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Congress wants the U.S. Navy to submit a report by March 31 to show how the service plans to incorporate its ship-based ballistic missile defense requirements with its force structure needs, according to the recently passed defense authorization legislation. The report should include : • An analysis of whether the requirement for sea-based missile defense can be accommodated by upgrading Aegis ships that exist as of the date of the report or by procuring additional combatant surface vessels. • A discussion of whether such sea-based missile defense will require increasing the overall number of combatant surface vessels beyond the requirement...

The U.S. Army has activated its second Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery during a ceremony at Fort Bliss, Texas. THAAD is a defensive weapon system developed by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, a joint service organization within the Department of Defense. The ceremony marked the activation of A Battery/2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command. The battery's equipment will consist of THAAD interceptors, launchers, a fire control and communications unit and radar. The commander of the new unit is Capt. Brendan McShea. Col. Joseph DeAntona of 11th Air Defense...

Readers Share Their Lists Of Most Influential February 22, 2007 Vox Populi, Politics By Chuck Baldwin In a recent column http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2007/cbarchive_20070213.html I listed 50 people that I wished could be regarded as “most influential” in our country. In that column, I invited readers to share the names of people that they feel are deserving of that recognition. Boy, did they! Scores of readers responded. Not surprising, I suppose, is that most of the responders repeated several names. Many of the names I know; some I do not. Nevertheless, here are the names of people that readers said they would like...

The very first bill passed by the House of Representatives this year was H.R. 1 named, “Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act.” The vote was 299 Ayes, with 68 Republicans voting with the majority, and 128 Noes. Drafted by the 9/11 Commission following the terrorist attacks on Washington, D.C., and New York City, the report proffered 41 recommendations to the federal government ostensibly for the purpose of making the United States more secure against future terrorist attack. The implementation of this report was new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s first priority for the 110th Congress. She succeeded. The House of Representatives...

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) Vice Minister of National Defense Huo Shou-yeh accentuated Monday the need for Taiwan to procure the U.S.-made Patriot PAC III anti-missile system, saying if the procurement plan is dropped, Taiwan will be unable to defend itself from China's missile attacks. Huo made the remarks while fielding questions from opposition lawmakers at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Defense Committee. In an attempt to persuade opposition lawmakers to support the Ministry of National Defense's (MND's) long-stalled arms procurement package, Huo said if the plan to purchase six Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries is killed, Taiwan will not...

  New MND-CS Commanding General Holds First Press Conference CAMP BABYLON, Iraq - On Jan. 25 the first press conference of the new Commanding General of the Multinational Division-Central South (MND-CS), Major General Mieczyslaw Bienek, took place at the Headquarters of MND-CS in Camp Babylon, Iraq. MG Bienek was accompanied by the following: Political Advisor Ambassador Ryszard Krystosik, Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Col. Javier Cabeza, Deputy Commander of 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT), Col. Asarta, Chief of Staff of 1st BCT, Col. Knap and Military Assistant, Col. Krecikij. The Commanding General's goal for this conference was to introduce...

Thailand Vows to Keep Its Forces in Iraq

She's the firebrand left-wing MP who stunned the Commons into silence when she backed Tony Blair over Iraq. Many said she saved the Prime Minister's skin. After a momentous year, Ann Clwyd talks to Kamal Ahmed Ann Clwyd was in the shower when the news started coming in from Iraq. Saddam Hussein had been captured, dead, alive, no one was quite sure. It was early on Sunday morning, 15 December. She got an excited telephone call from a friend in Iraqi Kurdistan saying, 'Have you heard, have you heard? Saddam has been found'. For Tony Blair's human rights envoy to...

CJTF-7 Public AffairsBAGHDAD, IraqRelease #031228bMND-CS statement regarding terrorist attacks at Karbala  KARBALA, Iraq – “Today in Karbala, evil individuals conducted an unprovoked attack against Coalition Forces and innocent Iraqis.  “These individuals have no honor and no respect for the Iraqi people.  They commit these attacks in an effort to further their own self-interest and to prevent the Iraqi people from taking their rightful place in the world of free nations.  “These attackers killed and injured innocent people and threaten the recovery of Iraq’s economy and job market.  “These evil people will not stop the partnership between the Iraqi people and...