Monday, August 16, 2010

DTN News: Oshkosh Awarded Contract $201 Million For FMTV

Defense News: DTN News: Oshkosh Awarded Contract $201 Million For FMTV
Source: U.S. DoD issued August 16, 2010
(NSI News Source Info) OSHKOSH, Wis. - August 16, 2010: Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., was awarded on Aug. 12 a $201,545,286 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract is for the production of 1,288 Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles.
Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, Wis., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2012. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received.
TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0159).
Oshkosh Defense - FMTV; The FMTV is no exception. Oshkosh will use its expertise, proven production capabilities and superior vehicle technologies to meet the demands of the FMTV’s 17 models and 23 variants in the field.
On February 27, 2009, the United States Army Tank Automotive and Armaments Command issued a solicitation for the upcoming round of FMTV procurement. BAE, Oshkosh Defense (a division of Oshkosh Corporation), and Navistar submitted proposals by the May 27 closing date.
Oshkosh Defense won the award on August 26, 2009. Navistar and BAE were debriefed on September 2 and 3, respectively, after which time both companies protested the award.
On December 14, the U.S. Government Accountability Office upheld the protests, but on February 12th the United States Army again awarded the contract to Oshkosh Defense.
On 11 May 2010, Oshkosh reported a trucks and trailers delivery order from the Army valued at more than $410 million for the production and delivery between March and December 2011 of 2,634 Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV).
To date, Oshkosh Defense has received orders valued at more than $690 million under the five-year FMTV requirements contract.
Oshkosh is committed to continuous innovative engineering, with a Long Term Armor Strategy-compliant cab and other advanced technologies availble to help the FMTV keep pace with the modern battlefield.
For the ultimate in effectiveness, reliability and mission confidence, go with the leading provider of both medium and heavy military-grade vehicles. Look to Oshkosh Defense, and get going.
The mission success of today’s Warfighters calls for maximum performance from the equipment they rely on. Oshkosh Defense designs, manufactures and delivers tactical wheeled vehicles with these rigorous expectations in mind - supplying each vehicle on time, on budget, to spec – for the most effective response. Every time.

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated August 16, 2010

Defense News: DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated August 16, 2010
Source: U.S. DoD issued August 16, 2010
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 16, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued August 16, 2010 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

ARMY

Northrop Grumman Corp., Rolling Meadows, Ill., was awarded on Aug. 12 a $457,125,797 five-year, firm-fixed-price contract. This requirement is for the procurement of the APR-39A/B/C Radar Signal Detection Set (RSDS) including upgrade kits; and repair, integration, interim software support and field support. The RSDS identifies different types of threats on a display, prioritize those threats on a display, identifies the threat posing the most immediate danger to an aircraft and provide audible information to the pilot. Work is to be performed in Rolling Meadows, Ill., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2014. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Contracting Command, CECOM, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-10-D-R802).

Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., was awarded on Aug. 12 a $201,545,286 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract is for the production of 1,288 Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles. Work is to be performed in Oshkosh, Wis., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2012. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received. TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0159).

Centerre Government Contracting Group, Glendale, Colo., was awarded on Aug. 12 a $7,380,000 firm-fixed-price contract. This project is required to provide adequate permanent facilities to support the healing process of Warriors in Transition soldiers. The scope of this project is for the construction of Warrior in Transition standard design dining facility. Sustainable design and development and Energy Policy Act of 2005 features will be included. Supporting facilities include special foundations, facility specific parcel site work, all necessary utilities, lighting, information systems, parking, sidewalks, roads, curbs, and gutters, storm drainage and storm water retention measures, site accessories, and other site improvements. Force protection measures include all current criteria minimums, building access control, surveillance and mass notification systems, site restricting features and landscaping and area lighting. Access for individuals with disabilities will be provided. Comprehensive building and furnishings related interior design services are required. The heating and cooling system should be provided by self-contained systems. Work is to be performed in Fort Bragg, N.C., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 5, 2011. Three bids were solicited with three bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W91236-10-D-0012).

NAVY

DCK North America, LLC, Clairton, Pa. (N40085-10-D-5329); The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Baltimore, Md. (N40085-10-D-5330); Walbridge Aldinger Co., Detroit, Mich. (N40085-10-D-5331); Sundt Construction, Inc., Tempe, Ariz. (N40085-10-D-5332); and Hardin Construction Co., LLC/Whitsell-Green, Inc., JV, Atlanta, Ga. (N40085-10-D-5333) are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award design-build/design-bid-build construction contract for a wide range of general construction service type projects at Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, N.C. The work may also include demolition, repair, total/partial interior/exterior alteration/renovation of buildings, systems and infrastructure. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and four option years, for all five contracts combined is $750,000,000. DCK is being awarded Task Order 0001 at $22,176,000 for the design and construction of a School of Infantry East Facilities, Camp Geiger, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by December 2012. All work on this contract will be performed in Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point, N.C. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of August 2015. Contract funds for Task Order 0001 will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 14 proposals received. These five contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity.

Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a $23,178,898 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-07-C-0060) for the procurement of 12 AE1107C CV-22 spare engines. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Ind., and is expected to be completed in December 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Marine Hydraulics International, Inc., Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a $13,540,957 firm-fixed-price contract for a 135-calendar day mid-term shipyard availability for Military Sealift Command’s fast combat support ship USNS Supply. The ship’s primary mission is to provide fuel, cargo and ammunition to Navy ships at sea and fuel to aircraft assigned to aircraft carriers. This shipyard availability is primarily for ship maintenance and voyage repairs, including major work on the replacement of high-speed gear and other key equipment. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $16,250,115. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed by January 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via an unrestricted solicitation posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Fleet Support Command, a field activity of Military Sealift Command, is the contracting activity (N40442-10-C-2003).

BAE Systems Technologies, Inc., Rockville, Md., is being awarded an $11,656,003 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-07-C-0019) to exercise an option for engineering and technical products and services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems. The estimated level of effort for this option is 136,000 man-hours. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, St. Inigoes, Md. (80 percent), San Diego, Calif. (10 percent), and various shipboard locations (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, St. Inigoes, Md., is the contracting activity.

L-3 Communications Corp., Cape Canaveral, Fla., is being awarded a $7,448,721 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to repair items used in support of the H-1 helicopter. Work will be performed in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and work is expected to be completed by August 2015. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively awarded. The Naval Inventory Control Point, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (N00383-10-D-005N).

AIR FORCE

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded a $90,544,706 contract modification which will provide continued sustainment of the contractor logistics support and legacy effort. At this time, no money has been obligated. ISSW/PKS, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-95-C, Modification P00645).

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded a $15,996,804 contract which will enable continued study on the Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite enhancement options. At this time, $15,996,804 has been obligated. SMC/MCSW, El Segundo, Calif. is the contracting activity (F04701-02-C-0002, P00443).

General Dynamics C4 Systems, Inc., Needham Heights, Mass., was awarded an $11,117,885 contract for 47 Low Rate Initial Production. At this time, $1,384,850 has been obligated. ESC/HNCK, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8307-10-C-0016).

Ametek Aerospace, Sellersville, Pa., was awarded a $7,334,709 contract which will provide fuel quantity indication systems. At this time $2,284,852 has been obligated. OC-ALC/GKAKB, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8102-10-D-0002-0001).

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $6,810,188 contract modification which will provide for interim contractor support for the common organizational level tester unit and common accessory kit. At this time, $4,127,559 has been obligated. ASC/WNQK, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8626-04-C-2060 P00064).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Aviall Services, Inc., Dallas, Texas, is being awarded a maximum $23,760,150 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract for fuel control. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Department of Defense. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is July 31, 2016. The Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (SPRRA1-10-D-0048).

L3 Communications Corp., Sarasota, Fla. is being awarded a maximum $17,530,000 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract for flight data recorders and interconnection boxes. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. The original proposal was Web-solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is Aug. 15, 2015. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Land (formerly DLA, Warren, Mich.), Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (SPRBL1-10-D-0012).

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY August 16, 2010 - International Response To Devastating Pakistan Floods Is 'Absolutely Pitiful', Says Nick Clegg

Defense News: DTN News: Pakistan TODAY August 16, 2010 - International Response To Devastating Pakistan Floods Is 'Absolutely Pitiful', Says Nick Clegg
*Clegg hits out at level of donations to help flood victims
*Survivors block highway in protest at 'being treated like dogs'
*Danger of more flooding as fresh rain falls
*Ban Ki-Moon - Floods are worst disaster I've ever seen
*Cholera epidemic fears after first case is confirmed
*Massive 20m people have been affected by crisis
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including Daily Mail, UK
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 16, 2010: Nick Clegg branded the international response to the floods in Pakistan 'absolutely pitiful' today as anger was growing in the country at the government's handling of the crisis.
The Deputy Prime Minister also suggested donations from the public may be muted because they were 'struggling to understand' the scale of the crisis.
The intervention came amid criticism that the world community has been too slow to provide aid for the estimated 20 million left homeless.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at the Sultan Colony in Punjab

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at the Sultan Colony in Punjab yesterday

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at the Sultan Colony in Punjab yesterday
Britons have so far given £15million to help victims of the worst floods in Pakistan's history, providing some 600,000 survivors with emergency care, clean water, food or shelter.
The UK Government has also earmarked £31.3million in aid, nearly £17million of which has now been allocated.
But the response has been lower than in the wake of the Haiti earthquake earlier this year, and the Disasters Emergency Committee says more is needed as the situation on the ground is deteriorating.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has called it the worst disaster he has ever seen and urged the international community to step up its efforts.
Speaking at a Town Hall-style question and answer session in London, Mr Clegg said: 'About close to one quarter of the aid already devoted to Pakistan has come from this country.
'Like dogs': Angry flood survivors gather to block a highway demanding food, shelter and water in Sukkar, Pakistan. They claim aid is given out only when the media is present

'Like dogs': Angry flood survivors gather to block a highway demanding food, shelter and water in Sukkar, Pakistan. They claim aid is given out only when the media is present

'Like dogs': Angry flood survivors gather to block a highway demanding food, shelter and water in Sukkar, Pakistan. They claim aid is given out only when the media is present
'The response from the international community as a whole, I have to say, has been lamentable. It's been absolutely pitiful.'
Speculating on why donations had been relatively low, he added: 'One of the reasons may be because this is a disaster on a scale that people are struggling to understand. The flooded area is the same size as England.'
His intervention came as fresh rain today piled more misery on the millions already living in makeshift camps and adding to the urgency of the massive international aid effort.
There is a danger of more flooding after what have already been the worst deluges in recorded history in the country, affecting some 20million people and 60,000 square miles of land.
But there has been growing fury from survivors who earlier blocked a major highway with stones and rubbish near the hard-hit Sukkur area, complaining they were being treated like animals.
Protester Kalu Mangiani said government officials only came to hand out food when media were present.
'They are throwing packets of food to us like we are dogs. They are making people fight for these packets,' he said.
It is feared the catastrophe could destabilise the country, which is pivotal to British and American counter-terrorism and hopes of defeating Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
The UN has appealed for an initial $460million (£295million) to provide relief - around 60 per cent of which has already been given.
Once the floods recede, billions more will be needed for reconstruction and getting people back to work in the already-poor nation of 170million people.
The International Monetary Fund has warned the floods could dent economic growth and fuel inflation.
A Pakistani Army crewman drops relief supplies in the Rajanpur district

A Pakistani Army crewman drops relief supplies in the Rajanpur district

EnlargeVictims struggle to get donated food in flooded areas in Shah Jamal

Victims struggle to get donated food in flooded areas in Shah Jamal

A Pakistani Army crewman drops relief supplies in the Rajanpur district
Victims struggle to get donated food in flooded areas in Shah Jamal
'Waves of flood must be met with waves of support from the world,' said the UN chief. 'I'm here to urge the world to step up assistance.'
President Zardari has been criticised for his response to the disaster, especially for going ahead with a state visit to Europe just as the crisis was unfolding.
In his first comments to the media since returning home, he said: 'The government has responded very responsibly. I would appeal to the press to understand the magnitude of the disaster.'
He warned it would take up to two years for the country to recover and claimed 20million people had been affected. The UN says this is one in ten Pakistanis.
The monsoon rains that triggered the disaster are forecast to fall for several weeks yet, meaning the worst may not yet be over.
The latest flooding over the weekend hit a poor region on the border between Sindh and Baluchistan provinces.
Sher Khan Bazai, the top government official in Nasirabad district, said 25,000 families had been made homeless by waters 8 feet (2 1/2 metres) high in some places. He said that some 4,000 small villages had been either cut off or washed out.
Survivors sit on a high ground at the flooded area in Pathan Wala

Survivors sit on a high ground at the flooded area in Pathan Wala

EnlargeMarooned survivors look up as an army helicopter with supplies draws near

Marooned survivors look up as an army helicopter with supplies draws near

'Water is everywhere,' he said. 'Floods seem to be chasing us everywhere,' said 45-year-old Ali Bakhsh Bhaio, as monsoon downpours pounded his tent beside the major highway in Sukkur, a hard-hit area in Sindh province. 'Allah is punishing us for our sins.'
The Sindh irrigation minister, Jam Saifullah Dharejo, said the dam in Sukkur faced a major test of its strength as floodwaters coursed down the Indus River into Pakistan's highly populated agricultural heartland.
'The coming four to five days are still crucial,' he said.
While local charities and international agencies have helped hundreds of thousands of people with food, water, shelter and medical treatment, the scale of the disaster has meant that many millions have received little or no assistance.
The floods began more than two weeks ago in the mountainous north-west and have now hit about one-quarter of the country, especially its agricultural heartland.
While the death toll of 1,500 is relatively small, the scale of the flooding and number of people whose lives have been disrupted is staggering.
Stagnant flood plains in densely populated, poverty-striken urban areas could become breeding grounds for cholera, mosquitos and malaria, significantly raising the death toll.

Stagnant flood plains in densely populated, poverty-striken urban areas could become breeding grounds for cholera, mosquitos and malaria, significantly raising the death toll.

Stagnant flood plains in densely populated, poverty-striken urban areas could become breeding grounds for cholera, mosquitos and malaria, significantly raising the death toll.
The U.N. has voiced fears that disease in overcrowded and unsanitary relief camps may yet cause more deaths.
Cholera has already broken out, with a case of the deadly disease confirmed in the Swat Valley and more sufferers suspected.
Cholera is highly infectious and likely to spread rapidly via the flood waters.
Aid agencies are warning six million children are now at risk of life-threatening waterborne diseases, malnutrition and pneumonia.
Flood victims fleeing the Shah Jamal near Muzaffargarh in Punjab

Flood victims fleeing the Shah Jamal near Muzaffargarh in Punjab

Flood victims fleeing the Shah Jamal near Muzaffargarh in Punjab
Stagnant flood plains in densely populated, poverty-striken urban areas could become breeding grounds for cholera, mosquitos and malaria, significantly raising the death toll.
There is also unrest due to the lack of aid. Survivors were seen fighting over food being handed out from a relief vehicle close to Sukkur in the hard-hit Sindh province this weekend.
They were ripping at each other's clothes and causing such chaos that the distribution had to be abandoned.
Waters five feet deep washed through Derra Allah Yar, a city of 300,000 people on the border of Sindh and Baluchistan provinces. About 200,000 were forced to flee the city.
'We are here like beggars,' said Mukhtar Ali, a 45-year-old accountant living on the side of a highway along with thousands of other people. 'The last food we received was a small packet of rice yesterday and 15 of us shared that.'
**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact:dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated August 16, 2010

Defense News: DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated August 16, 2010
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 16, 2010: Comprehensive daily news related on Aerospace/Defense for the world of TODAY.

*Comprehensive daily news related on Aerospace/Defense for the world of TODAY.

Monday August 16, 2010

Sunday August 15, 2010

Saturday August 14, 2010

Friday August 13, 2010

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY August 16, 2010 - U.S. Hopes To Begin Afghan Security Transfer By Spring

Defense News: DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY August 16, 2010 - U.S. Hopes To Begin Afghan Security Transfer By Spring
* Pentagon chief Gates says that with NATO training troops ahead of schedule, some Afghan forces may be given security responsibilities, freeing up Western troops to focus on insurgent-held areas.
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 16, 2010: With training of Afghanistan's army and police ahead of schedule, American officials now believe the U.S.-led military coalition could begin transferring some security responsibilities to Afghan forces as early as spring.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in an interview that given faster-than-expected progress in training army units, it was likely that those forces could assume primary responsibility for security sooner in less violent areas of the country, freeing up NATO troops for operations elsewhere.
Afghan patrol

Pfc. Abraham Figueroa, 19, of Chicago, keeps watch on patrol in Kandahar province's Arghandab valley, a Taliban stronghold. (Dion Nissenbaum, McClatchy-Tribune / August 2, 2010)

"With more Afghan forces, we can be on a path to transition in more places around the country," Gates said. "The success with the [Afghan] army in particular, I think, bodes well for in fact beginning to have some transitions maybe as early as this spring, but certainly beginning in the summer."
Gates was referring to the recent announcement by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization training command in Afghanistan that it had reached its 2010 goal of 134,000 trained Afghan troops two months early.
His comments are part of an effort by senior civilian and military officials to counter growing doubts in the U.S. and Europe about the war. In separate interviews, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the senior commander in Afghanistan, also pointed to what he called "small pockets of progress" in several areas.
Gates and Petraeus played down the possibility of rapid cuts in U.S. troop levels starting in July 2011, the point at which President Obama said the 30,000-troop increase he ordered late last year would start to reverse.
"There is no question in anybody's mind that we are going to begin drawing down troops in July of 2011," Gates said in the interview Thursday. But so far, he said, "there hasn't even been a discussion of a steep decline quickly" at the top levels of the administration.
His comments were a pointed rebuttal to lower-level officials in Washington who have privately asserted that Obama will rapidly withdraw troops beginning next summer.
Gates disputed that notion, emphasizing a consensus among himself, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Obama.
"As the president has said, and Hillary has said and I've said, the pace and the number are going to depend on the conditions on the ground," Gates said.
Petraeus emphasized in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" that any drawdown would depend on gains in quelling the insurgency and establishing competent Afghan forces.
Despite the gains in numbers, the Afghan national army remains heavily dependent on the U.S. for logistics, air cover and planning of operations, which are usually conducted with U.S. advisors or jointly with NATO units. U.S. commanders say the Afghans are often staunch fighters and can be invaluable, particularly because they speak Dari and Pashto.
But the army and, to a greater extent, the police remain beset by attrition, drug use and corruption. Meanwhile, the insurgency has been making inroads in areas outside its traditional strongholds in the south and east.
The international military command said Sunday that insurgents attacked a district police station in northern Afghanistan a day earlier, an assault that ended with a NATO airstrike that killed two of the attackers.
Petraeus left open the possibility that he might recommend against anything more than a token drawdown starting next July.
"The president didn't send me over here to seek a graceful exit," the general was quoted as saying by the New York Times. Petraeus took over as the top commander in early July, after Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal was replaced for comments he and his aides made that were published in a Rolling Stone article.
Whether Obama is willing to remain heavily engaged in Afghanistan beyond next year is unclear, especially if signs of lasting progress are elusive and public support for the war continues to diminish.
"What the president very much wants from me, and what we talked about in the Oval Office, is the responsibility of a military commander on the ground to provide his best professional military advice," Petraeus told NBC. "Leave the politics to him."
The comments by Gates and Petraeus reflect the difficult position in which they find themselves. They need to show gains, especially in order to reassure nervous allies, but they are unable to endorse a rapid pullout next year because of the possibility that security will remain tenuous at best.
Although the U.S.-led training effort is ahead of schedule, it still is 750 trainers short of what it needs, Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, commander of the training mission, told reporters last week. North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries have failed to send promised personnel, forcing the United States to send additional units and to rely more heavily on contractors to ready Afghan units.
If Afghans are able to take over responsibility for more areas of the country by next spring, it will free up U.S. and other NATO troops to move to still-violent regions, rather than permitting withdrawals, Gates said.
"It's incumbent on us to show greater progress, to show sustained progress," Petraeus said. "I would argue that the progress, if you will, really just began this spring."
Petraeus said operations in central Helmand province have improved security for residents. He said advances also are underway in Kandahar and the southern part of Herat province, even as the Taliban has been "fighting back very hard."
"All of these," he said, "are small pockets of progress."
*Link to the aforementioned article from source - By David S. Cloud and Richard Serrano, Los Angeles Times
david.cloud@latimes.com
richard.serrano@latimes.com
*Times staff writer Laura King in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com