TOP STORIES
In Afghan Crash, Deadly Chain Of Events For U.S.
[Philadelphia Inquirer, July 7, 2005]
U.S. military efforts to rescue four Navy SEAL commandos in Afghanistan
culminated in one of the armed forces' deadliest missions. A Chinook
helicopter was shot down, killing all 16 aboard. The bodies of two SEALs
were found, one was rescued and the status of the fourth is unknown.
After Losing Arm, Sergeant Fights For Combat Duty
[Wall Street Journal, July 7, 2005, Pg. 1]
Army Staff Sgt. Andy McCaffrey, a Green Beret, lost his right arm just
below the elbow to a grenade in Afghanistan. He has launched a campaign
to return to combat, a quest that has few precedents.
5 Americans Held By U.S. Forces In Iraq Fighting
[Washington Post, July 7, 2005, Pg. 15]
Five detainees believed to be American citizens are being held by the
U.S. military in Iraq after their arrests over the past few months. These
are the first Americans taken into custody on suspicion of aiding the
Iraqi insurgency.
It's Stop And Go For Iraq's Charter Panel
Participation of Sunni Arabs in writing a new constitution has been worked
out, but tough issues of such as the role of Islam remain, and an Aug.
15 deadline looms.
[Los Angeles Times, July 7, 2005]
Iraqi politicians have managed to overcome a substantial impasse in their
efforts to write a new national constitution. That breakthrough this week
did not solve disputes over the ethnically diverse city of Kirkuk or the
role of Islam in Iraqi law---it dealt with deciding which Sunni Arabs
get to serve on the constitution writing committee. The politicians have
yet to resolve any of the issues critical to Iraq's future. The
due date for the new constitution is Aug. 15.
New England Makes Pitch For Keeping Bases Open
[Boston Globe, July 7, 2005, Pg. 1]
Governors and legislators from New England states are working hard to
convince the base closing commission that military facilities on the hit
list in their region have a viable role to play in defending America.
IRAQ
Rebels In Iraq Threaten To Kill Abducted Diplomat
Egyptian Called Traitor to Islam in Statement Purportedly Al Qaeda Group
[Washington Post, July 7, 2005, Pg. 15]
Al Qaeda has threatened to kill a Egyptian diplomat who was kidnapped
in Baghdad four days ago. The terrorist group labels Ihab Sherif as a
traitor to Islam and representative of a country that is "allied
to Jews and Christians."
Kidnappers Threaten To Kill Egyptian Diplomat In Baghdad
[New York Times, July 7, 2005]
Al Qaeda in Iraq says the Egyptian diplomat it kidnapped faces execution
because the "infidel ambassador of Egypt, the ally of the Jews and
Christians" is guilty of apostasy.
Iraqi Diplomat Slams U.N. For Misuse Of Funds
[Washington Times, July 7, 2005, Pg. 1]
Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie slammed the United Nations
for treating various Iraqi accounts as a source of "easy money."
He said Baghdad is trying to recover money deposited in various U.N.-administered
accounts and reduce payment to others.
Shiite Morality Is Taking Hold In Iraq Oil Port
[New York Times, July 7, 2005]
The once libertine oil port of Basra, far from the insurgency raging in
much of Iraq, is becoming a mini-theocracy under Shiite rule. Similar
efforts to establish strict Shiite religious rule across Iraq would certainly
be opposed by Sunni Arabs and the more secular Kurds.
Iraqi Province's Voter Turnout Seen As Promising Sign For Future
Elections
[European Stars and Stripes, July 7, 2005]
So many voters came to the polls in Ad-Duluiyah to elect 21 members for
the town council that they forced the printing of extra ballots in the
middle of election day. Iraqi soldiers and police provided security for
the voters and local judges watched over the 16 polling stations. U.S.
forces stayed away, just as they did a week earlier in Tikrit. Both successful
elections are testament to the fact that the political process in Iraq
is moving forward at the local level.
EU Lawmakers Want U.N. To Take Military Lead In Iraq
[DefenseNews.com, July 6, 2005]
The European Parliament voted out a resolution calling for all foreign
troops in Iraq to be placed under the authority of the U.N.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Service Members To Pick Who Will Handle Remains
[Los Angeles Times, July 7, 2005]
DoD has put a place a policy that require soldiers to designate someone
to handle their remains following two high-profile disputes involving
the estranged parents of service members killed in combat.
Rumsfeld Advisers Mull Enemy Use of ‘Cost-Imposing Strategy'
[InsideDefense.com, July 6, 2005]
A group of advisers to Secretary Rumsfeld is preparing a report that warns
of the huge costs associated with prolonged, bloody operations in Iraq
and Afghanistan becoming part of the enemy's strategy.
DoD Leaders Strip Daily Management Of AMC From TRANSCOM Chief
[Inside The Pentagon, July 7, 2005, Pg. 1]
DoD has decided to drop day-to-day management of the Air Mobility Command
from the duties of the U.S. Transportation Command chief. The split is
necessary because TRANSCOM has assumed several new DoD-wide authorities
over the last few years.
Former Military Members Challenge ‘Don't Ask, Don't
Tell'
[Baltimore Sun, July 7, 2005]
Twelve former military members are challenging the "don't
ask, don't tell" policy, arguing in a federal suit that it
violates their constitutional rights.
BASE REALIGNMENT AND CLOSURE
Businesses To Seek Hints At Base-Closing Hearings
[Washington Post, July 7, 2005, Pg. D4]
Developers, real estate agents and investors will pay close attention
as the base closing commission opens hearings on proposed military base
shut-downs in the region. They will be hunting for information that could
begin shaping investment decisions and commercial lease negotiations in
Northern Virginia, Maryland and the District.
BRAC Battle Moves North
[Fayetteville Observer, July 7, 2005]
Pennsylvania officials say they have done their share in streamlining
the nation's military. They want the base closing commission to
leave their existing military sites alone.
State's Team Encouraged
Closings Panel Listens Intently
[Hartford Courant, July 7, 2005]
Connecticut officials are pleased that the base closing panel questioned
if savings would be realized by closing the nation's oldest submarine
base at Groton.
NAVY
Challenge To Lunch Prayer At Academy
Anti-Defamation League plans to ask Congress to halt practice; Head of
Naval Academy has refused.
[Baltimore Sun, July 7, 2005]
The Anti-Defamation League opposes the lunchtime prayers at the Naval
Academy and will go to Congress and the Secretary of the Navy to stop
the practice.
Navy Team Finds A Home On Dry Land
Fifteen U.S. Navy sailors and pilots from the USS San Jacinto spent the
day volunteering at a Liberty City Habitat for Humanity site.
[Miami Herald, July 7, 2005]
Fifteen U.S. Navy sailors from the USS San Jacinto joined in pulling weeds,
clearing out old lumber and swatting mosquitoes at a Habitat for Humanity
construction sites in Liberty City.
AIR FORCE
48 Illegal Workers At Air Force Base Arrested By ICE
[Washington Times, July 7, 2005, Pg. 7]
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 48 illegal aliens
who were working at the Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina, an active
air-combat command base and home to the 4th Fighter Wing. A DoD contractor,
Parsons Evergreene Corp., was responsible for hiring the illegal workers.
MARINE CORPS
Sniper School Teaches ‘Very Personal Way To Kill'
[Dallas Morning News, July 7, 2005, Pg. 1]
Snipers operate at a distance to kill an unsuspecting enemy. They are
key weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan, and each Marine infantry battalion
includes a platoon of 16 snipers.
For Sharpshooter, Taking Aim At Armed Teen ‘Just The Way It Is'
[Dallas Morning News, July 7, 2005]
A lot people have problems with the role of snipers and question what
it's like to kill someone in cold blood. Sniper instructor Sgt.
Dagan Van Oosten, stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico, says simply
that snipers save the lives of their fellow troops.
NATIONAL GUARD/RESERVE
California Residents Say Guard Spying On Them
[USA Today, July 7, 2005, Pg. 3]
The U.S. military has begun looking into charges that a California National
Guard unit was created to spy on citizens. That kind of monitoring helped
fuel protests during the Vietnam War.
MISSILE DEFENSE
Missile Defense Agency Eyes Gradual Return To Flight For GMD
[Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, July 7, 2005]
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency will take a slow, deliberate approach
to resuming flight-tests of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system
to ensure the program doesn't repeat the kinds of glitches that
marred recent tests.
AFGHANISTAN
U.S. Medical Team Attacked By Afghan Insurgents
No One Wounded in Assault in Region Where U.S. Airstrike Killed Civilians
Last Week
[Washington Post, July 7, 2005, Pg. 16]
Afghan rebels attacked a U.S. military medical team as it was aiding villagers
in the same region of eastern Afghanistan where a U.S. airstrike last
week killed as many as 17 civilians.
L.I. Navy SEAL, Missing Since Attack In Afghanistan, Is Dead
[New York Times, July 7, 2005]
Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy, a native of Long Island, was found dead
in Afghanistan.
World In Brief
[Washington Post, July 7, 2005, Pg. 16]
Human Rights Watch urged Afghan President Hamid Karzai to set up a special
court to try major war crimes suspects, including some working in his
own government.
MIDEAST
Syria Increasing Efforts To Seal Border With Iraq
[Bloomberg.com, July 6, 2005]
Syria is beefing up its border control operations in an effort to stem
the flow of foreign fighters looking to join the insurgency in Iraq.
Syria May Have Its Own Terrorists
[Washington Times, July 7, 2005, Pg. 17]
Recent clashes with militants in Syria raise the possibility that the
country---under U.S. pressure to keep terrorists out of Iraq---could be
facing a resurgence of Islamic extremists within its own borders. Long-dormant
Islamic groups that oppose the Syrian regime appear to be taking advantage
of the government's tight spot to reassert themselves.
Mentor Of Al Qaeda In Iraq Is Jailed In Jordan After Brief Release
[Washington Post, July 7, 2005, Pg. 16]
Isam Mohammed Taher Barqawi, the spiritual mentor of al Qaeda's
reputed leader in Iraq, Abu Musab Zarqawi, has been rearrested in Jordan.
His supporters accuse the U.S. of pressuring Jordan to imprison him.
Iran Seeks Permission To Test Nuclear Equipment
[Los Angeles Times, July 7, 2005]
Iran requested that the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog let it break U.N.
seals and test atomic equipment that has been mothballed under an agreement
with three European Union powers.
Iranian Trying To Buy Illegal Arms To Serve 57 Months In Prison
U.S. judge sentences man caught in Md.-based sting
[Baltimore Sun, July 7, 2005]
A federal judge sentenced Abbas Tavakolian, an Iranian, to nearly five
years in prison for trying to buy weapons for U.S. fighter jets and ship
the equipment back to his home country.
ASIA/PACIFIC
Bush Aides May Face Tough Visit In China
Talks About North Korea, Piracy Come as Tensions Rise Over Trade, Military
[Wall Street Journal, July 7, 2005, Pg. 11]
A group of high-level U.S. government officials, including Condoleezza
Rice, will visit Beijing this weekend for a flurry of talks on talks on
North Korea's nuclear ambitions, the sale of U.S. computer software
to China and counterfeit Zippo lighters.
BUSINESS
Halliburton's Iraq Job
[New York Times, July 7, 2005]
The U.S. military signed a work order with Halliburton to do nearly $5
billion in new work in Iraq.
Boeing May Be Fined For Exported Technology
[Washington Post, July 7, 2005, Pg. D1]
Boeing Co. is discussing with the State Department alleged violations
of arms control laws related to the sale of 96 civilian aircraft and spare
part to China from 2000 to 2003. Boeing could face fines of as much as
$47 million for its role in the deal.
Boeing Pay Is A Match For Chief
[New York Times, July 7, 2005]
Boeing Co. agreed to pay its new CEO, W. James McNerney Jr., a total compensation
package the could top $53 million to wrest him away from 3M. The package
essentially replaces the one he had with 3M---he will have to stay with
Boeing for at least six years to receive the full value of his deal.
VETERANS
Plan Raise Vet Fees Hits Wall Of Opposition
Service groups, Congress block health care proposal
[USA Today, July 7, 2005, Pg. 8]
The Bush administration's effort to raise costs for prescription
drugs bought through the Veterans Administration by vets with incomes
generally above $25,000 has been challenged by veterans who want their
congressmen to intervene.
New Orders For Gen. Shalikashvili
[Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 7, 2005, Pg. 1]
Retired Gen. John Shalikashvili is undergoing therapy to regain use of
his stroke-impaired left side. He suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke
last August.
OPINION
Dread Not The DD(X)
James G. Zumwalt
[Washington Times, July 7, 2005, Pg. 19[
The advantages of the DD(X) battleship over conventional battleships include
fewer crew members; the DD(X) is a multi-mission vessel; and, it can operate
independently, without the escort ships needed to keep today's battleships
safe. We need to invest in the DD(X) in order to maximize our limited
funding resources and to put forth the best we have to help fight the
war on terrorism.
Base Hit List Based On Bad Data
Sen. Arlen Specter, Sen. Rick Santorum and Gov. Edward G. Rendell
[Philadelphia Inquirer, July 7, 2005]
Several military facilities in Pennsylvania are on the base closing panel's
hit list. The Pentagon put some of those sites on its potential closure
list based on faulty data. We are optimistic that the commission will
recognize the Pentagon's errors and permit the continuation of military
bases in Pennsylvania that make valuable contributions to America's
defense.
Time For Straight Talk On Iraq
David L. Phillips
[Boston Globe, July 7, 2005]
It is time President Bush leveled with the American people about the status
quo in Iraq. It is apparent that the insurgency cannot be defeated with
military effort alone. Only a legitimate political process can inspire
Iraqis to stand in defense of their governing mechanisms. Bush is correct---Iraq
has become the central front in the war on terror. But he needs to talk
substantively because Americans are becoming aware that they are less
safe because of the Iraq war that has no plan to win the peace.
Source: Defense News
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