Pacific Ocean (Feb. 8, 2007) - Sailors upload anti-submarine warfare torpedoes aboard guided missile destroyer USS O'Kane (DDG 77). O'Kane is currently a part of USS John C. Stennis Strike Group (JCSSG). JCSSG is conducting flight and integrated Strike Group operations off the coast of Guam after entering the U.S. 7th Fleet's area of responsibility (AOR), as part of a deployment to promote peace, regional cooperation and stability. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Leah C. Allen

Labels: 7th Fleet, Guam, ships, US Navy, USS O'Kane

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070207-06
Feb. 7, 2007

Multi-National Division - North PAO

BAQUBAH, Iraq -The Provincial Government and coalition forces are working earnestly to improve the way of life for the people of Diyala through reconstruction efforts focused on the needs of the citizens throughout the province.

"We have big plans for the people of Diyala," said Gov. Ra'ad Hameed Al-Mula Jowad Al-Tanimi, governor of Diyala, during a previous press conference. "There are lots of projects being worked ... to improve the health, school and education, electricity, water and housing."

The Provincial Government continues to identify new projects based on the needs of the residents and is prepared to commit to improve living conditions across the province, said Ra'ad.

In addition to the Iraqi Government projects, coalition forces are focusing efforts on projects, totaling over $213 million, which are currently underway throughout Diyala.

To date, 20 coalition-led projects have been completed in the province since the start of the Fiscal Year , including five electrical projects by the Government of Iraq and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to improve the reliability of power for the people of Diyala.

"The coalition projects are planned, assessed and executed based on the goal of the Diyala Provincial leadership. They have a better situational awareness of what is needed by their people and we support the efforts of the Government, as we do their Security Forces," said Col. David W. Sutherland, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division commander and senior U.S. Army officer in the Diyala province.

The projects, which began as early as April 2005, include a $31.2 million rehabilitation and expansion of a 400kV/132kV substation and five feeders designed to improve reliability of power for over 63,000 residents in the Buhriz and Muqdadiya regions of Diyala.

Of the 141 projects, 38 reconstruction projects will be near completion within the next two months. The projects, when complete, will provide more reliable water and electricity, improvised irrigation, improved sanitation, heightened security and road improvements.

"All of the projects are done in a holistic view as systems of systems, as well as the employment opportunities for the local population. They are linked to security because the people are able to get better services while having an impact on the economy, and in the long run, this assists in defeating the terrorists that do not want to allow the people to modernize," Sutherland said.

The Provincial Government is also working hand-in-hand with the 5th Iraqi Army Division to repair damage caused by indiscriminate terrorist attacks, or from collateral damage resulting from offensive operations.

Anti-Iraqi forces will continue to attempt to slow the progress of these projects and, at times, even attack or damage completed projects, said Ra'ad.

"This is slowing us, but it has not stopped us," he added.

"We want to complete these projects, but I need [the people's] help to make the security situation better," Ra'ad said. "I ask our people to help rebuild this province."


FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION - NORTH AT:
TFLIGHTNING.PAO-AT-US.ARMY.MIL

Labels: Diyala, Good News, Iraq, reconstruction, US Army Corps of Engineers

HANG ON — 1st Lieutenant Steven Pomella , company A, 1-16th Infantry, crosses a two-rope bridge during the French Foreign Legion Commando Course in Arta Beach, Djibouti. The Commando course is a five-day course which culminates with a confidence course called the Way of the Unconscious. U.S. Army courtesy photo - Story

Labels: 1-16th Infantry, Djibouti, photos, US Army

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Deputy Minister Arrested in Iraq Killings
Marines 'Hit the Jackpot' Near Fallujah

Operation Enduring Freedom
U.S. urges wary NATO allies to boost Afghan fight

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas - Hezbollah Happenings
Military.com Blog: Al Qaeda in it for the Long Haul
Hamas, Fatah OK Forming Unity Government
Hezbollah demands back seized munitions

Troops on Trial
Judge keeps officer's Abu Ghraib charges
Judge lets Marine withdraw guilty plea

Other Military News
Senate confirms Gen. Casey despite critics
Pentagon says pre-war intel not illegal

Worldwide Wackos
Iran: We Will Strike U.S. Interests If Attacked
Rice "cautiously optimistic" on North Korea talks - Video

Politics / Government
White House Defends Pelosi Over Jet Request
Black voters still unsure about Obama
Rightwing warrior Falwell has eyes on 2008
House of Representatives passes biofuels bill
Supporters push Gore to run in 2008

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Report: Chained Son Led to Ryan O'Neal Fight
6-Year-Old Dragged to Death During Car Theft
Astronaut Mom 'Cracked' - PHOTOS
Mom-In-Law: She Ruined Marriage - VIDEO
Coed Dru Sjodin's Killer Sentenced to Die
Cops: Dad Beat Child Left in Cold to Die
Libby lawyers to put Abramson on stand

U.N. News
Sudan child soldiers struggle to give up guns, UN says

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
FOX Business Channel to Debut in 2007
Edwards Won't Fire 'Catholic Bash' Bloggers

Science / Medicine / Technology
PHOTOS: Third Spacewalk in 9 Days - STORY
Study: One in 150 U.S. Children Have Autism

Mother Nature
Upstate N.Y. Buried Under 6 Feet of Snow
More rains hit flood-stricken Indonesian capital - Video

News from My Neck of the Woods
NY to sue over slow cleanup of oil slick

Oddities
Candy with a surprise inside! Okay, it's a finger
Jeans, PJs, shirts -- it's love for women
Bears fan loses bet and must change name

Other News of Note
Anna Nicole Smith Dies
Outrageous ex-Playmate dies after collapsing at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
PHOTO ESSAYS: Celebrity Controversy Tragedy
BIO: Troubled Life of Playmate, Heiress, Reality Star, Mom
Death Tape Sparks Bidding War
Statement From Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner
Statement From People for Ethical Treatment of Animals
GRRR! Let's Hope Young 'Girls Gone Wild' Take Note
Double Tragedy

Fox News
FOX Investigation Prompts World Bank Probe

Reuters: Top News
Olmert spurns bid to reconsider Jerusalem dig
Little glamour in L.A., "gang capital of America"
Hope raised for reversing severe childhood disease
Electronic gadgets may dominate New York Toy Fair
Microsoft presents new Windows Mobile version
High School Musical takes over the world
Stroke victims train brains to see again
Merck arthritis drug has fewer side-effects
Murdoch says Sacha Baron Cohen signs for "Borat 2"
Oil climbs above $60, first time in month
Indexes slip as HSBC, New Century warn on bad loans
Canada oil output to rise 9 pct in 2007: regulator
Oil jumps on OPEC cuts
Gateway posts quarterly profit on tax benefit
Looking for profit margins
Buyout bogeyman may lose some bite
U.S. mortgage carnage bad, but could be worse
Gap breaks negative sales trend; ups outlook
Lear mum on specifics of stock trade halt
Cold weather lifts retailers' sales
New York State to sue Exxon Mobil over spill
Toyota's U.S. head says recalls were wake-up call

AP World News
Kodak to slash up to 3,000 more jobs
Selig noncommittal on following Bonds
Phillips to replace Parcells in Dallas
Dow closes lower on weak housing data
Jan. retail sales better than expected
Landis won't ride in France this year
18 inventors picked to join Hall of Fame
Italians to play soccer with no fans
N.D. stops saltwater on roads, for now
Fire dies down at Kansas City plant
Lawyer: Court shooting plea deal nixed

Military.com
Military.com Career Fairs Coming Soon
Play Trivia and Win an iPod
Check Out our Military Hardware Guide
Op-ed: Bush Budget Wasted Billions
Team Building for the Army Family

CENTCOM: News Releases
BUILDING HOUSING SUSPECTED TERRORISTS HIT IN AIR STRIKE NEAR ARAB JABOUR
13 TERRORISTS KILLED IN AIR STRIKE NORTHEAST OF AMIRIYAH
IA Captures Corrupt Ministry of Health Official
SOUTH BAGHDAD NEIGHBORHOODS GET WATER, SEWER UPGRADE
Terrorist facilitator arrested in Paktika
IA, Cavalry team up to bring aid to residents of Shafa'at
Iraqi Army, paratroopers work in concert to detain four suspects
Airpower Summary for Feb. 7
SUSPECTED SENIOR IED CELL LEADER DETAINED, TERRORIST SAFEHOUSE DESTROYED IN WEST TAJI
IA CAPTURES FOREIGN FIGHTER FACILITATOR MNC-I PAO
INSURGENT MORTAR FIRE KILLS THREE IRAQI CHILDREN, WOUNDS 12 OTHERS
PARTNERED CLEARING OPERATIONS -- COALTION AND IRAQI FORCES TEAM UP IN ADHAMIYAH
IA CAPTURES LEADER OF BOMBING CELL
TWO SUSPECTED AL-QAEDA MEMBERS CAPTURED
IRAQI SOLDIERS, U.S. TROOPS FIND WEAPONS CACHE NEAR ABU GHURAIB
HELICOPTER DOWN IN ANBAR
AIRPOWER SUMMARY FOR FEB 6
SUICIDE ATTACKER DETONATES VBIED ON AMBULANCE IN MOSUL
COALITION FORCES USE GUIDED MUNITIONS TO STOP INSURGENT ATTACK
IRAQI ARMY AND MARINE MISSION NETS 77 DETAINEES
THREE TERRORISTS KILLED, AL QAIDA CELL LEADER CAPTURED
SEARCH AND SEIZURES AROUND TUZ
IRAQI TROOPS, MOUNTAIN SOLDIERS FIND LARGEST CACHE IN COMMANDO BRIGADE HISTORY
IRAQI POLICE RESPOND DO EARLY MORNING BLASTS, TAKE CONTROL OF SITUATION IN KIRKUK
KEY VBIED CELL LEADER KILLED; 5 SUSPECTED VBIED TERRORISTS DETAINED IN MOSUL, BAGHDAD
TRUCK BOMB BLAST ROCKS RUSAFA
IRAQI SECURITY FORCES, COALITION GIVE HUMANITARIAN AID
YUSUFIYAH CITIZENS GET POTABLE WATER
LEADERSHIP DISCUSSES SECURITY, SERVICES IN BALAD RUZ
FOUR AL-QAIDA, FOREIGN FIGHTER TERRORISTS KILLED; 29 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS DETAINED
IRAQI ARMY SEIZES LARGE CACHE IN BAGHDAD
IED CELL FOILED, 5 TERRORIST SUSPECTS DETAINED
TERRORIST ATTACK KILLS 3, INCLUDING 2 CHILDREN
ROADSIDE BOMB STRIKES MND-B PATROL
COALITION FORCES USE PRECISION GUIDED MUNITIONS TO STOP ATTACK
CF DEFEND OUTPOST NEAR RIYADH
CF CAPTURES INSURGENT IED LEADER
AIRSTRIKE TARGETS SENIOR AL QAIDA LEADERS NEAR ARAB JABOUR
CCCI CONVICTS 15 INSURGENTS
ONE FOREIGN TERRORIST FACILITATOR KILLED, 29 DETAINED IN RAIDS
MND-B ROTARY AIRCRAFT ENGAGE INSURGENTS EMPLACING ROADSIDE BOMB
GOLDEN DRAGONS DETAIN TERRORIST SUSPECTS, SEIZE WEAPONS
IRAQI POLICE ROUT INSURGENTS IN COORDINATED AIF ATTACK

USJFCOM
President meets with troops - photos
USJFCOM symposium looks to further improve intelligence support for warfighter - podcast
Learn more about JTC-I

Department of Defense
Top Police Training Officialin Iraq Sees Encouraging Signs - Story
Maj. Gen. Hunseker biography

NEWS UPDATES
Vice Chairman: Pakistan Strong, Dedicated Ally in War on Terror - Story
Stability & Security in Iraq Report (pdf)
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Combined Force Troops Get Commando Training - Story
MEDEVAC Unit Stays on Alert to Save Comrades - Story
Iraqi Army, Cavalry Bring Aid to Shafa’at Residents - Story
New Core Staff Deploys to the Horn of Africa - Story
Zabul Provincial Hospital Welcomes Jordanians - Story

IN IRAQ
Center Offers Link to U.S., Iraqi Governments
Iraqi Police Discover Large Weapons Cache
Iraqi Troops Focus on Life-Saving Skills
Coalition, Iraqi Security Station Opens in Iraq
Engineers Help Clean Up Streets of Ghazaliya
Reconstruction Teams Manage Projects in Iraq
Aircrews Take Iraqi and U.S. Forces Into Action
Doctor Adapts to Life as Soldier in Iraq
Aspen Road to Connect Southern Iraq with Kuwait
U.S. and Iraqi Officials Work To Reopen Factories
Corpsmen, Marines Save Lives in Al Anbar

IN AFGHANISTAN
Goodwill Missions Continue in Eastern Afghanistan
Senior Air Force Leaders Address Deployments

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

Weather
Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Germany
Ansbach Aschaffenburg Berlin Berlin-Tempelhof Berlin/Schonefeld Bremerhaven
Darmstadt Frankfurt Frankfurt/Main Freiburg/Breisgau Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Geilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen
Hanau Am Main Heidelberg Mainz Mannheim Nurnberg Stuttgart Trier
Wiesbaden Wurzburg

Gitmo

Guam
Agana Agana Heights Agat Andersen AFB Asan Barrigada

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Japan
Kadena Air Base Okinawa Tokyo Yokohama

Philippines
Baler Radar Site Catanduanes Radar Site Manila

South Korea
Cheju Upper/Radar Chonju Chunchon Inch'on Kunsan Masan Mokp'o
Osan Pusan Seoul Suwon Taegu Taejon Tonghae Radar Site Ulsan Yosu

* If you're deployed, and want to see your location's weather listed here, please email me!

Today in History
1267 - Synod of Breslau orders Jews of Silesia to wear special caps
1499 - France & Venice sign treaty against Milan
1554 - Battle at London Sir Thomas Wyatt defeated
1574 - Louis of Nassau ends siege of Maastricht
1621 - Alexander Ludovisi is elected Pope Gregory XV
1667 - Treaty of Andrussovo Russia/Poland signs peace treaty
1674 - English re-conquer New York from Netherlands
1742 - British ex-premier Walpole becomes earl of Orford
1744 - Battle at Toulon (French/Spanish vs English fleet of Admiral Matthews)
1775 - English Parliament declares Massachusetts colony is in rebellion
1788 - Austria declares war on Russia
1799 - USS Constellation captures French frigate Insurgente off Nevis, West Indies
1801 - France & Austrian sign Peace of Lunéville
1807 - French Sanhedrin convened by Napoleon
1822 - American Indian Society organizes
1825 - House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams 6th US President
1849 - Roman Republic declared
1861 - Jefferson Davis & Alexander Stephens elected president & Vice President of CSA; Tennessee votes against secession; Confederate Provisional Congress declares all laws under the US Constitution were consistent with constitution of Confederate states
1863 - Fire extinguisher patented by Alanson Crane
1867 - Nebraska becomes 37th US state
1870 - Grant signs the bill establishing Federal Meteorological Service
1871 - Federal fish protection office authorized by Congress
1885 - 1st Japanese arrive in Hawaii
1886 - President Cleveland declares a state of emergency in Seattle because of anti-Chinese violence
1891 - 1st shipment of asparagus arrives in San Francisco from Sacramento
1893 - Canal builder De Lesseps & others sentenced to prison for fraud
1895 - Volleyball invented by W G Morgan in Massachusetts
1904 - Japan declares war on Russia
1906 - Natal proclaims state of siege in Zulu uprising
1913 - 10 Day Tragedy of Mexico-City; 3,000 die
1916 - Britain's military service act enforced (conscription)
1920 - International treaty recognizes Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard
1922 - Snow on Mauna Loa, Hawaii; Italian government of Bonomi falls
1923 - Soviet Aeroflot airlines established
1924 - Nakhichevan ASSR constituted within Azerbaijan SSR
1925 - German Minister Stresemann proposes security treaty with France
1926 - Teaching theory of evolution forbidden in Atlanta, GA schools
1929 - USSR, Estonia, Latvia, Poland & Romania sign Litvinov Pact
1932 - America enter Olympics 2-man bobsled competition for 1st time; US airship Columbia crashes during storm (Flushing NY)
1934 - Balkan Entente alliance forms (Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey & Romania)
1939 - Belgian Spaak government falls
1941 - British troops conquer El Agheila; Nazi collaborators destroy pro-Jewish café Alcazar Amsterdam (Alcazar refused to hang "No Entry for Jews" signs in front of cafe)
1942 - Daylight Savings War Time goes into effect in US; Japanese troops land near Makassar, South Celebes
1943 - Japanese evacuate Guadalcanal, epic battle ends; FDR orders minimal 48 hour work week in war industry; German riots at "plutocratenzoontjes", 1,200 in Vught Camp; Nazis arrest Dutch sons of rich parents
1944 - U-734/U-238 sunk off Ireland
1945 - Germany destroys Ruhrdammen; WAAF-corporal flies along the tail of a Spitfire
1946 - Dutch Labor Party (Dutch Social Democratic Party) forms
1950 - Senator Joseph McCarthy charges State Dept infested with 205 communists
1953 - General Walter Bedell Smith ends term as 4th director of CIA; Allen W. Dulles, becomes acting director of CIA
1954 - Mario Scelba forms new government in Italy
1955 - US federations of trade unions merge into AFL/CIO
1961 - Joseph Ileo appointed premier of Congo
1962 - Jamaica signs agreement to become independent
1963 - 1st flight of Boeing 727 jet
1964 - GI Joe character created
1969 - Boeing 747, makes 1st commercial flight
1971 - Apollo 14 returns to Earth; Satchel Paige becomes 1st negro-league player elected to baseball HOF
1972 - British government declares state of emergency after month-long miners' strike
1975 - Soyuz 17 returns to Earth
1979 - Nigeria amends constitution
1983 - Belgium buys 44 F-16s
1986 - Haydar Bakr al-Attas appointed President of South Yemen
1987 - Former national security adviser Robert McFarlane attempts suicide
1990 - Galileo flies by Venus; Namibia's constitution ratified
1991 - US Supreme Court agrees to hear Joseph Doherty case; Voters in Lithuania vote for independence
1994 - Israeli minister Shimon Perez signs accord with PLO's Arafat
1997 - Fox cartoon series "Simpsons" airs 167th episode, making it the longest-running animated series in cartoon history
1998 - Failed assassination attempt on Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze
2002 - XIX Winter Olympics opens in Salt Lake City UT/Québec City

Birthdays
1404 - Constantine XI Dragases, last Byzantine Emperor
1826 - John Alexander Logan, Union Major General
1830 - Abdül Aziz Istanbul Ottoman, 32nd sultan of Turkey (1861-76)
1854 - Edward Carson, 1st Baron Carson, lawyer/leader (Irish Unionist Party)
1857 - Johannes T. de Visser, theologist/Dutch 1st minister of Education
1884 - Frederik Gerretson [Geerten Gossaert], Dutch poet/politician)
1891 - Pietro Nenni, socialist/minister of foreign affairs (1946-47)
1909 - Dean Rusk, US Secretary of State (1961-69)
1912 - Hubert William Dean, air armaments specialist
1914 - Max Manus, resistance fighter
1921 - B.M. Ducat-Amos, Air Commandant/director (RAF Nursing Service)
1926 - Garret FitzGerald, Prime Minister of Ireland
1928 - Roger Mudd, news anchor (CBS Weekend News, NBC Evening News)
1929 - Bill Barrett (Representative-NE)
1941 - Sheila James Kuehl politician/actress (Zelda-Dobie Gillis)
1951 - Jay Inslee (Representative-WA)
1953 - Gary Franks (Representative-CT)
1954 - Ulrich Walter, German cosmonaut
1960 - Peggy A. Whitson, Ph.D./astronaut

Passings
1555 - John Hooper, deprived Bishop of Gloucester, burnt for heresy
1567 - Henry Stuart, earl of Darnley/Consort of Mary Queen of Scots, murdered
1588 - Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish Admiral
1617 - Hans Christoph Haiden, composer, dies at 44
1640 - Murad IV, sultan of Turkey (1623-40), dies in Baghdad at 27
1670 - Frederik III, King of Denmark/Norway (1648-70), dies at 60
1751 - Henri F D'Aguesseau, Chancellor of France (1717-50), dies at 82
1811 - Nevill Maskelyne, 5th Astronomer Royal of England (1765-1811), dies
1860 - Edmond Willem van Dam van Isselt, Dutch military/liberal politician, dies at 63
1932 - Junnosuke Inouye, Japanese minister of Finance, murdered
1943 - ... Reydons, wife of General Reydons, shot to death by resistance
1945 - George J.L. Maduro, resistance fighter (Madurodam), dies in Dachau; Jan Bakker, resistance fighter, executed at 26
1957 - Miklós Horthy von Nagybanya Hung, Admiral/regent (1920-44), dies at 88
1977 - Sergei Ilyushin, Russian airplane builder (Ilyushin), dies at 82
1984 - Yuri Andropov, General Secretary of Soviet Communist Party (1982-84), dies at 69
1995 - J. William Fulbright (Senator-AR)/anti-Vietnam War, dies at 89
1996 - Adolf Galland, General (Luftwaffe), dies at 83
2002 - Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II of England, dies from a stroke at 71

Reported Missing in Action
1965
McLean, James H., US Army (CA); capture confirmed

1969
Meyers, Roger A., USN (IL); A4E crashed into water shortly after takeoff, Killed, body not recovered

1973
Boyles, Howard, Civilian - Air America; C123 shot down - remains recovered
April, 1973 - ID refuted

Cavil, Jack W, Civilian - Air America; C123 shot down - remains recovered April, 1973

Labels: Headlines, History