Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• No Early Pull-Out for British Troops in Afghanistan VOA 28 Jan 2012 -- British Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters Saturday he has no plans to pull his country's combat troops from Afghanistan before the current deadline expires. He also said Britain will continue to have a strong relationship with Kabul going forward because 'it is in the interests of the whole world to have a safe and stable Afghanistan that is free from the terrorism.'

Defense Policy / Programs

• USS James E. Williams Flexes Undersea Warfare Capabilities NNS 28 Jan 2012 -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) is participating in an integrated anti-submarine course (IAC) to certify Destroyer Squadron 2 (DESRON 2) during an ongoing composite unit training exercise (COMPTUEX) with the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, Jan. 26.
• East Coast SEAL Community Celebrates 50 Years of Service NNS 28 Jan 2012 -- Naval Special Warfare Group Two hosted a 50th anniversary ceremony Jan. 27, at the Navy SEAL Heritage Center aboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, to honor and celebrate the rich history and heritage of the Navy SEAL community.
• Pri-Fly Sailors On Lookout Atop Enterprise NNS 28 Jan 2012 -- As pilots assigned to the squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 1 continue to earn flight hours aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) during the ship's composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) Jan. 26, a group of Sailors is tracking their every movement from their 'perch' above the ship.
• Report: US Military to Send 'Mothership' to Middle East VOA 28 Jan 2012 -- A media report says the U.S. military plans to send a floating base for commando teams to the Middle East, where relations with Iran are tense and other nations are in the midst of political upheaval.
• US Making More Powerful Bomb to Hit Underground Facilities RIA Novosti 28 Jan 2012 -- Pentagon is stepping up efforts to make a bomb capable of destroying Iran's most heavily fortified underground facilities, the Wall Street Journal said on Saturday referring to U.S. officials briefed on the plan.
• Army Field Support Battalion-Kuwait, 402nd Army Field Support Brigade, equips Ironhorse Brigade Army News 28 Jan 2012 -- The Army Field Support Battalion-Kuwait, 402nd Army Field Support Brigade, began the issue here of brigade combat team equipment to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
• Iran builds rescue and search drone ISNA 28 Jan 2012 -- Iranian scholars managed to design and build a drone which can be used in rescue and search missions.
• 11th Indo-Japan Coast Guards combined exercise begins tomorrow IRNA 28 Jan 2012 -- The Coast Guards of India and Japan will hold a combined excercise in Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu state.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Syrian State Media Says Seven Soldiers Killed In Ambush RFE/RL 28 Jan 2012 -- Syrian state media says that seven soldiers were killed in an ambush as they rode in a bus near Damascus today.
• Arab League Suspends Syria Mission Amid Increasing Violence RFE/RL 28 Jan 2012 -- The Arab League says its monitoring mission to Syria has been frozen given the escalation of violence in the country.
• Russia Rejects Another Security Council Resolution on Syria RIA Novosti 28 Jan 2012 -- Russia is not ready to support another UN Security Council draft resolution on Syria, but will continue to search for a solution, Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said on Saturday.
• Arab League Suspends Syria Observer Mission VOA 28 Jan 2012 -- The Arab League said Saturday it is suspending activities by its observer mission in Syria, as the Damascus government's crackdown against dissent intensifies.
• Russia Clashes with Europeans, Arabs Over Syria UN Resolution VOA 28 Jan 2012 -- European and Arab nations are calling on the U.N. Security Council to back a resolution supporting the Arab League's plan to end the 10-month-old political crisis in Syria. But, Russia has expressed concerns about the new text.
• Russia, Japan Ready to Seek Compromise on Peace Treaty RIA Novosti 28 Jan 2012 -- Moscow and Tokyo are ready to seek compromise on the conclusion of a bilateral World War II peace treaty, despite the fact that their stances on its possible conditions are different, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

News Reports

• Minister: Iran to unveil new space, missile achievements soon IRNA 28 Jan 2012 -- Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said on Saturday that Iran will unveil its latest home-made space and missile achievements during ceremonies to celebrate the 33rd victory anniversary of the Islamic Revolution to start Feb 1, 2012.
• Velayati: Iran's nuclear activities have always been transparent IRNA 28 Jan 2012 -- Supreme Leader's advisor for foreign affairs Ali Akbar Velayati said here on Saturday that Iran's nuclear activities have always been fully transparent.
• IAEA Team Heads To Iran To Seek Nuclear Answers RFE/RL 28 Jan 2012 -- Inspectors from the United Nations nuclear agency have departed for Iran for talks aimed at discussing international concerns that Tehran is seeking a nuclear weapon.
• Hundreds Of Kazakh Opposition Supporters Rally In Almaty RFE/RL 28 Jan 2012 -- Hundreds of Kazakh opposition supporters protested on January 28 in Almaty against President Nursultan Nazarbaev and the results of recent elections.
• Pakistan's ex-president cancels return IRNA 28 Jan 2012 -- Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, who was scheduled to end his three-year self-exile and to return to the country by the end of January, has decided to cancel his arrival, media reported Saturday.
• 2 rockets land at Pakistani military academy IRNA 28 Jan 2012 -- Two rockets were fired on Pakistan's major military academy in Abbotabad early Friday, officials said.