Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 14 Sep 2011 [PDF]
• NATO and Libya - Operational Media Update: 13 Sep 2011
• RAF Tornados destroy former regime vehicles in Libya UK MOD 14 Sep 2011 -- During an armed reconnaissance patrol over Sebha in southern Libya yesterday morning, Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s located a number of former regime armoured vehicles occupying dug-in positions near the town.
• DOD News Briefing with Maj. Gen. Handy from the Pentagon DoD 14 Sep 2011 -- Presenter: Maj. Gen. Russell Handy, Commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force Iraq, and Director, Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq
• U.S. paratroopers, Iraqi soldiers begin using new rifle range Army News 14 Sep 2011 -- On the morning of Sept. 10, paratroopers set up a table on a small rise over looking the Anbar Operations Center's new 25-meter firing range in Ramadi, Iraq. They were loading rounds into magazines and stacking them in precise rows, filling the table with ammo.
• Taliban Losing Ability to Attack Broadly, Panetta Says AFPS 14 Sep 2011 -- Insurgent attacks like the one at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul yesterday indicate the Taliban are losing their ability to attack coalition forces on a broad scale, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.
• US: Kabul Siege a Taliban Propaganda Victory VOA 14 Sep 2011 -- The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan says the 20-hour militant siege in Kabul was a military failure for the Taliban, but also a propaganda victory for the insurgent group.
• Allen: Kabul Attack Shows Enemy's Desperation AFPS 14 Sep 2011 -- Warning of the likelihood of more high-profile attacks like yesterday's on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as insurgents grow increasingly desperate, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan declared the attack a military failure as he praised the Afghan security force's response to the raid.
• Combined Forces Conclude Response to Kabul Attack AFPS 14 Sep 2011 -- Afghan National Security Forces, supported by coalition forces, successfully concluded an operation early today against a small group of insurgents who'd earlier attacked several locations in Kabul city, military officials reported.
• Taliban Attack on Kabul Ends After Nearly 20 Hours VOA 14 Sep 2011 -- A 20-hour Taliban siege in the Afghan capital ended Wednesday when local and international forces killed the remaining militants who had fired on the U.S. Embassy and NATO headquarters.
• C-130s Aid Wildfire Suppression Efforts AFPS 14 Sep 2011 -- Six Department of Defense C-130 Hercules aircraft under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command continue to aid efforts to control wildfires in Texas, Oregon and Idaho at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, officials reported.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD News: DOD Releases Unified Command Plan 2011 Change 1 DoD 14 Sep 2011 -- The Department of Defense has issued a change to the Unified Command Plan (UCP), a strategic document that establishes the missions, responsibilities, and geographic areas of responsibility (AORs) for commanders of combatant commands.
• Navy to Christen Joint High Speed Vessel Spearhead DoD 14 Sep 2011 -- The Navy will christen the joint high speed vessel (JHSV) Spearhead Sept. 17, at 10 a.m. CDTin Mobile, Ala.
• NMCB 7 Paving the Way in Jacksonville; Improves Military Landing Facility NNS 14 Sep 2011 -- A detachment of Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 began landing facility upgrades at Whitehouse Outlying Field (OLF) Jacksonville, Fla. Sept. 12.
• BRAC Goals Reached, New Walter Reed Looks to Future AFPS 14 Sep 2011 -- The day before the congressionally mandated deadline to put all Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations into effect, the commander who oversaw the closing of Walter Reed Army Medical Center isn't kicking back with a sigh of relief.
• BRAC 2005: On time, on budget in the northeast Army News 14 Sep 2011 -- Sept. 15 marks the end of the DoD's six-year Base Realignment and Closure 2005 program. Without question, it was the largest infrastructure investment program the U.S. Army has seen since World War II, with roughly $18 billion in military construction projects executed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
• Panetta: Regional Defense, Cyber Highlight AUSMIN Talks AFPS 14 Sep 2011 -- Asia-Pacific defense cooperation and cybersecurity will be among the topics on the table at the annual U.S.-Australia Ministerial Consultations here this week, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.
• Chiefs provide Armor, Infantry updates Army News 14 Sep 2011 -- The chiefs of Armor and Infantry delivered updates on their respective branches Tuesday at the Maneuver Conference.
• NATO Soldiers learn to work as one during Bold Quest Army News 14 Sep 2011 -- It's been said, the sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts. One example of this is when NATO was formed to check Soviet expansion after World War II.
• Army hopes to deliver as many as 26,000 FMTVs Army News 14 Sep 2011 -- The Army is producing large numbers of 'Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles,' or FMTVs, in an effort to deliver as many as 26,000 new trucks to the fleet over the next several years, service officials said.
• Army certifying earth terminals to leverage military satellites Army News 14 Sep 2011 -- With more expansive satellite communications requirements, the Army is moving away from expensive commercial satellites and leveraging those of the U.S. military.
• Officials Study Cooperation Among Terrorist Groups AFPS 14 Sep 2011 -- As U.S. and allied forces dismantle the core of al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan, intelligence officials are studying the degree to which terrorist splinter groups are working together, Defense Department officials said today.
• Chairman Concerned Over Lack of U.S.-Iran Contact AFPS 14 Sep 2011 -- There has been no contact between Iran and the United States since the 1970s, and that concerns the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
• BSRF-11 officially comes to a close in Romania USMC News 14 Sep 2011 -- U.S. Marines and sailors stood alongside Romanian sailors, naval infantry and soldiers in a large formation to commemorate Black Sea Rotational Force 11's deployment in the Black Sea, Balkan and Caucasus regions.
• Turkey agrees to host powerful U.S. radar RIA Novosti 14 Sep 2011 -- Turkey and the United States signed on Wednesday a memorandum on the deployment of a U.S. radar on Turkish territory as part of a 'missile shield' to protect NATO allies from potential ballistic missile threats.
• NATO 'welcomes' Romania agreement to host U.S. interceptors RIA Novosti 14 Sep 2011 -- NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has welcomed Romania's agreement to host missile interceptors as part of a new U.S. missile defense shield for Europe.
• Russian Navy orders 3 more Krivak IV class frigates RIA Novosti 14 Sep 2011 -- Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation said on Wednesday it has signed a contract with the Defense Ministry on the construction of another three Krivak IV class frigates for the Russian Navy.
• Russia opposes presence of military blocs in Arctic - diplomat RIA Novosti 14 Sep 2011 -- Russia stands against the use of force and the presence of military blocs in the Arctic, a senior Russian diplomat said on Wednesday.
• Iran 2000-pound bombs hit targets in war game ISNA 14 Sep 2011 -- Iranian 2000-pound bombs pounded targets successfully Wednesday in the second day of operational phase of air drill.
• Possible F-16 Buy Highlights Iraq's Progress AFPS 14 Sep 2011 -- Iraq's potential purchase of 18 U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft is an encouraging development that benefits both nations, the senior U.S. Air Force component commander in Iraq told Pentagon reporters today.
• Body parts from pilots killed in military jet crash found CNA 14 Sep 2011 -- The Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirmed that body parts from three missing pilots during a nighttime training mission Tuesday were found Wednesday morning.
• Only 32 F-5Fs left in active fleet after latest crash CNA 14 Sep 2011 -- The Air Force now only has 32 F-5F fighters in its active fighter fleet after one of the planes crashed Tuesday during a nighttime training mission in northeastern Taiwan, according to military sources.
• Military planes slightly off course before crashing: MND CNA 14 Sep 2011 -- Two military planes that crashed in Yilan County Tuesday were found to have deviated slightly from their planned flight paths, but the cause of the accidents still remains unclear, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Wednesday.
• Control Yuan to probe cause of military plane crashes CNA 14 Sep 2011 -- Two Control Yuan members said Wednesday they will investigate the cause of crashes by two military aircraft during a nighttime training mission in Yilan County Tuesday night that left three pilots dead.
• Air Force grounds all F-5 fighters, awaits further probe CNA 14 Sep 2011 -- Taiwan's Air Force has decided to ground all its F-5 fighter jets and await further investigation after a recent plane crash in northeastern Taiwan, an Air Force commander said Wednesday.
• Post-plane crash, lawmaker requests F-16C/Ds on 'humanitarian' grounds CNA 14 Sep 2011 -- After two military jets crashed in northeastern Taiwan Tuesday, a legislator urged the United States Wednesday to sell F-16C/D fighters to Taiwan as soon as possible so that the Air Force can take the old aircraft out of service.
• President leads moment of silence for pilots killed in crashes CNA 14 Sep 2011 -- President Ma Ying-jeou observed a moment of silence Wednesday for three pilots who were killed in two military aircraft accidents the day before.
• Taiwan's F-5 fighter accidents since 1991 CNA 14 Sep 2011 -- A twin-seater F-5F, along with an RF-5E reconnaissance plane, crashed into the mountains near Dongao in Yilan County during a training drill late Tuesday. Body parts from the three pilots aboard the two aircraft were discovered early Wednesday.
• Afghanistan ratifies Convention on Cluster Munitions IRNA 14 Sep 2011 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) welcomes Afghanistan's ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
• Outsourcing to private security contractors threatens rights, UN panel warns UN News Centre 14 Sep 2011 -- A United Nations panel today called for greater regulation of mercenaries and private military and security companies by both host and contributor countries to ensure respect for human rights and accountability for any abuses committed.
• Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney Aboard Air Force One en Raleigh, North Carolina The White House 14 Sep 2011
• September 14, 2011 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 14 Sep 2011

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 14, 2011
• ATK Awarded $30 Million in Orders for Non-Standard Ammunition (NSA) ATK 14 Sep 2011 -- ATK (NYSE: ATK) has received a $30 million order to supply non-standard (non-NATO) ammunition to the security forces of Afghanistan via the U.S. Army's Product Director, Non-Standard Ammunition, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.
• Boeing Delivers Royal Australian Air Force's 5th C-17 Globemaster III Boeing 14 Sep 2011 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today delivered Australia's fifth C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during a ceremony at the C-17 program's final assembly facility in Long Beach. A RAAF delegation led by Stephen Smith, Australia's Minister for Defence, received the country's latest C-17 at an event also attended by Chief of the Defence Force Gen. David Hurley, Australian Secretary of Defence Duncan Lewis, and U.S. Ambassador to Australia Jeffrey Bleich.
• LP17D / LP18D Eyesafe Laser Rangefinder for Ultra-Compact Sighting Systems Denel 14 Sep 2011-- Carl Zeiss Optronics introduces compact high-performance eye-safe laser rangefinders for range finding in observation system applications.
• Airbus Military A330 MRTT FSTA for UK RAF awarded certification EADS 14 Sep 2011 -- Airbus Military has obtained military and civil certification for the Future Strategic Transport Aircraft (FSTA) version of the A330 MRTT for the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom.
• CASSIDIAN's newly developed TRS-4D Naval Radar opens a New Dimension in Sensor Technology EADS 14 Sep 2011 -- Cassidian, the defence and security division of EADS, introduces a new generation of naval radars into the market with unprecedented capabilities for the surveillance of sea areas and countering even asymmetric threats.
• Thales Alenia Space ships first two Galileo satellites to launch site Thales 14 Sep 2011 -- Thales Alenia Space has shipped the first two flight model of a Galileo navigation satellite to Europe's launch base in French Guiana.
• Operational Success Delivers Further Order For MBDA's Dual Mode Brimstone EADS 14 Sep 2011 -- The outstanding and unique capabilities of Dual Mode Brimstone (DM Brimstone), as the strike weapon of choice for the Royal Air Force (RAF), have resulted in an additional order for MBDA from the Ministry of Defence on the 11th of August.
• Lockheed Martin Awarded $28.6 Million Contract to Upgrade U.S. Army Advanced Gunnery Training Systems Lockheed Martin 14 Sep 2011 -- ORLANDO, Fla., September 14, 2011 – The U.S. Army Program Executive Office of Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) has awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a $28.6 million contract to upgrade more than 60 Advanced Gunnery Training Systems (AGTS) for M1A1 and M1A2 main battle tanks. The company will also provide 11 new M1A2 training systems as a part of the two-year effort.
• Raytheon Delivers First Eight Tactically Configured Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammers Raytheon 14 Sep 2011 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) delivered the first eight Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer initial operational test and evaluation units to the U.S. Air Force. During IOT&E, the Air Force will conduct numerous flight tests on the MALD®-J to evaluate the system in operationally realistic and demanding scenarios.
• Raytheon Aims to Integrate Griffin® on AT-6 Light Attack Aircraft Raytheon 14 Sep 2011 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is seeking to integrate the combat-proven Griffin missile onto the Hawker AT-6 light attack aircraft.
• Raytheon Brings Combat Proven Infrared Technology to Finland Raytheon 14 Sep 2011 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a fixed-price contract with options totaling $19.9 million to supply the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) with PhantomIRxr™ thermal biocular systems.
• PAVE HAWK Helicopters Achieve 10,000 Flight Hour Milestone Sikorsky 14 Sep 2011 -- Nearly 30 years after entering service with the U.S. Air Force, two HH-60G PAVE HAWK helicopters have both achieved 10,000 flight hours during their simultaneous flights on Aug. 30 over Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. The Sikorsky Aircraft designed-and-built helicopters are the first-ever U.S. Air Force H-60 aircraft to have reached this high flight time milestone. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

Other Conflicts

• 14 September 2011 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 14 Sep 2011
• US: Gadhafi Still at Large, But Politically Finished VOA 14 Sep 2011 -- The highest-ranking U.S. diplomat to visit Tripoli since the fall of the Muammar Gadhafi regime said Wednesday the ousted Libyan ruler, though apparently still at large in the country, is finished politically. Assistant Secretary of State for Near eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman held talks with Libyan interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil and other officials of the National Transitional Council, the NTC.
• US: Libya 'In the Hands of its People' VOA 14 Sep 2011 -- Senior U.S. State Department official Jeffrey Feltman says he has assured Libyans that the American administration will respect the country's sovereignty, adding that the future of Libya 'is in the hands of its people.'
• Chinese troops land in frontier Kashmir region: report IRNA 14 Sep 2011 -- A helicopter along with Chinese Frontier Guards has reportedly landed in a frontier region of Kashmir in what is seen by India as an offensive act and a possible case of intrusion.
• Western Envoys Try Mediation Ahead of Palestinian UN Bid VOA 14 Sep 2011 -- Western envoys are shuttling between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the Middle East to try to limit the fallout from an Israeli-opposed Palestinian plan to seek state recognition at the United Nations.
• Palestinian statebuilding threatened by political stagnation – UN report UN News Centre 14 Sep 2011 -- The Palestinian Authority (PA) has accomplished the tasks it set out to achieve two years ago to prepare its institutions for the responsibilities of statehood, but there remains a widening gap between that progress and the stagnant political process, according to a United Nations report released today.
• Diplomatic Flurry Tries to Curtail Palestinian Recognition Bid VOA 14 Sep 2011 -- Diplomatic efforts continued on several fronts Wednesday in Israel and the Palestinian territories to convince Palestinian leaders to pull back from a plan to unilaterally seek recognition at the United Nations.
• Senior UN team heads to Haiti in wake of alleged sexual abuse by peacekeepers UN News Centre 14 Sep 2011 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent a senior team to Haiti to enforce the United Nations' zero-tolerance policy on misconduct by its personnel following the alleged sexual assault of an 18-year-old Haitian man by Uruguayan members of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Caribbean nation.
• Security Council reappoints prosecutors at UN war crimes tribunals UN News Centre 14 Sep 2011 -- The Security Council today reappointed the prosecutors working at the United Nations tribunals tasked with bringing to justice the perpetrators of the worst crimes committed during the Balkans conflicts of the 1990s and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
• Somali consensus on end of transition paves way for restoring stability – UN UN News Centre 14 Sep 2011 -- A broad consensus on how to end the transitional period and restore peace and stability in Somalia now exists among the country's leadership, the United Nations envoy told the Security Council today, urging it to send an unequivocal message to the leaders that a return to political bickering will not be tolerated.
• UNICEF pledges continued assistance to drought-affected Somalis UN News Centre 14 Sep 2011 -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will maintain its humanitarian response to the food crisis in Somalia and in camps in neighbouring countries where refugees from the country have sought assistance even with the expected onset of the rainy season.
• SOMALIA: Puntland, Somaliland act on migrants, IDPs IRIN 14 Sep 2011 -- Authorities in Somalia's self-declared independent Republic of Somaliland have given a month's notice to an estimated 80,000 illegal immigrants - mostly Ethiopian - to leave the region.
• SRI LANKA: Pressure mounts on accountability process IRIN 14 Sep 2011 -- The failure of a national accountability commission into human rights abuses in the last days of the civil war could add to calls for an international inquiry, a top US diplomat warned on 14 September in Sri Lanka.
• Mandate of UN peacebuilding office in Sierra Leone extended for another year UN News Centre 14 Sep 2011 -- The Security Council today extended for another year the mandate of the United Nations office that is helping Sierra Leone on its journey towards becoming a stable, peaceful and democratic country.

News Reports

• Syria Defies Arab League, Fires on Villages VOA 14 Sep 2011 -- Syrian rights activists say security forces have opened fire in northwestern villages Wednesday in an ongoing effort to crush dissent as the government rejected an Arab League demand for an end to the crackdown.
• Iran Says No Decision on Releasing US Hikers VOA 14 Sep 2011 -- Iran's judiciary says no decision has been made about releasing two American hikers convicted of spying in Iran, after reports that the men could be freed soon.
• Toll from Pakistani rains mounts as flooding spreads, UN reports UN News Centre 14 Sep 2011 -- The toll from torrential rains in Pakistan is mounting, with 230 people killed, more than 300,000 others displaced and 1.1 million homes destroyed or damaged as flooding has inundated 4.5 million acres, cutting major roads and polluting water, the United Nations reported today.
• Ukrainian Parliament To Discuss 'Political Amnesty' For Tymoshenko RFE/RL 14 Sep 2011 -- The Ukrainian parliament is to discuss a bill on 'political amnesty' for former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports.
• Russian High Court: Ex-Yukos Leaders' Detention Illegally Prolonged RFE/RL 14 Sep 2011 -- The Russian Supreme Court has ruled that the the law was violated when the preliminary detention of former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his deputy was extended, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
• Press Conference by United Nations Children's Fund on Horn of Africa Drought United Nations 14 Sep 2011