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Defense Policy / Programs
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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 22 Dec 2011 [PDF]
• Air expeditionary units inactivate after last Airmen leave Iraq AFNS 22 Dec 2011 -- Four air expeditionary units that were the air and space components to U.S. Forces-Iraq inactivated during a flag-casing ceremony Dec. 18 here.
• Multi-million dollar brigade complex under construction at Camp Sayar Army News 22 Dec 2011 -- Since May, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District-South has been overseeing construction of a $63.3 million brigade complex for the Afghan National Army's 207th Corps at Camp Sayar in Farah province.
• Counter-IED course offers life-saving training Army News 22 Dec 2011 -- Improvised explosive devices are perhaps one of the greatest threats the insurgency uses against armed forces in Afghanistan but with the counter-improvised explosive devices, or CIED, training offered at Bagram Airfield they are hoping to change that.
• Corps of Engineers: Building strong for Afghan forces Army News 22 Dec 2011 -- Since 2002, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been in Afghanistan building facilities for Afghan National Security Forces. Every day, project managers, project engineers, architects, schedulers, quality assurance representatives and others do their part to help the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, or GIRoA, achieve its goal of long-term security and stability.
• Ammo-62 course taught in Southwest Asia Army News 22 Dec 2011 -- A mobile training team consisting of two Department of the Army civilian hazardous materials trainers recently deployed to Afghanistan and Kuwait to teach several 80-hour Ammo-62 Technical Transportation of Hazardous Materials courses to military and civilian personnel at several sites in Southwest Asia.
• Five Polish soldiers killed in Taliban attack in Afghanistan IRNA 22 Dec 2011 -- Five Polish soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in southeastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, in what was the single worst attack on Polish forces since their nine-year deployment in the country, Polish media reported.
• Combat engineers tear down patrol bases throughout Helmand province, paving way for Afghan pullout USMC News 22 Dec 2011 -- Firebase Saenz has been destroyed. Its defenses have been torn down and its walls have been completely leveled. This destruction was not caused by insurgents – it was the handiwork of Marines from the 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward).
• DOD News Briefing with Brig. Gen. Clark via Teleconference from Hurlburt Field, Fla. DoD 22 Dec 2011 -- Presenter: Brig. Gen. Stephen A. Clark, director of plans, programs, requirements, and assessments, Air Force Special Operations Command
• NATO brands lethal attack on Pakistani border troops 'legitimate' IRNA 22 Dec 2011 -- NATO on Thursday defended last month's deadly attack on Pakistani troops in the Afghan border region, labeling it 'legitimate.'
• Communications Failures Contributed to Border Incident AFPS 22 Dec 2011 -- U.S. forces acted in self-defense and responded with appropriate force after being fired upon during a Nov. 25-26 incident on Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, according to findings from a Defense Department investigation that was released today.
• Department of Defense Statement Regarding Investigation Results into Pakistan Cross-Border Incident DoD 22 Dec 2011-- The investigation into the 25-26 November engagement between U.S. and Pakistani military forces across the border has been completed. The findings and conclusions were forwarded to the Department through the chain of command. The results have also been shared with the Pakistani and Afghan governments, as well as key NATO leadership.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Finnish Authorities Find 69 Missiles Aboard Ship VOA 22 Dec 2011 -- Finnish authorities have confiscated 69 Patriot missiles found on a ship that docked in Finland.
• US Considers Court Martial of Soldier Tied to WikiLeaks VOA 22 Dec 2011 -- The U.S. military is considering whether to court-martial an Army analyst blamed for the biggest leak of classified information in American history. During a preliminary hearing that ended on Thursday, the government argued that Private First Class Bradley Manning passed thousands of sensitive documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, endangering security and diplomatic sources.
• Pretrial Wraps Up for Alleged Document Leaker AFPS 22 Dec 2011 -- The prosecution and defense rested today after delivering their closing statements in the Article 32 hearing of a soldier charged with leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents.
• US WikiLeaks Suspect's Hearing Set to Conclude Thursday VOA 22 Dec 2011 -- A hearing to determine whether a U.S. Army intelligence analyst will be court martialed for allegedly passing classified documents to WikiLeaks is expected to conclude on Thursday.
• Army Submits Gravesite Study of Arlington National Cemetery DoD 22 Dec 2011 -- Secretary of the Army John McHugh released today to Congress the results of a year-long effort to ensure accountability of gravesites and records at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC).
• Updated PQS Available for AD, AE and AS Ratings NNS 22 Dec 2011 -- The Center for Naval Air Technical Training (CNATT), on board Naval Air Station Pensacola, announced Dec. 22 the release of new Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS).
• Midwest Navy Bases Pledge to Reduce Waste, Emissions, Energy Use in 2012 NNS 22 Dec 2011 -- Navy installations in the Midwest made their New Year's resolutions early, partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Dec. 5 in a voluntary program to reduce their environmental impacts in the areas of waste production, air emissions, and energy use.
• USS Columbia Returns To Pearl Harbor From Deployment NNS 22 Dec 2011 -- Los Angeles-class fast-attack nuclear powered submarine USS Columbia (SSN 771) returned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Dec. 21 following a six-month deployment Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment.
• USS New York Executive Officer Relieved; Receives NJP NNS 22 Dec 2011 -- Capt. Mark H. Scovill, Commander, Amphibious Squadron 8, relieved the Executive Officer of the Norfolk-based Amphibious Transport Dock USS New York (LPD 21), on Nov. 21, 2011, due to misconduct.
• Seabees Refurbish Kindergarten in El Salvador NNS 22 Dec 2011 -- Escuela de Educacion 'Maria Luisa Marcia' honored U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 23 Seabees embarked aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV 2) Swift with a celebration ceremony Dec. 20.
• North Carolina Visits Yokosuka During Western Pacific Deployment NNS 22 Dec 2011 -- The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka Dec. 21 for a routine visit as part of her maiden deployment to the Western Pacific.
• Army to deploy vertical take-off UAS Army News 22 Dec 2011 -- The U.S. Army is using a hybrid-type acquisition approach to develop a helicopter-like, Vertical-Take-Off-and-Landing Unmanned Aerial System with a so-called ARGUS wide-area surveillance sensor suite designed to beam back information and images of the surrounding terrain, service officials said.
• Indian Army issues tender for multirole assault rifles IRNA 22 Dec 2011 -- Seeking to boost the firepower of troops to undertake conventional and counter-insurgency operations, the Army has issued a tender for procuring over 60,000 multi-role assault rifles.
• £400m equipment package for troops in Afghanistan announced UK MOD 22 Dec 2011 -- A £400m package of protected vehicles and Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) technology to further improve the protection of British Forces in Afghanistan has been announced by Defence Secretary Philp Hammond today.
• Army to tighten security at bases after brawl in Kinmen CNA 22 Dec 2011 -- Taiwan's army said Thursday it would tighten security at military bases nationwide, one day after a bloody civilian-military brawl at a military facility on the outlying island of Kinmen.
• December 22, 2011 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 22 Dec 2011

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 22, 2011
• BAE Systems Awarded $41.9 Million to Assist in M113 Upgrades for Brazil BAE Systems 22 Dec 2011 -- BAE Systems, in partnership with the Brazilian Army are upgrading 150 M113 armored personnel carriers for Brazil through a foreign military sales contract worth $41.9 million.
• BAE SYSTEMS AWARDED TWO ARMORED VEHICLE AWARDS TOTALING MORE THAN $150 MILLION BAE Systems 22 Dec 2011 -- BAE Systems Land & Armaments has received two contract awards totaling more than $150 million to provide RG31 and RG32M vehicles to the United Arab Emirates and Sweden.
• U.S. Navy Awards General Dynamics $191 Million for Common Missile Compartment Work General Dynamics 22 Dec 2011 -- The U.S Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $191.3 million contract modification to continue concept studies, engineering and design of a Common Missile Compartment for the United Kingdom’s Successor ballistic-missile submarine and the U.S. Ohio replacement submarine.
• Northrop Grumman Extends Its Commercial Space Portfolio Northrop Grumman 22 Dec 2011 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation expanded its commercial space portfolio with Stratolaunch Systems' recent selection of Scaled Composites, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary, to build the largest aircraft ever constructed.

Other Conflicts

• 22 December 2011 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 22 Dec 2011
• 22 December 2011 - Press Conference by General Assembly President United Nations 22 Dec 2011
• French Lower House OKs Genocide-Denial Ban RFE/RL 22 Dec 2011 -- France's lower house has passed by a large majority a bill that would make it a crime to deny examples of genocide as defined by the French state.
• Turkey Responds Swiftly To French 'Genocide' Vote RFE/RL 22 Dec 2011 -- Turkey has responded angrily to a French legislative vote on criminalizing genocide denial by threatening to halt military cooperation with France, highlighting Ankara's long-standing refusal to recognize the mass killings of Armenians at the twilight of the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
• France makes denial of Armenian genocide illegal RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2011 -- France's lower house of parliament passed a bill on Thursday making denial of the Armenian genocide a crime punishable by a 45,000-euro fine and a year in jail.
• KENYA-SOMALIA: Refugees injured in Dadaab crackdown IRIN 22 Dec 2011 -- Dozens of refugees have been injured in a security operation by police in the Dadaab refugee camps, northeastern Kenya, following six explosions since early November, one of which killed a policeman on 19 December.
• SOMALIA: Rape on the rise amid 'climate of fear' in Mogadishu IDP camps IRIN 22 Dec 2011 -- The number of reported rapes in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, has risen sharply, creating 'a climate of fear', according to a civil society source.
• Libyan authorities working to respond to people's high expectations – UN envoy UN News Centre 22 Dec 2011 -- Libya's interim authorities are working to respond to the immediate needs of the people, the top United Nations envoy there told the Security Council today, noting that the fledgling government faces the challenge of meeting high expectations and building accountable institutions.
• Moscow blasts Ban Ki-moon's defense of Libya action RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2011 -- Moscow criticized UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for defending the NATO operation in Libya and ignoring data on civilian casualties collected by a number of UN member states, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.
• Security Council extends mandate of Abyei peacekeeping force for five months UN News Centre 22 Dec 2011 -- The Security Council today extended by five months the mandate the United Nations peacekeeping force for the Abyei area, which is contested by South Sudan and Sudan, stressing that the mission's ability to do its work effectively will depend on the implementation by the two countries of earlier agreements.
• UN mission urges Ivorian authorities to enforce discipline among security forces UN News Centre 22 Dec 2011 -- The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Côte d'Ivoire today encouraged the Government to implement measures to strengthen discipline within its armed forces and 'separate the wheat from the chaff.'

News Reports

• North Korea Ushers In Kim Jong Un Era VOA 22 Dec 2011 -- North Korea proclaimed the beginning of the Kim Jong Un era Thursday, describing the son of deceased leader Kim Jong Il as the 'successor' of the nation's revolutionary undertakings 'and leader of its people.'
• South Korea Will Allow Citizens to Send Condolences to North VOA 22 Dec 2011 -- The South Korean government has not offered North Korea official condolences about the death of ruler Kim Jong Il, but it is allowing private citizens and organizations to express their sympathy by granting rare cross-border contact. The decision does not sit well with some activist groups who say no one should feel sorry about the loss of a dictator.
• Scores Killed In Wave Of Baghdad Bombings RFE/RL 22 Dec 2011 -- A wave of attacks has killed scores of people across the Iraqi capital in seemingly coordinated attacks that sent ambulances scrambling to scenes of carnage.
• Iraq: UN envoy strongly condemns deadly bomb blasts in Baghdad UN News Centre 22 Dec 2011 -- The United Nations envoy for Iraq has strongly condemned today's bomb attacks that caused a large number of deaths and injuries in the capital, Baghdad, and urged all of the country's leaders to unite and bring the violence to an end.
• Bombs Rock Baghdad VOA 22 Dec 2011 -- A series of bomb blasts hit the Iraqi capital Thursday, leaving at least 63 dead and more than 180 wounded. The attacks came as Iraq is gripped in a political crisis between Shi'ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Sunni political rivals in the government.
• Russia's Medvedev Proposes Reforms In Wake Of Protests RFE/RL 22 Dec 2011 -- In an apparent attempt to stem rising public discontent with the ruling elite, President Dmitry Medvedev has called for a comprehensive reform of Russia's political system, including a resumption of the direct election of regional governors.
• Outgoing Medvedev proposes sweeping political reforms RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2011 -- Outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev proposed on Thursday a sweeping reform of Russia's political system, including direct elections for regional governors.
• Ahead of Huge Moscow Protest, Medvedev Offers Reform VOA 22 Dec 2011 -- Russia's biggest protest yet is expected this weekend in Moscow. With an ear to Russia's discontent on the street, President Dmitry Medvedev has unveiled changes to widen democracy in Russia.
• Pakistan's ex-ambo says he was unaware of US Osama raid IRNA 22 Dec 2011 -- Pakistan's former ambassador to United States, Hussain Haqqani has dispelled impression that he was aware of American military raid to kill Osama bin Laden.
• New York court rejects appeal from Bout on partial juror RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2011 -- A court in New York turned down convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout's appeal that argued the impartiality of at least one juror in his conviction last month was in doubt, a RIA reporter said.
• Lockerbie Bomber Says New Evidence Will Clear His Name VOA 22 Dec 2011 -- British newspapers have published an interview with convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, in which he claims his innocence and says he has new evidence that will clear his name.
• Security Council calls on Yemeni parties to ensure political transition stays on track UN News Centre 22 Dec 2011 -- The Security Council today welcomed the progress made so far in implementing the agreement for a peaceful transition of power in Yemen, and called on the parties to ensure that they adhere to the timetable set out for the process.
• Army rejects spy chief's Arab leaders meet report IRNA 22 Dec 2011 -- Pakistan army on Wednesday denied meeting of chief of Pakistan's top spy agency with Arab leaders to oust President Zardari's Government as claimed by an article published in western media.
• Pakistan army chief says U.S. memo is a reality IRNA 22 Dec 2011 -- Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has told the Supreme Court that a memo was sent to the U.S. allegedly by the former Pakistani ambassador Hussain Haqqani on behalf of President Asif Zardari to seek U.S. help against the army.
• SYRIA: Violence, sectarianism stalk Homs IRIN 22 Dec 2011 -- Syria's central city of Homs is in a state of quasi-civil war, as violence becomes a daily routine, with sectarianism increasing and living conditions deteriorating, say residents and government opponents.
• Arab League observers head to Syria RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2011 -- Representatives of the Syrian opposition will gather for a meeting proposed by the Arab League at the beginning of 2012, the Arab media reported, citing Arab League General Secretary Nabil al-Arabi.
• Arab League Team Arrives in Syria VOA 22 Dec 2011 -- An advance team of Arab League observers has arrived in Syria, amid a mounting death toll from a crackdown on opposition unrest.