LOCATIONS
11 Apr 07. The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James T. Conway, will announce the deployment of the first operational MV-22 Osprey squadron in a press briefing on Friday at 11 a.m. EDT in the Pentagon briefing studio, Pentagon 2E579. Lt. Gen. John G. Castellaw, deputy commandant for aviation, will also speak.
Apr 07. Eurocopter inaugurates its new plant in Spain. The President of the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha, José María Barreda, inaugurated the new Eurocopter España plant in Albacete in the presence of the Eurocopter CEO, Lutz Bertling; the Spanish Secretary of State for Defense; and the Mayor of Albacete. The authorities from the Ministry of interior, Industry, and Defense also attended this significant event, alongside representatives from the region’s main political and administrative institutions. The full program for the morning ceremony included a demonstration by the Aspa, aerobatic team of the Spanish Air Force, with Eurocopter Colibri helicopters. (Source: Shephard)
JOB LOSSES AND STRIKES
10 Apr 07. Due to the placement of their remaining 36.6% of Saft Groupe shares, three members of Saft’s Supervisory Board, representing Doughty Hanson have resigned their positions with immediate effect, Mr Nigel Doughty, Mr Richard Hanson and Mr Steven Bone. The Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Mr Yann Duchesne, the Managing Director of Doughty Hanson France, will remain in his position, at the request of the Management Board and the independent supervisory board members.
10 Apr 07. Austria’s Air Force Chief Suspended Over Eurofighter Contract. Austria’s air force chief has been suspended over irregularities in a 2003 contract to buy 18 Eurofighters planes, Austria’s Defense Minister Norbert
Darabos announced April 10. Gen. Erich Wolf had not managed to clear up the suspicions that a lobbyist for the plane’s constructor EADS had paid €87,000 ($117,000) to a company owned by Wolf’s wife when the contract was being negotiated. Darabos made the announcement after a private meeting April 10 with Wolf, 58, before the defense ministry’s disciplinary committee. A parliamentary commission launched by the Social Democrats, the environmental Green party and part of the far-right, has been examining the deal since last October. (Source: Defense News)
PERSONNEL
MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT
09 Apr 07. DoD Announces Force Adjustments. The Department of Defense announced today the alert of additional replacement units for deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. These units, consisting of four National Guard brigade combat teams, will deploy consistent with the Secretary of Defense’s new policy of mobilizing reserve component units for a maximum of one year at any one time. These Reserve units are not scheduled to begin deployment until December 2007.They are receiving alert orders now in order to provide them the maximum time to complete their preparations. It also provides a greater measure of predictability for family members and flexibility for employers to plan for military service of their employees. The final determination of whether these units will deploy will be made based on conditions on the ground in Iraq. This alert is not associated with the current troop surge. These units would deploy as replacement forces for formations currently operating in Iraq. There are approximately 13,000 personnel in these four brigades. Specific units receiving alert orders include: 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Little Rock, Ark.; 45th Infantry Brigade, Oklahoma City, Okla.; 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Indianapolis, Ind.; 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Columbus, Ohio.
10 Apr 07. Australia to double Afghan force. Troops in Afghanistan are facing increasing threats of attack. Australia plans to almost double its troop numbers in Afghanistan by next year amid warnings that the Taleban insurgency shows no sign of weakening. Prime Minister John Howard said without an extra