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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Combined Force Captures Taliban Leader AFPS 23 Nov 2011 -- A combined Afghan and coalition security force today captured a Taliban leader and four associates in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Afghanistan's Helmand province, military officials reported.
• Afghan National Army Special Forces discover IED facility Army News 23 Nov 2011 -- Afghan National Army Special Forces, partnered with Coalition Special Operations Forces, located and captured an enemy improvised explosive device facility in Malozai village, Sangin district, Nov. 20.
• Environmental work decreases impact on Afghanistan's natural and cultural resources Army News 23 Nov 2011 -- Museums once brimming with finds from Buddhist, Hellenistic, Islamic and Prehistoric sites lay crumbled and empty; their valuable antiquities turning up in high-end art markets across Asia, Europe and the United States..
• Commandos conduct operations in traditional insurgent stronghold Army News 23 Nov 2011 -- The 1st Commando Kandak, combat advised by coalition Special Operations Forces, conducted clearing operations in Merdesh village, Kamdesh district, Nov. 20.
• ALP reduce seven IEDs on road in Shah Joy district Army News 23 Nov 2011 -- Walan Rabat Afghan Local Police, assisted by coalition Special Operations Forces, destroyed seven improvised explosive devices on a major road in Shah Joy district, Nov. 20.
• 3rd Bde., 2nd ID units case colors for first Afghan deployment Army News 23 Nov 2011 -- For the fourth time in seven years, elements of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division will deploy in support of Overseas Contingency Operations, yet this will be the unit's first deployment to Afghanistan. 'Arrowhead' Soldiers fittingly formed up around their brigade memorial for a colors casing ceremony for their Headquarters unit, along with three of their six battalions at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Nov. 22.
• Pakistani Taliban announces ceasefire IRNA 23 Nov 2011 -- Pakistani Taliban Tuesday declared ceasefire with the government in a visible move towards dialogue to end the years of bloodshed in the country, local media reported.
• Pakistan army denies talks with Taliban IRNA 23 Nov 2011 -- Pakistan army on Tuesday denied reports about talks with the Taliban militants.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Iwo Jima ARG, TTGL Learn Critical, Cost-effective Lessons with FST NNS 23 Nov 2011 -- The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), completed Group Commander Fleet Synthetic Training (FST-GC), Nov. 17, passing one of the first graded evolutions in the ARG's work-up cycle for its scheduled Spring 2012 deployment.
• USS Mitscher Pulls Into Lisbon NNS 23 Nov 2011 -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57) arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, for a regularly scheduled port visit, Nov. 23.
• Army successfully launches Advanced Hypersonic Weapon demonstrator Army News 23 Nov 2011 -- At the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, successes sometimes happen faster than a speeding bullet.
• Air Force leaders collaborate on total force future AFNS 23 Nov 2011 -- Air Force senior leaders are looking at ways to balance the ratio of regular and Reserve Component Airmen to create the most effective and efficient combat capability in austere budget times.
• Joining Forces Director Cites 'Tremendous' Progress AFPS 23 Nov 2011 -- About 1,500 companies have hired 20,000 veterans and military spouses in the past couple of months, and that's just the tip of the iceberg for the Joining Forces campaign, the campaign's executive director said yesterday.
• Artillerymen improve readiness in Fuji USMC News 23 Nov 2011 -- Communicators with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, provided critical communications assets necessary for artillery relocation training Nov. 16.
• United States halts cooperation with Russia on CFE arms treaty RIA Novosti 23 Nov 2011 -- The United States has curbed its cooperation with Russia on the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Tuesday.
• Russia downplays NATO move on key arms treaty RIA Novosti 23 Nov 2011 -- NATO's decision to curb its cooperation with Moscow on the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty will not harm Russia's interests, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
• White House unruffled by Russia missile threat RIA Novosti 23 Nov 2011 -- The White House insisted on Wednesday that Washington would not alter its plans for a European missile defense project, despite increasingly tough rhetoric from Moscow.
• Statement in connection with the situation concerning the NATO countries’ missile defence system in Europe Russia 23 Nov 2011
• Russian President says Russia may deploy missiles near EU borders IRNA 23 Nov 2011 -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday that Russia will deploy missiles near the EU's borders if the US pursues its missile defence plans.
• Russia to move missiles to EU borders if U.S. shield talks fail - Medvedev RIA Novosti 23 Nov 2011 -- Russia may deploy 'advanced offensive weapon systems' on its borders with Europe in response to a planned U.S.-backed European missile shield, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.
• Paratroopers train Sierra Leone soldiers for Somalia mission UK MOD 23 Nov 2011 -- Four British paratroopers have been training Sierra Leonean troops in mortar firing in preparation for an African Union mission in Somalia next year.
• Iran's navy receives mass-produced indigenous surface-to-sea missiles ISNA 23 Nov 2011 -- Maritime Industry of Iran's Defense Ministry handed mass-produced surface-to-sea missile systems to Iran's navy.
• Turkey Considers Allowing Conscientious Objection to Military Service VOA 23 Nov 2011 -- Conscientious objectors to Turkey's national army service face years in jail, often brutalized by fellow inmates for being traitors. But the government, under pressure from the European court of human rights, has indicated that it may allow conscientious objection. The issue has provoked a storm of controversy.
• Proposed protocol threatens existing global ban on cluster bombs, UN officials warn UN News Centre 23 Nov 2011 -- The top United Nations humanitarian, development and human rights officials today called on countries meeting in Geneva not to adopt a protocol currently under debate that weakens the existing global ban on cluster bombs.
• November 23, 2011 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 23 Nov 2011

Defense Industry

• Airbus Military begins final assembly of the first A400M for France EADS 23 Nov 2011 -- Following the launch of A400M series production last February, Airbus Military has begun final assembly of the first A400M that will be delivered to a customer –the French Air Force.

Other Conflicts

• 23 November 2011 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 23 Nov 2011
• UN officials urge global focus on new challenges to global peace and security UN News Centre 23 Nov 2011 -- Senior United Nations officials today cited organized crime, pandemics and the effects of climate change as daunting challenges to the maintenance of international peace and security and called for regional and global multi-disciplinary cooperation to tackle the threats.
• Turkey Officially Apologizes for 1930s Mass Killing of Kurds VOA 23 Nov 2011 -- Turkey's prime minister has for the first time officially apologized for the mass killing of Kurds in an uprising 80 years ago. The statement is seen by some as groundbreaking and the first step in the country facing up to its difficult past, but others see it as more to do with politics.
• Burma Ethnic Rebels Cautious About Government Peace Offer VOA 23 Nov 2011 -- Burma's military-backed government has offered a possible path to peace with ethnic rebel groups who have long fought against central authorities for autonomy. A peace agreement is a key demand of Western nations, including the United States, for improving relations with Burma. Although some people are encouraged by the offer, not all rebel groups are convinced it is genuine.
• Philippines: UN relief official concerned over plight of displaced in Mindanao UN News Centre 23 Nov 2011 -- A senior United Nations relief official today voiced concern over the plight of hundreds of thousands of people uprooted from their homes by conflict in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, saying that many are also enduring the effects of natural disasters, including floods.
• Former Cambodian head of State denies responsibility at UN-backed war crimes trial UN News Centre 23 Nov 2011 -- A former Cambodian head of State during the rule of the notorious Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s told a United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal today that the genocide trial he is facing is based on guesses, generalizations and bias.

News Reports

• Political transition settlement reached in Yemen – UN envoy UN News Centre 23 Nov 2011 -- Yemen's warring forces have agreed to a political transition settlement, the top United Nations envoy to the country announced today, calling the deal 'an important milestone towards restoring peace and stability, maintaining national unity and territorial integrity, and laying the foundation for economic recovery.'
• Yemeni president signs Gulf Council deal, pledges to resign RIA Novosti 23 Nov 2011 -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed on Wednesday a deal proposed by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) under which he would hand over power to his vice president within 30 days in exchange for immunity from prosecution for him and his family.
• Yemen's President Signs Power Transfer Deal VOA 23 Nov 2011 -- Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh sat down with opposition leaders in the Saudi capital Riyadh Wednesday to sign a long awaited agreement to transfer power to his vice president, hold early elections and put an end to months of bloodshed.
• Despite Concessions, Egyptians Protest VOA 23 Nov 2011 -- Egyptian protesters are pressing their demand for the country's military rulers to step down immediately, a day after Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi announced concessions designed to ease discontent.
• Violence, Unrest Continue In Egypt Despite Promises From Military Ruler RFE/RL 23 Nov 2011 -- Clashes have broken out again between security forces and antimilitary protesters on the streets of Cairo near Tahrir Square.
• Syrian opposition council backs rebel army RIA Novosti 23 Nov 2011 -- The Syrian opposition National Council has declared that it fully supports the Free Syrian Army, the rebel force fighting President Bashar al-Assad, which is made up of his military defectors, Arab media reported on Wednesday.
• Missile shields in region cannot counter Iranian missiles: Safavi IRNA 23 Nov 2011 -- Supreme Leader's Senior Military Advisor Major General Seyyed Yahya Rahim-Safavi referred to the inefficiency of the missiles deployed in the region to protect the Zionist regime and said that the missiles will not be able to counter Iranian missiles.
• Intelligence min: Enemies trying to make regional unrests spill over to Iran IRNA 23 Nov 2011 -- Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi said on Wednesday enemies are trying to make regional unrests spill over to Iran and other countries which are axis of resistance in the region.
• Iran needs no nuclear weapon: President IRNA 23 Nov 2011 -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the brave Iranian nation does not need nuclear weapon because such weapons belong to those lacking in culture and dignity.
• China opposes anti-Iran unilateral sanctions IRNA 23 Nov 2011 -- The Chinese government on Wednesday announced that it opposes imposition of unilateral sanctions against Iran.
• Iran not to leave NPT, IAEA membership ISNA 23 Nov 2011 -- An Iranian lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said that Iran would not leave membership of Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and IAEA.
• Libya: UN chief welcomes formation of new interim Government UN News Centre 23 Nov 2011 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the formation of the new interim Government in Libya and congratulated Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib and members of his cabinet.
• Five Years Later, Ex-Russian Agent's Widow Continues Fight For Justice RFE/RL 23 Nov 2011 -- The widow of former Russian security agent Aleksandr Litvinenko, who died of radiation poisoning in London five years ago, says she will continue to fight for justice for him, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
• Pakistan appoints Sherry Rehman as Pakistan's Ambassador to US IRNA 23 Nov 2011 -- Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday appointed Ms. Sherry Rehman as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, the PM Office said.
• Scandal Prompts Pakistan to Appoint New US Ambassador VOA 23 Nov 2011 -- Pakistan has named Sherry Rehman its new ambassador to the United States, less than 24 hours after the previous envoy, Hussain Haqqani, was ordered to resign in connection with what Pakistan's media has widely labeled 'memogate.'
• ESA to make 5 attempts to receive data from Russian probe RIA Novosti 23 Nov 2011 -- A tracking station in Perth, Australia, will make five attempts early on Thursday to receive telemetry from a Russian Mars probe that has been stuck at a low-Earth orbit since after its launch, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Wednesday.
• SOMALIA: Telling the story against all odds IRIN 23 Nov 2011 -- Independent media continues to function in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, despite the killing of two journalists since the beginning of the year and the exile of 50 others after receiving death threats. Ten radio stations and a TV station operate in the city, officials said.
• ZIMBABWE: One million need food assistance IRIN 23 Nov 2011 -- After a thin harvest, Rudo Mangwere, 32, a farmer in Chirumhanzu district, some 200km southwest of Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, has resorted to selling wild honey by the roadside to beat hunger. She is one of just over a million rural Zimbabweans who will struggle to feed themselves for the next four months.
• Bahrain Rights Report Finds Government Used Excessive Force VOA 23 Nov 2011 -- The head of a special commission investigating Bahrain's unrest says the government used 'excessive force' and tortured detainees during its bloody crackdown on protesters earlier this year.
• Thales Alenia Space wins a contract to build Turkmenistan Telecommunication Satellite Thales 23 Nov 2011 -- Thales Alenia Space announced it has signed a contract with Turkmenistan Ministry of communication for the design, manufacture and delivery of the first Turkmenistan Telecommunication Satellite.