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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 30 Dec 2010 [PDF]
• Sustaining safety during Operation New Dawn Army News 30 Dec 2010 -- After the first few months of being deployed, statistics show Soldiers can get comfortable with their surroundings and choose shortcuts that can put themselves or others in harm's way.
• Iraqi Security Forces conduct 'Devil's Eve' air assault Army News 30 Dec 2010 -- Soldiers and police from the 12th Iraqi Army Division and Iraqi Police Department conducted a joint operation to disrupt and capture terrorists operating within Kirkuk province Dec. 24.
• Iraq Civilian Casualties for 2010 Lowest Since US Invasion VOA 30 Dec 2010 -- A British-based group reports that the civilian death toll in Iraq for 2010 dropped to the lowest figure since the 2003 invasion of the country. The group, however, foresees a low-level of endemic violence that is likely to continue. Preliminary figures compiled by Iraq Body Count point to a civilian death toll of 3,976 as of December 25, compared to 4,680 in 2009.
• ISAF Condemns Bomb Attack in Helmand Province AFPS 30 Dec 2010 -- NATO’s International Security Assistance Force condemned today’s indiscriminate insurgent improvised-explosive-device attack in Afghanistan’s Helmand province that killed at least 10 Afghan civilians and injured several more, military officials reported.
• Afghans Feel Pinch Of Iranian-Border Fuel Blockade RFE/RL 30 Dec 2010 -- Afghans are grappling with rising fuel prices and dwindling supplies in the depth of winter, while convoys of relief stand idle just across the border with Iran.
• UN condemns deadly roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan UN News Centre 30 Dec 2010 -- The United Nations envoy in Afghanistan has strongly condemned today’s roadside bombing in the southern province of Helmand that reportedly killed 14 civilians and wounded many others, including children.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Rodong Sinmun on Failure of US "Anti-Terrorism War" Strategy KCNA 30 Dec 2010 -- The U.S. "anti-terrorism war" strategy for aggression faces failure and collapse this year.
• Smoking Lamp to Extinguish Dec. 31 on Navy Subs AFPS 30 Dec 2010 -- The countdown to the new year is on, and with it, a ban on smoking below decks aboard Navy submarines.
• Facility in Kuwait lessens need for bag drag Army News 30 Dec 2010 -- Soldiers and civilians who have deployed know a thing or two about the "duffle bag drag" -- carrying, pushing, rolling or dragging heavy duffle bags packed with military gear through airports and customs.
• Atterbury prepares civilians for deployment Army News 30 Dec 2010 -- It is an experience familiar to any Soldier: waiting in line for deployment processing. It's a seemingly endless series of queues as personnel move though the stations -- medical, dental, finance and so on.
• Language Training Detachment Stands Up in Europe AFPS 30 Dec 2010 -- With defense leaders emphasizing the importance of language and cultural training to support military operations worldwide, the Defense Language Institute has stood up a new detachment in Germany to provide follow-on sustainment training for military linguists based in Europe.
• C-17 marks 2 millionth flight hour during airdrop AFNS 30 Dec 2010 -- This month, the C-17 Globemaster III celebrated its two millionth flight hour.
• LDO, CWO Communities Under Review NNS 30 Dec 2010 -- In an effort to ensure the right specialists are in the right place, the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) announced Dec. 29 that it has been conducting a review of its technical leadership since August and will brief Navy leadership in early January 2011.
• Russia to pay over 700 million euros for first Mistral helicopter carrier - source RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2010 -- Russia will pay France approximately 720 million euros for its first Mistral-class helicopter carrier for its Navy, a source close to the negotiations process told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
• New York National Guardsmen on Watch New Year's Eve AFPS 30 Dec 2010 -- As revelers head for Times Square to welcome 2011, members of the New York National Guard will be on duty to ensure that the holiday is safe and secure.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 30, 2010

Other Conflicts

• Demolition of Concrete Wall Dividing Korea into Two Parts Urged KCNA 30 Dec 2010 -- The concrete wall partitioning the Korean Peninsula into two parts is a grudge-bearing wall.
• Ivory Coast Battle Over Embassies Moves to Washington VOA 30 Dec 2010 -- The Ivory Coast battle over ambassadors has moved to Washington where supporters of internationally-recognized President Alasanne Ouattara apparently forced the Ivorian embassy to shut down. Incumbent Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo is refusing to step down following elections in November, despite growing outside pressure including from diplomatic postings.
• Côte d'Ivoire: senior UN officials concerned over incitement to hatred, violence UN News Centre 30 Dec 2010 -- Two United Nations civilian protection officials today expressed concern over the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, where they said some leaders are instigating violence and hatred between communities and warned that those responsible will be held accountable under international law.
• Sanctions Increase Against Stubborn Ivorian President VOA 30 Dec 2010 -- As the international community presses Ivorian President Gbagbo to step down, economic and political sanctions appear the tools of choice. But will they work?
• Gbagbo Backers Threaten Opposition at Abidjan Hotel VOA 30 Dec 2010 -- A militant youth leader for incumbent Ivorian president, Laurent Gbagbo, is calling on supporters to seize the Abidjan hotel currently serving as a base for U.N.-endorsed election winner, Alassane Ouattara.
• Ivory Coast Diplomat Warns Crisis Threatens to Bring Genocide VOA 30 Dec 2010 -- Ivory Coast's new U.N. ambassador said Wednesday the ongoing dispute over who won last month's presidential election is pushing his country to the brink of genocide.
• Nepalese peace process at crossroads as UN mission ends mandate - Ban UN News Centre 30 Dec 2010 -- The peace process in Nepal is at a crossroads as the United Nations winds up its mission there, with the major challenge remaining to integrate 19,000 personnel from the Maoist army which fought a decade-long civil war, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new report.
• Somalia: Not Much Changed in 2010 VOA 30 Dec 2010 -- In Somalia, 2010 saw a continuation of fighting between militant groups and the forces loyal to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). And Somalia continued to be home to one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
• CENTRAL AFRICA: "Command responsibility" underpins allegations against Bemba at ICC IRIN 30 Dec 2010 -- It was systematic rape to assert dominance and shatter resistance. That is how Luis Moreno-Ocampo described the campaign of terror allegedly committed seven years ago by a Congolese militia group against civilians from the Central African Republic (CAR).

News Reports

• Kremlin Critics Claim Khodorkovsky Sentence Politically Motivated VOA 30 Dec 2010 -- The verdict handed down Thursday that will see Mikhail Khodorkovsky jailed for six more years has been met with a wave of criticism from their defense team and prominent human rights activists in Russia.
• Russian Tycoon Khodorkovsky Gets Six More Years RFE/RL 30 Dec 2010 -- A Moscow court has sentenced jailed former oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky to another six years in prison in a trial seen as a major barometer of Russia's authoritarian government.
• Khodorkovsky, Lebedev sentenced to 14 years in prison RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2010 -- Russian ex-oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev will serve another six years in jail after being sentenced to 14 years detention at the culmination of their trial.
• Russia's Former Oil Tycoon Gets More Jail Time VOA 30 Dec 2010 -- A Moscow court has sentenced Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, to an additional six years in prison. The former oil tycoon will remain in prison until 2017. A Russian judge granted the prosecutor's sentencing request that Khodorkovsky serve a total of 14 years.
• Suspects deny plot to attack Danish newspaper IRNA 30 Dec 2010 -- Three male suspects detained in Denmark for their alleged role in plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper denied the allegations during a pre-trial hearing which opened Thursday near Copenhagen.
• Last of 12 Somali Suspects in Alleged Dutch Terror Plot Freed VOA 30 Dec 2010 -- Dutch prosecutors say the last of 12 Somalis arrested in the Netherlands last week on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack has been released.
• Seven al-Qaeda members arrested in Sardasht Township, Iran IRNA 30 Dec 2010 -- A reliable informed source told IRNA Wednesday night about getting arrested of seven al-Qaeda group members in Sardasht Township, located in the southern part of Iran's West Azarbaijan Province.
• Belarusian Opposition Candidates Formally Charged Over Protests RFE/RL 30 Dec 2010 -- Authorities in Belarus were expected to formally charge a fifth opposition candidate in connection with the protests that broke out in Minsk following this month's presidential election, following similar charges against four others.
• China Calls for US to Play 'Constructive' Role in Asia VOA 30 Dec 2010 -- A Chinese official says the United States has significant influence in Asia and urges it to play what she called a positive role in the region.
• UK sought to aid Afghan mujahideen after Soviet invasion IRNA 30 Dec 2010 -- British cabinet secretary, Sir Robert Armstrong, was negotiating how to channel covert military aid towards the 'Islamic resistance' within weeks of the Soviet invasion in December 1979, according to embarrassing secret documents released to the National Archives Thursday.
• Britain releases secret files on Soviet invasion of Afghanistan RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2010 -- The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was not a surprise for Western powers, who managed to secure U.N.'s condemnation of it and agreed to support the Afghan resistance movement, new files from Britain's National Archives to be officially released on Thursday show.
• 2010 Marked with Kim Jong Il's Field Guidance for People's Living KCNA 30 Dec 2010 -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il has been busy with field guidance, while making a forced march.
• 2010 Marked with Full Blossom of DPRK-China Friendship KCNA 30 Dec 2010 -- 2010 is recorded as a meaningful year in which the party, government and people of China reiterated their faith and will to develop the DPRK-China friendship.
• Moldova parliament speaker made acting president RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2010 -- Moldova's new parliamentary speaker, Marian Lupu, was appointed acting president of the former Soviet republic on Thursday.
• UN urges massive campaign in Haiti to boost cholera prevention measures UN News Centre 30 Dec 2010 -- United Nations humanitarian officials are calling for “massive mobilization activities” in Haiti to promote prevention and early treatment in the cholera epidemic which has already killed more than 2,760 people and infected over 130,000 others, nearly 71,000 of whom were hospitalized.
• Orbital-Built KOREASAT 6 Commerical Communications Satellite Successfully Launched Orbital Sciences Corp. 30 Dec 2010 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world’s leading space technology companies, announced today that the KOREASAT 6 (K6) satellite, built by the company in partnership with Thales Alenia Space for KT Corporation of the Republic of Korea, was successfully launched into geosynchronous transfer orbit aboard an Ariane 5 rocket originating from Kourou, French Guiana.
• Ukraine's ex-interior minister appeals arrest RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2010 -- Ukraine's former interior minister Yuriy Lutsenko, in custody on abuse of office charges, appealed his arrest on Thursday.
• Ariane 5 puts 2 communication satellites into orbit RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2010 -- The Ariane 5 carrier rocket launched from the Kourou space center in French Guiana has delivered its dual-satellite payload into orbit, the Arianespace satellite launch firm said.
• KMT scoffs DPP move to set up probe on election-eve shooting CNA 30 Dec 2010 -- The truth behind the Nov. 26 election eve shooting of former Vice President Lien Chan's son Lien Sheng-wen must be clarified, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said Thursday, calling for an independent commission to be set up to probe the matter.
• Successful launch of Koreasat-6 telecommunication satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space in partnership with Orbital Sciences Thales 30 Dec 2010 -- Koreasat-6 (renamed Mugunghwa-6), the South Korea’s commercial telecommunication satellite, was successfully launched yesterday by Arianespace from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana.