Aviation and ground units from the U.S. Air Force, the Republic of Singapore air force, and the Royal Thai Air Force and Army, will participate in the Cope Tiger 2010 field training exercise March 1 through 12 in Thailand. Cope Tiger is an annual, multilateral, aerial force exercise conducted in the Asia-Pacific region that includes humanitarian and civic assistance programs. The exercise takes place at Korat and Udon Thani Royal Thai Air Force Bases in Thailand. More than 1,600 people will participate in the exercise, including approximately 500 U.S.

A Turkish court has charged and ordered jailed seven senior Turkish military officers for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Islamic-rooted government.  The charges are part of unprecedented investigation into the Turkish army, which has forced four government from office since 1960. Four admirals, an army general and two colonels, some of whom are retired, were ordered jailed while they await trial. They are among nearly 50 senior officers arrested on Monday in connection with an alleged 2003 military plot called "sledgehammer".  Turkish media say the plot included plans to destabilize

Eleven heads of state and other foreign dignitaries are expected to attend Thursday's inauguration of Viktor Yanukovych as the fourth president of independent Ukraine.  But his defeated opponent, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, refuses to recognize Mr.

The most powerful Darfur rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, is scheduled to sign a truce with Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir Tuesday in Doha, Qatar. The deal, negotiated in the Chadian capital N'Djamena, was spurred along by the recent pledge from Sudan and Chad to quit fueling the proxy war on their border. The cease-fire is supposed to lay the groundwork for a formal peace deal to be completed by March 15, though a Justice and Equality Movement spokesman told Reuters that such a deadline was unrealistic.

An Afghan-international security force searched a vehicle yesterday just outside Marjah in Helmand's Nad Ali District after intelligence information indicated militant activity. A search of the vehicle indicated a Taliban commander was possibly in a nearby village, which the joint force searched with the assistance of local elders. During the operation the security force detained several men for further questioning. In other operations, an ANSF-ISAF patrol discovered a weapons cache consisting of 22 mortar rounds of various sizes in Manduzai District, Khost province yesterday.

The last 24 hours have seen fewer engagements with insurgents. Despite this relative calm, IEDs and insurgent gunmen continue to pose a threat to civilians and security forces. Afghan national security forces are taking the lead in responding to local incidents, including a suicide IED attack in Lashkar Gah that killed eight Afghans and wounded 16. Afghan national police immediately responded to the attack site outside the Transport Department and bus station.

With the surge to Afghanistan now underway, thousands of XM-153 Common Remotely Operated Weapons Stations, known as CROWS, will soon be taking flight to strengthen U.S. Army forces in theater. Program Executive Office Soldier is ramping up its stateside logistics efforts and is in the process of establishing three new CROWS support sites in Afghanistan.