Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 27 Jun 2011 [PDF]
• NATO and Libya - Operational Media Update: 26 Jun 2011
• Pakistan Military Denies It Intentionally Targets Afghan Territory VOA 27 Jun 2011 -- Pakistani officials are denying allegations by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that the Pakistani military is routinely firing artillery into on Afghanistan.
• Karzai Calls On Pakistan To End Rocket Fire In Afghanistan RFE/RL 27 Jun 2011 -- Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has demanded that Pakistan stop bombarding the country's restive eastern border with rocket fire in a barrage of attacks that local officials say have killed at least 30 people, 12 of them children.
• Combined Force Captures Taliban Leader AFPS 27 Jun 2011 -- A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban leader during an overnight security operation in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Afghanistan's Helmand province yesterday, military officials reported.
• New living areas to bring aviation Marines closer to the flight USMC News 27 Jun 2011 -- Marines and sailors in Afghanistan are nearing completion on a major land excavation project for new living areas for 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) Marines who work on the flightline at Camp Bastion.
• Afghan soldiers teach, policemen learn at RPG range USMC News 27 Jun 2011 -- At the Joint Sustainment Academy Southwest here, Afghan National Security Forces typically get their military training from Marine instructors.
• Afghan forces expand security near Helmand capital during Operation Qala Sharqay USMC News 27 Jun 2011 -- Afghan soldiers backed by British and American troops pushed to a position northeast of the Helmand provincial capitol of Lashkar Gah to build a new patrol base and improve security in the city as part of Operation Qala Sharqay, June 19.
• Security transferred to Afghan Forces in Helmand's capital USMC News 27 Jun 2011 -- The sacrifices made by Afghan and coalition forces are beginning to make a difference in the Helmand province capital city of Lashkar Gah, where insurgents used to thrive and flourish by seizing control of poppy fields and safe houses.
• Support squadron 'lightens' load for Harrier mechanics in Afghanistan USMC News 27 Jun 2011 -- Every hour a Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier spends in the Afghan skies providing close-air support for troops on the ground requires many more hours of work for aviation mechanics and maintainers.
• Border Advisor Team 1 Marines mentor Afghan Border Police USMC News 27 Jun 2011 -- Marines with Border Advisor Team 1 met with Afghan Border Police to evaluate their status and offer guidance at Bost Airfield outside Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, June 19. The Marines met with the ABP leadership, took inventory of all their weapons, and verified their training was valid and up to date.
• Afghan airmen successfully complete computer course AFNS 27 Jun 2011 -- Fifteen Afghan air force members from the Afghan Air Force Wing Communications Squadron graduated from the A+ computer training course here June 22.
• National Guard helps make water safe in Minot Army News 27 Jun 2011 -- When floodwaters back up city water and sanitation systems and make the water unsafe to drink, residents can quickly find themselves in short supply of a much-needed resource.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DOD News Briefing with Geoff Morrell from the Pentagon DoD 27 Jun 2011 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell
• Tanker's first flight over top of the world marks new era in efficiency AFNS 27 Jun 2011 -- The U.S. Air Force has gone to the ends of the earth to support operations in Afghanistan.
• Exercise readies U.S., international forces for cooperative efforts AFNS 27 Jun 2011 -- Anatolian Eagle, a multi-national, large-force employment exercise, was held here to provide a realistic, scenario-based training environment to test combined aerial combat skills June 13 through 24.
• FRUKUS 2011 Ships Set Sail, Begin Underway Training NNS 27 Jun 2011 -- Ships from France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States departed Naval Station Norfolk to participate in the at-sea phase of FRUKUS 2011 off the coast of Virginia, June 27.
• UNITAS PAC Begins NNS 27 Jun 2011 -- Guided-missile frigates USS Boone (FFG 28) and USS Thach (FFG 43) arrived in Valparaiso, Chile to begin the Pacific Phase (PAC) of UNITAS 52, June 24.
• Swift Crews Turnover in Preparation For APS NNS 27 Jun 2011 -- The Gold Crew of High Speed Vessel SWIFT (HSV 2) exchanged command June 21 with Swift's Blue Crew at Naval Station Rota in preparation for its upcoming Africa Partnership Station (APS) 2011 deployment.
• Pacific Partnership 2011 Departs Timor-Leste NNS 27 Jun 2011 -- The Pacific Partnership 2011(PP11) team departed Dili, Timor-Leste after completing the fourth phase of the mission, June 25.
• MSRON 1 Wraps Up Shark Tank 2011 NNS 27 Jun 2011 -- Navy Reserve Sailors from Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadrons (MSRON) 1 and 11 completed the 2nd annual Shark Tank field training exercise on San Clemente Island, Calif., June 27.
• Continuing Promise 2011 Departs Nicaragua, Marks Mission Milestone NNS 27 Jun 2011 -- Military Sealift Command (MSC) hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) and the Continuing Promise 2011 (CP11) mission departed San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, June 27 after providing nine days of medical, dental, veterinary and engineering services.
• Naval Training Reaches Out To International Partners NNS 27 Jun 2011 -- Senior Royal Saudi Arabian military officers attending advanced leadership training at Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity's International Training Center (NITC) onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola visited the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) June 21.
• Defense Department, Services Monitor Arctic Melting AFPS 27 Jun 2011 -- With the number of geopolitical hotspots in the world today, the Arctic is not an area that comes quickly to mind for possible defense operations. But it is a place of great national security and strategic importance that the Defense Department and services are monitoring closely.
• 402nd AFSB preps Strykers for RESET Army News 27 Jun 2011 -- When it comes to moving equipment into and back out of theater ' the 402nd Army Field Support Brigade is the first, and last, stop along the way.
• Defence Secretary unveils blueprint for Defence Reform UK MOD 27 Jun 2011 -- A new vision for how the MOD will run and be managed has been outlined today by Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox as the report of the Defence Reform Review is published.
• Tornado ground attack jets clock up one million flying hours UK MOD 27 Jun 2011 -- The RAF's ground attack Tornados currently serving in Afghanistan and Libya have clocked up a staggering one million flying hours over the course of their service.
• Russia launches Cosmos-series military satellite RIA Novosti 27 Jun 2011 -- Russia's Space Forces launched on Monday a Soyuz-U carrier rocket with a Cosmos class military satellite on board, spokesman Lt. Col. Alexey Zolotukhin said.
• China reveals its defense expenditure for 2010 CNA 27 Jun 2011 -- China announced Monday that it spent 517.635 billion Chinese yuan (US$79.92 billion) on national defense last year.
• US Official: China's Military Expansion Raises Concerns in Asia-Pacific VOA 27 Jun 2011 -- A top U.S. official for East Asian and Pacific affairs says the U.S. government has conveyed to China that its military expansion is raising concerns in the region.
• China Welcomes 'New Channel' for Dialogue With US VOA 27 Jun 2011 -- China is welcoming the opening of a 'new channel' of communications with the United States after talks in Hawaii where South China Sea tensions were discussed.
• 1st phase of Great Prophet 6 Wargame staged successfully IRNA 27 Jun 2011 -- The first phase of the Great Prophet 6 Wargame, featuring unveiling of underground missile launch pad, was successfully carried out.
• B'desh military court jails 657 rebel border guards IRNA 27 Jun 2011 -- In an unprecedented verdict, a Bangladesh military court on Monday sentenced 657 border guards upto seven years of imprisonment for their involvement in 2009 bloody mutiny at its headquarters at Dhaka, capital city of Bangladesh.
• British military trainers expelled from Pakistan, UK confirms IRNA 27 Jun 2011 -- British military trainers working with security forces in Pakistan have been withdrawn at the request of the Pakistan government, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in London has confirmed.
• June 27, 2011 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 27 Jun 2011
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 6/27/2011 The White House 27 Jun 2011

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 27, 2011
• Boeing Receives UCLASS Study Contract from US Navy Boeing 27 Jun 2011 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has received a $480,000 study contract from the U.S. Navy to support pre-Milestone A activities including development of a concept of operations, an analysis of alternatives, and an investigation of potential material solutions for the Navy's Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program.
• Final Oman Ship Named in Ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base BAE Systems 27 Jun 2011 -- The last of three corvettes under construction by BAE Systems for the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) was formally named in a launching ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base today.
• BAE Systems Awarded £46m Contract To Support Royal Navy's Type 45 Sampson Radars BAE Systems 27 Jun 2011 -- BAE Systems has been awarded a six year, £46m contract to support the Sampson multi-function radars (MFR) on board the fleet of six Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyers. This support contract, awarded by MBDA, is designed as a forerunner to a full 'contract for availability' arrangement and will generate data on the radar's performance which will enable a long-term support solution to be delivered to the Royal Navy.
• General Dynamics Awarded $286 Million by U.S. Army to Produce Hydra-70 Rockets General Dynamics 27 Jun 2011 -- General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products was awarded a $286 million contract by the U.S. Army for the production of the Hydra-70 air-to-ground rocket. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
• Hamilton Sundstrand systems performed well during the flight tests of the A400M Hamilton Sundstrand 27 Jun 2011 -- Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation's A400M systems have performed well throughout the aircraft's flight test program and are supporting Airbus in its path to aircraft certification.
• Northrop Grumman Successfully Demonstrates STARLite Radar on a U.S. Army Persistent Threat Detection System Northrop Grumman 27 Jun 2011 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today announced the successful demonstration of its STARLite radar on a U.S. Army Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS), an aerostat surveillance platform uniquely positioned to aid in the defense of ground troops.
• Raytheon Breaks Ground for Standard Missile Production Factory in Huntsville, Ala. Raytheon 27 Jun 2011 -- Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Missile Systems business broke ground for an all-up-round Standard Missile production facility in Huntsville, Ala. Raytheon will construct the state-of-the-art factory on the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal site.
• Rheinmetall Defence and Sikorsky Aerospace Services Announce Teaming Agreement for Aftermarket Support in Germany Rheinmetall Defence 27 Jun 2011 -- Rheinmetall Defence and Sikorsky Aerospace Services announced the signing of a teaming agreement to provide long term training and logistics support to the German armed forces in anticipation of the introduction the Cyclone multi-mission helicopter into Germany. Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS) is the aftermarket division of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

Other Conflicts

• 27 June 2011 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 27 Jun 2011
• ICC issues arrest warrants for Libyan officials for alleged crimes against humanity UN News Centre 27 Jun 2011 -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) today issued arrest warrants for Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi, one of his sons and the country's intelligence chief for crimes against humanity allegedly committed since the pro-democracy movement began in February.
• ICC Issues Arrest Warrant For Qaddafi On War Crimes Charges RFE/RL 27 Jun 2011 -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) today issued an arrest warrant for embattled Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.
• Eastern Libyans Welcome ICC Charges Against Gadhafi VOA 27 Jun 2011 -- Rebels in eastern Libya are welcoming the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for leader Moammar Gadhafi, his son and his intelligence chief. Most people in the rebels' de facto capital were already convinced of his guilt.
• ICC issues Gaddafi arrest warrant RIA Novosti 27 Jun 2011 -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday issued an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, accusing him of torturing and killing opponents of his regime.
• ICC Issues Arrest Warrant for Gadhafi VOA 27 Jun 2011 -- Moammar Gadhafi is now an internationally wanted war crimes suspect. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Gadhafi, his son, Seif al-Islam and the head of Libyan intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi. Judge Sanji Monageng said there are grounds to believe the three are responsible for a state policy to quell opposition by any means and then cover up their alleged crimes.
• Mauritania, Mali Military Attack Al-Qaida Base in Sahel VOA 27 Jun 2011 -- Mauritania and Mali say they have destroyed an al-Qaida-affiliated base camp and are pursuing terrorists who fled along their common border. Security forces in Africa's Sahel region are on high alert following last month's killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
• Long-Awaited UN Tribunal Opens in Cambodia VOA 27 Jun 2011 -- A United Nations-backed court in Cambodia has started a landmark trial of four senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge, the communist extremists whose bloody 1970s revolution killed nearly a quarter of the population.
• ETHIOPIA-SUDAN: Over 4,000 Ethiopian troops for Abyei peace mission IRIN 27 Jun 2011 -- The 4,200-strong Ethiopian brigade due to be deployed on a proposed peace-keeping mission in Sudan's troubled Abyei region will focus on civilian protection, according to the Ethiopian government.
• Security Council sets up UN security force for disputed Sudanese town of Abyei UN News Centre 27 Jun 2011 -- The Security Council today established, for an initial six months, a United Nations peacekeeping force for the area around the Sudanese town of Abyei, which is contested by both north and south and has been the scene of renewed fighting in recent weeks.
• Returning Ivorians lack food, shelter and medical care, UN aid agencies say UN News Centre 27 Jun 2011 -- Many Ivorians returning to their home towns and villages in the wake of their country's post-electoral crisis are in dire need of food, shelter and medical assistance, the United Nations humanitarian arm reported today.
• Cambodia: UN-backed tribunal begins trial against four top Khmer Rouge figures UN News Centre 27 Jun 2011 -- The joint trial of the four most senior surviving leaders of the notorious Khmer Rouge regime got under way today in Cambodia at the United Nations-backed tribunal set up to deal with the worst offences committed under the group's reign.
• Tension Builds as Israel Warns Planned Gaza Aid Flotilla VOA 27 Jun 2011 -- After a deadly confrontation a year ago, a new aid flotilla is planning a voyage to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, which is under Israeli economic blockade. The trip could come this week and tensions are building.
• Darfur: UN-backed conference on water resource management opens UN News Centre 27 Jun 2011 -- A United Nations-sponsored conference on the management of water resources in Sudan's troubled and arid region of Darfur opened today with delegates expected to tackle the problem of water shortages in relation to conflicts exacerbated by competition over natural resources.
• Russia's Medvedev 'Frustrated' With Karabakh Impasse RFE/RL 27 Jun 2011 -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is frustrated with the failure of his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts to reach a framework agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh and could refrain from organizing more talks between them, one of his senior aides has reportedly said.
• Philippines Local Disputes Complicate Peace Talks with Separatists VOA 27 Jun 2011 -- This week the Philippines government resumes peace talks with the country's main Islamic separatist group. Formal negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have been occurring since 1997, although they break down repeatedly without major breakthroughs. But government negotiators say they are hopeful that a new approach that addresses land disputes, voting districts and other local issues could help produce an agreement to end the separatist rebellion. The effort to mediate the long-running clan feuds is called 'rido'.

News Reports

• Moscow military court sentences Russian mole to 25 years for treason RIA Novosti 27 Jun 2011 -- A Moscow military district court on Monday found former Russian intelligence officer Alexander Poteyev, who helped U.S. authorities disclose a Russian spy ring last summer, guilty of high treason and sentenced in absentia to 25 years in prison.
• Syrian Activists Meet in Damascus, Seek to End Violence VOA 27 Jun 2011 -- More than 150 Syrian intellectuals and activists, including some of the country's most prominent opposition figures, are meeting to discuss how to end months of violent upheaval and initiate a peaceful transition to democratic rule.
• Iran parliament plans to question Ahmadinejad over irregularities RIA Novosti 27 Jun 2011 -- One hundred members of Iran's 290-seat parliament have signed a motion to question President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about a number of issues, Iran's Mehr news agency said on Monday.
• Iraq's Oil Industry To Be Monitored By Transparency Group RFE/RL 27 Jun 2011 -- Iraq has committed to providing accurate figures about its oil revenues by agreeing to verify details of its oil industry with an international transparency organization, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI) reports.
• Afghanistan's Ex-Central Bank Chief: 'My Life Became Completely In Danger' RFE/RL 27 Jun 2011 -- In a stunning development that is bound to shake both the government in Kabul and the international community's efforts to stabilize Afghanistan, the head of Afghanistan's central bank revealed Monday that he has fled the country, citing 'credible information' about a threat to his life.