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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 21 Dec 2010 [PDF]
• UK court rejects appeal for single inquiry into Iraq abuse IRNA 21 Dec 2010 -- In a lengthy judgment Tuesday, the High Court in London refused to order that a Public Inquiry be established into the hundreds of allegations of mistreatment of Iraqi civilians in British detention and internment facilities in Iraq.
• Transcript: DOD News Briefing with Brig. Gen. Allvin via Teleconference from Afghanistan DoD 21 Dec 2010 -- Presenter: Commander, NATO Air Training Command - Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. David Allvin
• Afghan, Coalition Forces Destroy Explosives Factory AFPS 21 Dec 2010 -- Afghan and coalition forces destroyed a Taliban bomb-making center today in Kunduz province, Afghanistan, military officials reported.
• Transformative Year in Afghanistan Leaves Many Challenges for US in 2011 VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- 2010 was a transformative year for the U.S. effort in Afghanistan, with 30,000 additional troops and thousands more civilians flowing into the country to implement President Barack Obama's revised strategy for winning the now nine-year-old war.
• Afghan Air Force Gets its Wings, NATO Commander Says AFPS 21 Dec 2010 -- Building a professional, independent and capable air force to keep Afghanistan secure is well on its way to completion by 2014, a NATO commander said today from Kabul.
• Supply from sky: Parachute riggers make difference in Kandahar Army News 21 Dec 2010
• Afghanistan Remains Key Foreign Policy Issue for Obama VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- One of the central foreign policy questions facing the Obama administration is the conflict in Afghanistan.
• Afghan Government Disbands Dozens of Private Security Firms VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- The Afghan government says it is determined to shut down all private security companies operating in the country and has already disbanded 57 of them.
• U.S. Denies Reports of Planned Pakistan Raids VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- NATO officials are strongly denying a report they plan expand special forces raids into Pakistan's tribal areas.
• U.S., NATO Not Planning Ground Ops in Pakistan, Officials Say AFPS 21 Dec 2010 -- Neither the United States nor NATO forces are planning to conduct ground operations in Pakistan, Pentagon and International Security Assistance Force officials said today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Senate Agrees to Proceed to Final Vote on New START AFPS 21 Dec 2010 -- After seven months of debate and more than 20 hearings on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia, the full Senate agreed today to proceed to a final vote.
• US Senate Moves Toward Final Vote on Arms Treaty VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- A U.S.-Russian nuclear arms reduction pact has cleared a hurdle towards ratification by the U.S. Senate. The chamber authorized a final vote on the treaty, which could come as early as Wednesday.
• DoD News: Statement by Secretary Robert Gates on the New START Treaty DoD 21 Dec 2010
• 2nd Infantry Division to be issued new combat vehicles in 2011 Army News 21 Dec 2010 -- Units of the 2nd Infantry Division will receive new M1A2 Abrams Tanks and M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles from December of 2010 to May of 2011.
• Marine Corps' southern command relocates USMC News 21 Dec 2010 -- U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South officially opened the doors to its new headquarters Friday in conjunction with the U.S. Southern Command ribbon cutting ceremony. The move marks the second time the Marines at MARFORSOUTH have moved since relocating from Panama in 1999.
• Marines master tactics before deployment USMC News 21 Dec 2010 -- For the second time since terrorists ruthlessly attacked our homeland on September 11, 2001, the Marines of 1st Battalion, 23d Marines have left behind their civilian jobs, their college textbooks, beloved family members to again answer the call of a grateful nation, and to stand up against those who would threaten democracy and our very way of life.
• 'River Rattlers' End a Year of Adversary Missions NNS 21 Dec 2010 -- Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 204 wrapped up a mission with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group during the group's composite training unit exercise off the coast of California Dec. 20.
• Commander Fleet Activities Okinawa Gets Boost to Sustaining Facilities NNS 21 Dec 2010 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Far East awarded combination firm-fixed-price, indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts totaling $27 million to Mitomo Marutaka Joint Venture and Johnson Controls, K.K. (Tokyo) Dec. 10 and 15.
• USS Princeton Returns to San Diego NNS 21 Dec 2010 -- The guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) will return to San Diego Dec. 22 after an independent six-month deployment to the 5th and 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR).
• SNAP team enables Third Army's mobile communications Army News 21 Dec 2010 -- Third Army's Assault Command Post communications team conducted training to provide communications anywhere in its Area of Responsibility at Camp Arifjan Dec. 18.
• Interagency training preps workforce for Afghanistan Army News 21 Dec 2010
• 702nd EOD Soldiers train with Estonian civilian counterparts Army News 21 Dec 2010 -- A team of Soldiers from the 702nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company trained with representatives from Estonia's EOD centers on Vallon detector systems in December. These systems were donated by the U.S. Department of State as part of their Weapons Removal and Abatement program.
• Depot embarks on year-long project to repair equipment Army News 21 Dec 2010 -- Technicians here will repair six different types of the AN/TRC-190 radio terminal over the next year in a continuing Reset mission for the system.
• New Central Issue Facility opens in Kuwait Army News 21 Dec 2010 -- The grand opening of a full-service Theater Central Issue Facility on Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Dec. 17, means that personnel deploying into the Army Central Command area can now travel with much lighter loads.
• DoD News: Senior Executive Service Announcements DoD 21 Dec 2010
• USAFE vice commander discusses Air Force operations AFNS 21 Dec 2010 -- More than 100 business and military professionals gathered here recently to hear the U.S. Air Forces in Europe vice commander's perspective on Air Force operations and what it means as Air Force communications and information Airmen transition from a support role to an operational cyberspace role.
• Officials announce voluntary separation, retirement extensions AFNS 21 Dec 2010 -- Air Force officials announced an extension of voluntary separation and retirement programs Dec. 21 for fiscal 2011, as part of the service's ongoing force-management initiatives.
• Remembering Linebacker II: It's about the heroes, not the missions AFNS 21 Dec 2010 -- A ceremony to honor the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in support of Operation Linebacker II took place at Arc Light Memorial Park here Dec. 17.
• Army outlines Ground Combat Vehicle RFP Army News 21 Dec 2010 -- The Army plans to build a versatile, highly capable Ground Combat Vehicle in seven years that can deliver a nine-man squad under armor, across a full spectrum of military operations and protect against mines, IEDs, RPGs and a host of other threats, service leaders told members of industry Dec. 18 at a GCV pre-proposal conference in Dearborn, Mich.
• Launch of new Russian navigation satellite postponed to next year RIA Novosti 21 Dec 2010 -- The launch of Russia's new-generation Glonass-K satellite has been postponed until 2011, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
• Pakistan Says Test Of Medium-Range Missile Successful RFE/RL 21 Dec 2010 -- Pakistan's military says it has successfully test fired a medium-range ballistic missile that is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads.
• Russia, India sign design contract for prototype multirole fighter RIA Novosti 21 Dec 2010 -- Russia and India signed a contract on Tuesday to jointly develop a design for a new fifth-generation multirole fighter.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, 12/21/2010 The White House 21 Dec 2010
• December 21, 2010 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing Department of State 21 Dec 2010

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 21, 2010
• BAE Systems Wins U.S. Navy Minehunting Sonar Contract BAE Systems 21 Dec 2010 -- BAE Systems will deliver an upgraded minehunting sonar system to the U.S. Navy for the detection and classification of bottom and moored sea mines. BAE Systems will provide four systems under a $14 million contract.
• General Dynamics Awarded $165 million for 195 additional EAGLE vehicles for Germany General Dynamics 21 Dec 2010 -- General Dynamics European Land Systems entered a USD $165 million contract with the German Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement (Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung, “BWB”) on December 20 for the delivery of 195 highly protected EAGLE vehicles. The new order is in addition to orders awarded between 2008 and 2010, and increases the German EAGLE fleet to a total of 473 vehicles. General Dynamics European Land Systems, based in Vienna, Austria, is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
• Raytheon BBN Technologies Awarded Defense Funding to Advance Optical Communications and Imaging Raytheon 21 Dec 2010 -- Raytheon BBN Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), has been awarded $2.1 million in funding by DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) for two projects under the Information in a Photon, or InPho, program.
• First Multi A4 FSA from Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles transferred to German military Rheinmetall Defence 21 Dec 2010 -- Made by Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH (RMMV), the first Multi A4 FSA protected military transport vehicle has been formally transferred to the Bundeswehr at an official rollout ceremony in Munich.
• Lockheed Martin's Radiant Mercury System Certified Using National Institute of Standards & Technology Guidelines Lockheed Martin 21 Dec 2010 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced that the latest version of Radiant Mercury, a system that allows sharing of sensitive data between differing security domains, has been approved for both Top Secret and Secret interoperability by the Unified Cross Domain Management Office. This office provides centralized coordination and oversight of all cross domain initiatives across the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community.

Other Conflicts

• 21 December 2010 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 21 Dec 2010
• OPT: Easing of Gaza blockade fails to reverse housing crisis IRIN 21 Dec 2010 -- Farid Batch and his brother Wasfi live about 500m from their old houses in Jabalia, north Gaza. The homes of four Batch brothers once stood next to each other overlooking a grove of olive and lemon trees but all that is left are the concrete foundations and a tangle of wire and metal.
• US to Increase Pressure on Gbagbo Until He Yields Ivory Coast Presidency VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- The State Department said Tuesday that the United States and other countries will step up pressure on Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo until he yields power to his elected successor, Alassane Ouattara. The Obama administration announced travel sanctions against Mr. Gbagbo and his close associates.
• UN Chief Warns Ivory Coast Risks Return to Civil War VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday there is a real risk of a return to civil war in Ivory Coast as the situation there grows increasingly volatile.
• International Pressure on Ivory Coast Is Increasing VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- The international community is increasing pressure on incumbent Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo to cede power after the U.N. Security Council voted Monday to extend the mandate of its 10,000-member peacekeeping force, despite Gbagbo's demand that they leave.
• UN agency boosts response readiness for Côte d'Ivoire refugees UN News Centre 21 Dec 2010 -- The United Nations refugee agency said today it is boosting its contingency plans for Côte d'Ivoire in light of the tense political standoff that has already resulted in more than 6,000 people fleeing the country into two neighbouring West African States.
• Sudan Referendum Commission to Respond to Dissolution Efforts VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- An official with Sudan’s referendum commission said the commission is set to officially respond Wednesday to petitions seeking the group’s dissolution ahead of next month’s referendum.
• UN chief concerned over fighting in Darfur, deplores attacks on civilians UN News Centre 21 Dec 2010 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced concern over clashes between Sudan’s Government troops and forces of one of the armed groups active in the country’s troubled western region of Darfur, noting that fighting has included attacks on civilians.
• Sudan's South Faces Economic Challenges Ahead VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- Six years after the end of Sudan's civil war, development has been slow in the south. The southern government started receiving oil revenues in 2005, but has been forced to spend the money to keep the peace in the south.
• Egypt, Libya Leaders Meet with Sudan's Bashir VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- The leaders of Libya and Egypt are meeting with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum to discuss the future of his country.
• Thousands heading back to Southern Sudan ahead of independence vote – UN UN News Centre 21 Dec 2010 -- With the referendum on independence for Southern Sudan just weeks away, the United Nations refugee agency reported today that thousands of southerners living in the north are heading back by road, rail, barge and plane in both organized and spontaneous returns.

News Reports

• Standoff Between Lukashenka, Opposition Enters Third Day RFE/RL 21 Dec 2010 -- President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has further tightened the screws on Belarus's opposition after police broke up mass protests against his reelection, while activists defied a ban on street rallies.
• UN human rights chief condemns post-electoral violence in Belarus UN News Centre 21 Dec 2010 -- The United Nations human rights chief today voiced deep concern about the violence that erupted after Sunday’s presidential election in Belarus, including the abduction of opposition candidates, and called for the immediate release of those detained.
• Belarus opposition denies responsibility for Sunday riots RIA Novosti 21 Dec 2010 -- Leaders of opposition parties and democratic movements in Belarus blamed the authorities on Tuesday for provoking violence in the aftermath of the recent presidential elections.
• US: North Korea Must Change Behavior Before Six Party Talks Can Resume VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- The White House says there will be no resumption of six-party talks with North Korea until Pyongyang stops "belligerent actions."
• Japan regrets UN Security Council indecision over N.Korea RIA Novosti 21 Dec 2010 -- Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has expressed regret over the UN Security Council's hesitation to condemn North Korea, following emergency talks at a closed-door UN Security Council emergency meeting on Sunday.
• China calls on North Korea to allow IAEA monitoring RIA Novosti 21 Dec 2010 -- China has called on North Korea to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to monitor the country's nuclear facilities, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on Tuesday.
• China Urges N. Korea to Accept International Nuclear Inspections VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- China is urging North Korea to accept the return of international nuclear inspectors, as a step toward defusing tensions on the Korean peninsula. The Chinese comments come as an American official who was just in Pyongyang says the government has indicated it is ready to make such a move.
• US Tightens Sanctions On Iran VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- The United States has hit Iran's Revolutionary Guard and its state-owned shipping lines with new sanctions.
• Iran's Parliament Ready to Cut Ties with Britain VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- Iranian lawmakers are moving forward with plans to sever diplomatic ties with Britain.
• Iraq: Ban hails new government as ‘major step’ in democratic progress UN News Centre 21 Dec 2010 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the announcement of a new government in Baghdad as “a major step forward in Iraq’s democratic progress” and urged that prompt attention be given to national reconciliation, reconstruction and long-term stability.
• Iraqi Parliament Approves New Maliki Government VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- The Iraq parliament has voted to approve the new government of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, although the key ministries of interior, defense and national security were left vacant.
• India and Russia sign 30 pacts IRNA 21 Dec 2010 -- India and Russia Tuesday signed 30 pacts in several key areas such as civil nuclear cooperation and defence, including development of Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) to augment country's military capabilities.
• Russia, India sign oil, gas, nuclear energy deals RIA Novosti 21 Dec 2010 -- Russia and India have signed intergovernmental agreements on cooperating in the oil and gas and nuclear energy spheres as well as jointly developing information technologies.
• Britain, Russia expelled diplomats in spy row RIA Novosti 21 Dec 2010 -- Britain and Russia each expelled a diplomat from their embassies in mid-December, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in written statement on Tuesday.
• WikiLeaks' Founder Assange Claims He Is Victim of Leak VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange says he believes someone leaked the Swedish police report detailing his alleged sexual offenses.
• Taiwan urges faster implementation of cross-strait pacts CNA 21 Dec 2010 -- Taiwan urged China Tuesday to speed up implementation of the accords signed between the two sides over the past two and a half years.
• Taiwan, China negotiators begin talks in Taipei CNA 21 Dec 2010 -- Top negotiators from Taiwan and China began a new round of talks in Taipei Tuesday, with the signing of a medical and health care cooperation agreement topping the meeting's agenda.
• Myanmar major source and user of amphetamine drugs, says UN report UN News Centre 21 Dec 2010 -- The manufacture, trafficking and consumption of synthetic drugs in Myanmar is worsening, with methamphetamine and other amphetamine-type stimulants smuggled from the country affecting neighbouring States and other parts of East and South-East Asia, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) says in a new report.
• Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Completes Assembly of Fuel Turbopump on NASA's J-2X Rocket Engine Pratt & Whitney 21 Dec 2010 -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne successfully completed another major subassembly for NASA’s first J-2X rocket engine. A highly-efficient and versatile engine, the J-2X will help sustain the critical design and manufacturing skills required for the United States to maintain its leadership position in human space exploration and its engineering expertise necessary to support national security.
• Police Searching for Answers After Nairobi Explosion VOA 21 Dec 2010 -- Kenyan police are investigating possible links to terrorist groups after a bus station blast killed one and injured more than 40 people in Nairobi.
• Russia's Mission Control to readjust ISS orbit RIA Novosti 21 Dec 2010 -- Russia's Mission Control is preparing to adjust the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday by raising it 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles).
• Montenegro's Prime Minister Djukanovic Steps Down RFE/RL 21 Dec 2010 -- The prime minister of the Balkan state of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, has announced his resignation.
• Commentary: Thaci Allegations Don’t Change The Broader Perspective On Kosovo RFE/RL 21 Dec 2010 -- If it bleeds, it leads, the old journalism rule-of-thumb runs. And it is hard to find another end-of-the-year story that bleeds quite like the accusation that the prime minister of Kosovo was involved in the trafficking of human organs and other criminal activities during the 1999 conflict, which ended following NATO intervention to drive Serbian forces out of Kosovo.