a 10 a.m. PDT ceremony at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego, Calif. The ship is named to honor Naval aviation pioneer Capt. Washington Chambers.
• Enterprise Successfully Completes 37-Day Work-up Mission Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2010 -- USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Sailors successfully completed the ship's longest at-sea period Sept. 9 since their spring 2010 departure from the shipyard.
• Recovery Act Funds Miramar Solar Lighting Project Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2010 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest awarded Dynalectric Co. of San Diego a $2.4 million Recovery Act funded contract Aug. 31 to construct street and parking solar lighting at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in San Diego.
• NSWC Crane Advances Anti-Tamper Technology Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2010 -- Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane and Draper Laboratory signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) Aug. 27 to advance anti-tamper technology.
• US 7th Fleet Changes Hands Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2010 -- U.S. 7th Fleet held a change of command ceremony on board USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) Sept. 10.
• Virginia Class Program Reaches Major Milestone Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2010 -- The Virginia-class submarine program reached a significant benchmark with the approval of Milestone III, authorization of full-rate production and the declaration of full operational capability Sept. 3.
• ONR Employs Emerging Media to Reach Emerging Talent Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2010 -- The Office of Naval Research (ONR), a 64-year-old organization, extended its annual call for Young Investigator Program proposals Sept. 2 reaching beyond conventional channels to announce its fiscal 2011 program for university researchers using social media.
• USS Denver Arrives in Inchon for Anniversary of Historical Landing Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2010 -- USS Denver (LPD 9) will anchor near Inchon, Korea, Sept. 12 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the historical amphibious landing at the city and honor the long-standing alliance between the two nations.
• Air Force's top uniformed leaders visit Shaw AFNS 10 Sep 2010 -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy met with Airmen from across the installation here during a base visit Sept. 7 and 8.
• Army Needs to Bolster Troop, Family Support, Caseys Say AFPS 10 Sep 2010 -- After nine years of war, it’s clear the nation will be engaged in conflict for some time to come, but less evident is what effect that long-term combat will have on servicemembers and their families, the Army chief of staff said today.
• 710th BSB medics test skills during mass casualty exercise Army News 10 Sep 2010 -- Medics in 710th Brigade Support Battalion conducted a mass casualty exercise Aug. 27 during a battalionwide field training exercise to prepare Soldiers for the brigade's upcoming rotation to the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La.
• 2nd Bde., 2nd Inf. Div. rolls out ready for history Army News 10 Sep 2010 -- Hundreds of Soldiers, family members and supporters of the newly reflagged 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, a Stryker brigade combat team, were on hand at the unit's headquarters on Joint Base Lewis-McChord Lewis North to witness the brigade's rollout Aug. 31.
• U.S. Army South Participates in Multinational Exercise Focusing on Panama Canal Defense Army News 10 Sep 2010 -- Two U.S. Army South teams traveled to Panama City, Panama and Norfolk, Va. to participate in Panamax 2010. They joined more than 2,000 participants from 17 countries in what has become one of the world's largest multinational training exercises.
• Garrison Busy With Post Construction Army News 10 Sep 2010 -- Growth - and all the planning, construction and change that goes along with it - is a daily event on Redstone Arsenal.
• U.S. Army South Soldiers Train Honduran Troops on Weapons Systems Army News 10 Sep 2010 -- U.S. Army South Soldiers belonging to the 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, stationed in Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, provided basic weapons training to members of the Honduran army Aug. 25.
• Medevac Mission Succeeds Despite Taliban Army News 10 Sep 2010 -- It wasn't Plan A that Staff Sgt. Matthew Kinney relied on when coming to the aid of wounded Soldiers in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan.
• 52nd Engineers step for Carson construction projects Army News 10 Sep 2010 -- A mutually-beneficial partnership is underway between the 52nd Engineer Battalion and the Directorate of Public Works.
• Soldier Equipment Weighty Matter In Field Army News 10 Sep 2010 -- System engineering is the next great frontier for those Army Soldiers and civilians responsible for equipping today's Soldier.
• 3rd LAR prepares for OEF with Clear, Hold, Build 3 USMC News 10 Sep 2010 -- Marines and sailors with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion learned how to properly operate in a defensive stance during part of their Enhanced Mojave Viper pre-deployment training process throughout several training areas here Aug. 31 to Sept. 2.
• BSTS keeps 2nd MLG ready for the fight USMC News 10 Sep 2010 -- Deploying to Afghanistan requires a great deal of training for U.S. Marines and their attached Navy personnel. Subjects like how to operate on convoys, patrols and other combat situations must be instilled in a war fighter’s brain prior to participating in missions like those experienced in Operation Enduring Freedom.
• Kyrgyz, U.S. Officials Prolong Lease At Military Transit Center RFE/RL 10 Sep 2010 -- Kyrgyzstan and the United States have agreed to prolong by one year the lease at the U.S. Military Transit Center at Kyrgyzstan's Manas Airport, officials have confirmed to RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service.
• Air Force officials increase deployment times AFNS 10 Sep 2010 -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz announced a change to the air and space expeditionary force rotational baseline from 120 to 179 days for the active component.
• Valiant Shield exercise begins at Joint Region Marianas AFNS 10 Sep 2010 -- Air Force bombers, fighters, tankers and support aircraft from the Pacific theater are arriving and making preparations for Valiant Shield 2010.
• Defense Department Joins Suicide Prevention Alliance AFPS 10 Sep 2010 -- Taking care of servicemembers is among Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ top concerns, he said today, and that includes preventing military suicides.
• Navy Sees Increase in Safety Program Effectiveness AFPS 10 Sep 2010 -- Servicemembers have enough threats to deal with. Adding unsafe off-duty activities to their own load only adds to the stress of military service.
• Commander in Korea Focuses on Alliance Readiness AFPS 10 Sep 2010 -- An ongoing series of exercises has improved the readiness of the U.S.-South Korean alliance, the commander of Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea said here yesterday.
• More Focus Needed to End Suicides, Mullens Say AFPS 10 Sep 2010 -- A silent killer is rapidly infiltrating the military, claiming lives at an alarming rate each year.
• Depot construction to improve Corps’ readiness, adaptability USMC News 10 Sep 2010 -- Construction of two new “H-style” barracks, a recruit rehabilitation facility, several independent restrooms and upgrades to numerous depot facilities began full swing early this summer and are slated for completion within the next 18 months.
• Charlie Company flies through final PFT USMC News 10 Sep 2010 -- It’s 7:30 a.m. and if someone is standing in one spot for even half a moment too long he’ll feel the warmth of southern California’s August sun. Good thing the recruits of Company B won’t be standing still for their final Physical Fitness Test
• World faces nonproliferation turning point – START 1 negotiator RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2010 -- The world is at a turning point in efforts to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons, particularly in the Middle East, a former US arms treaty negotiator said on Friday at the Global Policy Forum in the Russian city of Yaroslavl.
• Medvedev says U.S. 'envious' over European security system proposals RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2010 -- The United States is experiencing a certain amount of envy over Russia's attempts to create a new system of European security, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday.
• Russia's Federal Security Service 'happy' with indigenous UAVs RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2010 -- Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) is satisfied with the domestically produced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) it is using, a UAV maker said on Friday.
• Taiwan, China to launch joint maritime rescue drill CNA 10 Sep 2010 -- Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) will conduct a joint maritime rescue drill next week with its Chinese counterpart, the first time the two countries' coastal patrol agencies hold joint marine exercises.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 10, 2010
• BAE Systems Awarded $41.7 Million Technology Maturation Contract for the U.S. Navy's Next Generation Jammer System BAE Systems 10 Sep 2010 -- BAE Systems was recently awarded a $41.7 million contract for technology maturation efforts on the U.S. Navy's Next-Generation Jammer, which will replace the ALQ-99 tactical jamming system currently installed on the EA-18G Growler aircraft.
• General Dynamics Awarded $30 Million for Joint Biological Point Detection Systems Production and Support General Dynamics 10 Sep 2010 -- General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products has been awarded a $30 million contract by the U.S. Army for production and field support of Joint Biological Point Detection Systems (JBPDS). General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
• Upgraded Aegis Weapon Systems Proven Operational on Two U.S. Navy Cruisers Lockheed Martin 10 Sep 2010 -- The U.S. Navy, supported by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), successfully completed Combat System Ship Qualification Trials for upgraded Aegis Combat Systems installed aboard two Navy ships.
• Russia's UAV market to see 'breakthrough' by 2013 - company head RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2010 -- Russia will be able to produce advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) able to compete with those produced abroad by 2013, the head of a major UAV production company said on Friday.
• DCNS acquires interest in Principia DCNS 10 Sep 2010 -- Principia, a consultancy specialising in naval and maritime technologies, has been acquired by a consortium comprising DCNS, two businessmen with vast experience in the international offshore oil sector and the company's management team, each now holding a one-third interest. This acquisition will strengthen DCNS's hand in ‘scientific engineering', a field of vital importance in naval design and innovation.

Other Conflicts

• South Korea ready to reconcile with North - president RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2010 -- South Korean leader Lee Myung-bak, whose presidency has seen a deterioration in ties with North Korea, expressed readiness on Friday to work towards better relations with Pyongyang.
• Obama Urges Extension of Israeli Settlement Moratorium VOA 10 Sep 2010 -- President Obama said Friday he has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend his government's moratorium on West Bank settlement building to boost prospects for success in peace talks with the Palestinians. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flies to the Middle East Monday to attend the next round of direct talks.
• U.S. to continue Israeli-Palestinian settlement even in failure RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2010 -- Washington will continue to support the Israeli-Palestinian settlement process even though it is difficult and may fail, U.S. President Barack Obama said at a press conference on Friday.
• Serbia accepts watered-down U.N. Kosovo resolution RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2010 -- Serbia has finally been persuaded to compromise over Kosovo. On the eve of a vote on the UN General Assembly resolution on Kosovo, Serbia (which had been calling for Kosovo's status to be reconsidered) threw its weight behind the EU initiative. The resolution now goes forward as a joint EU-Serbian initiative.
• UN General Assembly Passes Kosovo Resolution Urging Parties To Negotiate RFE/RL 10 Sep 2010 -- The UN General Assembly has passed a Serbian-backed compromise resolution that opens the way for dialogue between Belgrade and Kosovo.
• Interview: PM Thaci Talks About The UN's Kosovo Resolution RFE/RL 10 Sep 2010 -- Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci spoke with RFE/RL's Nikola Krastev in New York one day after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution aimed at opening the way for dialogue between Belgrade and Kosovo. Whether that will actually happen remains unclear. Kosovo's declaration of independence has so far been recognized by 70 of the United Nations' 192 member states.
• Death Toll Rises in Mogadishu Airport Attack VOA 10 Sep 2010 -- Authorities said at least nine people were killed Thursday when suicide bombers in Somalia attacked Mogadishu's airport.
• Azerbaijan Withdraws Draft Karabakh Resolution From UN RFE/RL 10 Sep 2010 -- Azerbaijan has withdrawn a controversial draft resolution on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from the United Nations General Assembly, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports.
• North Ossetia Mourns Bombing Victims As Death Toll Rises RFE/RL 10 Sep 2010 -- Flags in North Ossetia are at half-mast as Russia's Caucasus republic mourns the victims of a devastating suicide bombing in the regional capital, Vladikavkaz.
• PHILIPPINES: Texting for peace in the south IRIN 10 Sep 2010 -- Text messaging, already a favourite activity among Filipinos, has taken on a new role in promoting peace in Sulu Province, a group of islands in the southern Philippines, long marred by violence.

News Reports

• Iran Cancels Plan To Release American Hiker RFE/RL 10 Sep 2010 -- Iran has reportedly cancelled the planned release of a detained American woman because the legal process has not been completed.
• Ex-IAEO chief: It is Iran's sovereignty right to vet IAEA inspectors IRNA 10 Sep 2010 -- First head of the Iran Atomic Energy Organization said late Thursday that it is Iranian government sovereignty rights to vet inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
• Iran to free one American detainee IRNA 10 Sep 2010 -- An Iranian official said here late Thursday that on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr (Fast Breaking Festival) and on Islamic passion ground, Iran will release one of the three Americans detained southwest Iran last year over illegally entering the country.
• Iran To Release One Of Three Detained U.S. Hikers RFE/RL 10 Sep 2010 -- Iranian officials say the Islamic republic will "soon" release Sarah Shourd, one of three U.S. hikers who have been detained by Iran for more than one year.
• Tehran Denies Opposition Group's Claim About Nuclear Facility RFE/RL 10 Sep 2010 -- Iran has denied claims that it has a covert uranium enrichment facility after a dissident Iranian group claimed it had evidence of a new secret underground atomic site.
• Tehran dismisses reports on secret nuclear site RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2010 -- Iran's top nuclear official denied on Friday claims of a covert nuclear facility near the capital, Tehran, the Mehr news agency reported.
• Medvedev says Russian political changes should be 'gradual' RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2010 -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said any changes to the country's political system should be gradual.
• On Eve Of 9/11 Anniversary, American Muslims Face Renewed Climate Of Suspicion RFE/RL 10 Sep 2010 -- not only in the public understanding of Islam but in the recognition that being Muslim is not incompatible with being American.
• Kyrgyzstan Prepares To Hold Parliamentary Elections After Turbulent Events RFE/RL 10 Sep 2010 -- As the official campaign season kicked off for national Kyrgyz elections on September 10, 29 parties were officially in the running for seats in the country's parliament.
• Kinmen Agreement monumental in cross-strait ties: MAC CNA 10 Sep 2010 -- The Kinmen Agreement, a landmark pact that Taiwan and China concluded 20 years ago amid a political impasse, laid a solid foundation for systematic civilian exchanges across the Taiwan Strait, a ranking Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) official said Friday.