Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• NATO and Libya - Operational Media Update: 04 Oct 2011
• HMS Bangor destroys bombs off Libya UK MOD 05 Oct 2011 -- The Royal Navy minehunter HMS Bangor has destroyed a 2,000-pound (907kg) mine and a torpedo lying on the seabed off the port of Tobruk in eastern Libya.
• Progress continues on many fronts in western Afghanistan Army News 05 Oct 2011 -- Everywhere he went, advancement in the training of Afghan National Security Forces was obvious in the western area of the country.
• Karzai Reassures Pakistan on India Deal VOA 05 Oct 2011 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai is trying to reassure Pakistan that a strategic partnership pact signed with India will not affect his country's relations with Islamabad. Analysts say the deal, which forges stronger security and economic ties between the two countries, could be seen as an aggressive move by India's longtime rival, Pakistan.
• Airstrike Kills Haqqani Leader, Associates AFPS 05 Oct 2011 -- A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed a senior Haqqani terrorist network leader and two of his associates with a precision airstrike in the Musa Khel district of Afghanistan's Khost province yesterday, military officials reported.
• Afghan Authorities Foil Alleged Karzai Assassination Plot VOA 05 Oct 2011 -- Afghan officials say authorities have foiled an alleged plot to assassinate President Hamid Karzai.
• NATO-Led Forces Kill Senior Haqqani Militant in Afghanistan VOA 05 Oct 2011 -- International forces in Afghanistan say a coalition airstrike has killed a senior Haqqani network leader near the Pakistani border. NATO says the militant was key in facilitating extremist violence in the country.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Spain Will Port U.S. Ships to Support NATO Missile Defense AFPS 05 Oct 2011 -- Spain's agreement to port U.S. ships at Naval Station Rota on the Atlantic coast will forge a deeper bilateral security relationship between the two nations and support NATO's missile defense system, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.
• DoD News: Statement by the Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta on Stationing Aegis Ships at Rota, Spain DoD 05 Oct 2011
• Before Stepping Down, Lynn Assesses 'Signature' Issues AFPS 05 Oct 2011 -- Since taking office Feb. 12, 2009, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III has championed several issues, among them cybersecurity, energy, space and the defense industrial base.
• DOD Perfectly Suited as Innovations Tester, Official Says AFPS 05 Oct 2011 -- The Defense Department is in the best position to be the lead tester of innovations emerging in the energy conservation movement, just as it has been for other new technologies, the deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment said today.
• Lynn: Cut Defense, But Learn From Past Disasters AFPS 05 Oct 2011 -- The United States is '0 for 4' in managing defense drawdowns, and can draw four lessons from those past failures, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said today on his final full day in office.
• Official Lauds Business Task Force for Success AFPS 05 Oct 2011 -- The Task Force for Business and Stability Operations' ability to find ways of creating growth, prosperity and optimism about the future in Iraq and Afghanistan is praiseworthy, a senior Pentagon official said today.
• U.S. Army in Europe shifts from COIN to Full-Spectrum training Army News 05 Oct 2011 -- Sky Soldiers, paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) descended on the drop zone at Hohenfels Training Area (HTA), Oct. 5, in Europe's first Full-Spectrum Training Environment (FSTE) rotation.
• CBR Defense Milestone Achieved NNS 05 Oct 2011 -- The Navy's initiative to protect 128 warships with a new Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) defense capability reached a significant milestone, a Navy CBR Defense official announced Oct. 5.
• ONR Pursuing Affordable Common Radar for Surface Ships NNS 05 Oct 2011 -- The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is developing technologies that will combat the obsolescence of surveillance systems at a more affordable cost and to upgrade the Navy's fleet of aging combat ship radar systems.
• NAVFAC Far East Awards $2.3 million Okinawa Typhoon Repairs Task Order NNS 05 Oct 2011 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Far East awarded a $2.3 million design-build contract to Onaka Gumi Co., Ltd. of Okinawa, Sept. 29, to provide crucial repairs at Commander Fleet Activities Okinawa's White Beach Naval Facility after damage caused by two powerful typhoons this summer.
• Seal Beach Completes Major Energy Audit NNS 05 Oct 2011 -- Paving the way for greater energy efficiency, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach announced the completion of comprehensive energy audits for its Seal Beach, Detachment Corona and Detachment Fallbrook installations, Oct 3.
• USS Oak Hill Supports Amphibious Southern Partnership Station 2012 NNS 05 Oct 2011 -- USS OAK HILL, At Sea - USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) deployed for its sixth deployment in seven years in support of Amphibious-Southern Partnership Station 2012 (A-SPS 12), Oct. 3.
• Cargo UAS to Deploy, Keeping Trucks off the Road NNS 05 Oct 2011 -- The Navy and Marine Corps announced Oct. 5 its plan to deploy the service's first cargo unmanned aircraft system to Afghanistan next month.
• 2-1st ADA Battalion holds anti-terrorism exercise Army News 05 Oct 2011 -- Soldiers from D Battery, 2-1st Air Defense Artillery Battalion conducted Quick Reaction Force training here Sept. 27 as a part of a quarterly exercise.
• Maneuver Battle Lab: Addition to open in summer of 2012 Army News 05 Oct 2011 -- The Capabilities Development and Integration Directorate broke ground on a new Maneuver Battle Lab simulations facility Friday during a ceremony at the construction site, adjacent to Smith Fitness Center on Dixie Road.
• Engineers train on Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles Army News 05 Oct 2011 -- They weigh roughly 20 tons each and measure more than 13 feet tall -- but last week was the first time many Soldiers in 63rd Engineer Company (Horizontal) had encountered a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.
• Remarks by Secretary Panetta at Carnegie Europe, Brussels, Belgium DoD 05 Oct 2011 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta
• AFSOC projects lead to energy-saving discoveries AFNS 05 Oct 2011 -- In the midst of Energy Awareness Month, Air Force Special Operations Command members are working to decrease the Air Force's $8 billion a year cost for electricity and fuel via several renewable energy projects.
• Cape Canaveral continues cleanup efforts AFNS 05 Oct 2011 -- Air Force officials have recently implemented changes to the force's environmental cleanup program to focus on cleaning up more sites more quickly.
• US Calls for NATO Cooperation in Time of Austerity VOA 05 Oct 2011 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has warned NATO countries attending a meeting of NATO defense ministers the United States may not be able to sustain operations like those in Libya and Afghanistan as it tries to deal with its own budget problems.
• NATO Defense Ministers Meet to Discuss Libya, Afghanistan VOA 05 Oct 2011 -- U.S. Defense Chief Leon Panetta has warned NATO defense ministers that they can no longer count on the United States to cover financial shortfalls that have plagued alliance operations in Libya and Afghanistan.
• Secretary Details NATO Successes, Challenges AFPS 05 Oct 2011 -- As it nears the end of a successful campaign in Libya and deliberately accomplishes shared goals in Afghanistan, NATO faces several difficult challenges, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.
• Iraqi Political Leaders Reject Immunity For U.S. Training Troops RFE/RL 05 Oct 2011 -- Iraqi political leaders say they don't want to grant U.S. troops immunity from prosecution if a deal is reached for American forces to stay in Iraq past the end of this year to train Iraq's military
• Development of S-500 air defense systems behind schedule - paper RIA Novosti 05 Oct 2011 -- The development of Russia's formidable S-500 air defense system is lagging behind schedule by at least two years, the Izvestia daily said on Wednesday citing a defense industry source.
• India to get delivery of INS Vikramaditya by Dec 2012: Antony IRNA 05 Oct 2011 -- India will get delivery of its much-awaited aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya from Russia by December next year, Defence Minister A K Antony has said, amid reports that Moscow will hand over the leased Nerpa nuclear submarine next month.
• U.S. does not consult with China on arms sales to Taiwan: Campbell CNA 05 Oct 2011 -- The United States has never consulted with China on arms sales to Taiwan, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs said Tuesday.
• Iran's peacekeeping forces ready to go on missions at UN request IRNA 05 Oct 2011 -- Iranian peacekeeping forces are ready to be sent on different peacekeeping missions based on a request made by the United Nations, Commander of Army's Ground Force Brigadier General Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan said Wednesday.
• Iran defense systems monitor Strait of Hormuz 24 hours IRNA 05 Oct 2011 -- The Strait of Hormuz, the vein of oil from the Persian Gulf to outside world, is under Iran's 24 hour sophisticated defense system observation, Commander of Iranian Army Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, Brigadier-General Farzad Ismaili said on Wednesday.
• President criticizes plan to deploy missile shield in Turkey IRNA 05 Oct 2011 -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the main goal of NATO to deploy Missile Defense Shield in Turkey is to defend the Zionist regime.
• Ukraine Air Force to get three An-70 cargo planes RIA Novosti 05 Oct 2011 -- The Ukrainian Air Force will take delivery of three An-70 military transport aircraft, Defense Minister Mikhaylo Yezhel said on Wednesday.
• COTE D'IVOIRE: Rebranding the army IRIN 05 Oct 2011 -- The Ivoirian government is rebranding the national army to change the force's negative image as it undergoes major reforms, which include demobilizing 10,000 soldiers by the end of the year, training up troops, and restructuring existing posts.
• October 5, 2011 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 05 Oct 2011
• October 05, 2011 Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney The White House 05 Oct 2011

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 05, 2011
• THAAD Weapon System Achieves Intercept of Two Targets at Pacific Missile Range Facility Lockheed Martin 05 Oct 2011 -- The U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, The Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Army conducted a flight test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system today, challenging the system to track, detect and intercept two different targets utilizing two THAAD interceptors – a first for the system.
• ATK Completes Successful Artillery Precision Guidance Kit Testing ATK 05 Oct 2011 -- Office of the Project Manager, Combat Ammunition Systems (OPM-CAS) and ATK (NYSE: ATK) have successfully completed Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) Phase 3 Design Verification guided flight testing (GFT) during a recent 48-round test at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz. During this stringent test, PGK significantly exceeded expectations and requirements for both reliability and safety while demonstrating accuracy that exceeds the 30-meter Circle Error Probable (CEP) objective requirement.
• General Dynamics NASSCO Delivers USNS William McLean General Dynamics 05 Oct 2011 -- General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), delivered USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12) to the U.S. Navy during a signing ceremony September 28, 2011. Named in honor of William Burdette McLean (1914-1976), the U.S. Navy physicist who conceived and developed the heat-seeking Sidewinder missile, the William McLean is the twelfth ship delivered in the Navy’s 14-ship T-AKE dry cargo-ammunition ship program in five years.
• General Dynamics to Deliver Combat Search and Rescue Radios to Australian Defence Force General Dynamics 05 Oct 2011 -- General Dynamics C4 Systems has received a $12.7 million contract from the Australian Defence Force to provide AN/PRC-112G® GPS-enabled search and rescue radios and accessories. Part of the HOOK2? System, the AN/PRC-112G radio sends encrypted global positioning information, user identification, situation reports and other critical information to combat search and rescue aircraft in short bursts to reduce the risk of detection and interception.
• General Dynamics Awarded $243 Million to Produce 115 More Double-V Hull Stryker Vehicles General Dynamics 05 Oct 2011 -- The U.S. Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), $243 million to produce and deliver an additional 115 Stryker combat vehicles equipped with double-V hulls (DVHs).
• The Navy and Marine Corps Select Lockheed Martin/Kaman Unmanned K-MAX for Afghanistan Deployment Lockheed Martin 05 Oct 2011 -- The Marine Corps will deploy the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and Kaman [NASDAQ-GS: KAMN] unmanned K-MAX® to Afghanistan next month.
• Northrop Grumman Upgrades Enhance Royal Australian Navy Frigate Anti-Ship Missile Defence Systems Northrop Grumman 05 Oct 2011 -- System upgrades provided by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) into the ANZAC Class frigate HMAS Perth helped optimize the performance of the ship's Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD) system during recent sea trials conducted by the Royal Australian Navy.

Other Conflicts

• 5 October 2011 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 05 Oct 2011
• Somalia PM Says Suicide Attack Shows al-Shabab 'Weakness' VOA 05 Oct 2011 -- Somalia's prime minister says Tuesday's suicide bomb attack in Mogadishu shows the increasing desperation of al-Qaida linked forces who still control large parts of the famine-wracked country. The blast killed at least 70 people and injured scores more.
• Analysis: US NGOs still in the dark over terrorism law in Somalia IRIN 05 Oct 2011 -- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has repeatedly appealed to Al-Shabab to allow food aid into famine-affected parts of Somalia under its control. But, were the militant group to acquiesce, US aid workers fear they could risk legal action if they were part of the humanitarian operation.
• ICRC Starts Huge Food Distribution Operation In Somalia VOA 05 Oct 2011 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross has begun distributing food to tens of thousands of drought and war-affected people in southern and central Somalia.
• SOMALIA: Hospitals overwhelmed as bombing death toll rises IRIN 05 Oct 2011 -- Hospitals in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, are overwhelmed by the number of injured people seeking treatment following a suicide bombing on 4 October, health officials told IRIN.
• SRI LANKA: Northern development faces $200m shortfall IRIN 05 Oct 2011 -- The Joint Plan for Assistance (JPA) for Sri Lanka's war-torn Northern Province is facing a US$200 million shortfall, according to the UN.
• Sudan: UN warns of looming food crisis in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states UN News Centre 05 Oct 2011 -- The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today called for urgent action and funding to prevent a looming crisis in Sudan's Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states, where the latest fighting combined with erratic rainfall has doomed next month's harvest.

News Reports

• U.S. 'Outraged' After Russia, China Veto UN Syria Resolution RFE/RL 05 Oct 2011 -- The United States says it is 'outraged' by a veto by Russia and China of a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria over its crackdown on antigovernment protesters.
• Russia vows to prevent repetition of 'Libya scenario' RIA Novosti 05 Oct 2011 -- Moscow will oppose any attempt to 'abuse' UN Security Council decisions to achieve the overthrow of 'undesirable regimes,' the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
• Russia's veto on UN Syria sanctions 'slap in the face' - U.S. RIA Novosti 05 Oct 2011 -- The U.S. envoy to the UN Security Council has expressed outrage at Russia and China for blocking a draft resolution on Syrian sanctions.
• Top French diplomat says Paris mulls new initiatives against Syria RIA Novosti 05 Oct 2011 -- France may ask the UN Security Council to consider new initiatives to put pressure on the Syrian authorities after Russia and China vetoed its previous draft resolution, the French foreign minister said on Wednesday.
• Syrian opposition leader condemns Russian, Chinese veto RIA Novosti 05 Oct 2011 -- The Syrian opposition condemned Russia and China on Wednesday for vetoing a UN Security Council draft resolution urging the Syrian regime to immediately stop violence against protesters or face 'targeted measures,' the Sawa radio station reported, quoting opposition leader Burhan Ghalyoun.
• Turkey Threatens Syria Sanctions Despite UN Resolution Veto VOA 05 Oct 2011 -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his government will impose its own sanctions on Syria, despite the failure of a European-drafted resolution at the U.N. Security Council.
• Russia, China veto UN resolution on Syria RIA Novosti 05 Oct 2011 -- Russia and China have used their veto right and blocked a draft UN resolution that threatened sanctions against Syria if President Bashar Assad's government continued violence against the opposition in the country.
• Russia offers compromise on UN resolution against Syria RIA Novosti 05 Oct 2011 -- Moscow calls on the UN Security Council to continue the search for a balanced approach toward the political crisis in Syria based on a draft resolution prepared by Russia and China, Russia's envoy to the UN said.
• Russia arrests Chinese national for spying RIA Novosti 05 Oct 2011 -- Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a Chinese national they say was trying to gain access to secret information about the S-300 air defense system, the FSB said in a statement on Wednesday.
• Analysis: Aid delivery in Yemen becoming ever more complex IRIN 05 Oct 2011 -- Aid workers say Yemen is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster; but as needs in the country increase, the delivery of aid is becoming ever more complicated.