13 Apr 06. Chad breaks diplomatic ties with Sudan. Idriss Déby, president of Chad, on Friday said he was cutting off diplomatic ties with neighbouring Sudan, a day after his forces repulsed a dawn rebel attack on the capital. Officials said more than 100 people were killed after insurgents fought government troops in N’Djamena. Mr Déby, speaking at a public rally, has repeatedly accused Khartoum of backing the rebels, which he has described as mercenaries. Sudan has denied the allegations. On Friday, the government paraded scores of prisoners it said were involved in Thursday’s attack, which lasted several hours before Mr Déby claimed the situation was under control. He also said elections would go ahead as scheduled on May 3. (Source: FT)
19 Apr 06. The MoD has removed Agency status from the three Armed Forces training agencies to streamline the training regime, the Under Secretary of State for Defence, Don Touhig MP announced today. These changes aim to promote a more coherent approach to training, increase efficiency and release resources for front-line training. The three Agencies – the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency (NRTA), the Army Recruiting and Training Agency (ATRA) and the RAF Training Group Defence Agency (TGDA) – have now become an integral part of their respective Service. This is an important first step in delivering training elements on a tri-Service basis as part of the Defence Training Review (DTR).
17 Apr 06. Boeing Co. said Monday it would lay off 900 workers at its Wichita, Kan., operations because of defense-budget cuts, program delays and completed contracts. The cutbacks are in addition to the layoffs of 135 workers at the facility announced in October.
14 Apr 06. Raytheon Co. has broken ground on its new three-story, 140,000 square-foot facility in Huntsville that will provide added space for the company’s engineering, management, business development and customer support functions. Located on 20 acres in Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park, the new facility will help Raytheon keep up with projected business growth. The company expects to occupy the facility by early next year. About 500 people will occupy the new facility. Huntsville’s Fuqua & Partners Architects PC designed the building, which will be constructed by Turner Universal Construction Co., also in Huntsville.
11 Apr 06. Wielkopolska’s provincial authorities together with the government will fight for the town of Powidz as the location for NATO’s main base for the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system. Officials from Wielkopolska’s provincial government met yesterday with the Defence Ministry to work out a detailed offer for NATO. Poland will compete with nine other countries, including Slovenia and Italy. The officials from Wielkopolska claim the neighbouring towns around the military airport in Powidz will be able to ensure proper living conditions for NATO personnel and their families, expected to reach 3,000. “We are prepared to offer housing, education, health care and other necessary services,” said Marek Wozniak, the marshal of the Wielkopolska province. The ASG project is one of the biggest in NATO’s history. In May or June, a NATO team will inspect Powidz to review the location’s potential. A final decision is expected in November. (Source: FT.com)
18 Apr 06. General Dynamics To Cut 150 Texas Jobs. General Dynamics, the fourth-largest U.S. defense contractor, will eliminate as many as 150 jobs at a plant in Garland, Tex., that makes bodies for bombs dropped by U.S. military aircraft. (Source: Washington Post)
17 Apr 06. Bolten hints at White House shake-up. On his first Monday in the job as White House chief of staff, Josh Bolten warned senior officials that if they were thinking of leaving, “now is the time to come to such a decision”, preparing the way for a further shake-up. Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, said: “Josh talked about how this is a time to refresh and re-energise the team an