Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 22 Mar 2012 [PDF]
• Coalition Force Finds Opium Cache AFPS 22 Mar 2012 -- A coalition security force found 1,300 pounds of opium in the Nad-e Ali district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
• ‘Eyes in sky’ aid in largest drug raid in history USMC News 22 Mar 2012 -- Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron-1, based out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., provided Afghan National Security Forces with intelligence collected by UAVs.
• Officials Discuss Troop Numbers, Partnership With Afghanistan AFPS 22 Mar 2012 -- Troop numbers - both Afghan and coalition - were among the questions posed to senior officials during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
• US, Afghanistan in Final Discussions on Night-Time Operations VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Janan Mosazai: Kabul and Washington are in "final discussions" on an agreement to end U.S. military night-time raids in Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan Moves to Abolish Private Security Firms VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- In Afghanistan, international development organizations and some businesses must now stop using private companies to provide security for their operations and instead rely on the interior ministry's new Afghan Private Protection Force.
• Afghanistan: Security Council extends mandate of UN mission for another year UN News Centre 22 Mar 2012 -- The Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations mission in Afghanistan for another one year.
• Security Council Renews UN Mission in Afghanistan RFE/RL 22 Mar 2012 -- The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to renew the mandate of the UN assistance mission in Afghanistan for another year.
• 214th FiB security team deploys Army News 22 Mar 2012 -- The 214th Fires Brigade conducted a deployment ceremony for its Security Force Advisory Team March 16 at Rinehart Fitness Center.
• Navy Afghanistan IA In-Processing Moves from Kuwait to Kyrgyzstan NNS 22 Mar 2012 -- The Navy has moved its in-processing center for Sailors and officers with individual augmentee orders to Afghanistan from Kuwait to the Transit Center at Manas.

Defense Policy / Programs

• U.S. Denies Disclosing Missile Defense Data to Russia RIA Novosti 22 Mar 2012 -- The U.S. has never provided Russia with secret information concerning the deployment of its missile shield elements in Europe.
• Army planning extensive drawdown in Europe Army News 22 Mar 2012 -- As part of the Army's drawdown in Europe, plans call for deactivation of V Corps after the headquarters returns from Afghanistan next year.
• AF leaders discuss planned force structure changes AFNS 22 Mar 2012 -- The Air Force secretary and chief of staff discussed planned force structure changes, and efforts to balance service active-duty and reserve components, during congressional testimony here March 20.
• Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, 24th Marine Expeditionary to Deploy NNS 22 Mar 2012 -- More than 4,000 Sailors and Marines from the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (IWO ARG) and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit will deploy from Norfolk and Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 27.
• New Army policy provides communications security solutions Army News 22 Mar 2012 -- A new policy established by Army acquisition officials for the procurement and deployment of all communications security technologies will help ensure that critical information does not fall into the wrong hands.
• 128th Avn. Bde. activates, USAALS inactivates Army News 22 Mar 2012 -- The ceremony ended the schoolhouse organization under which Aviation maintenance Soldiers were trained at Fort Eustis beginning in 1954 and establishing USAALS in 1983.
• Specialized military medical unit shines at Korean exercises Army News 22 Mar 2012 -- The 9th Area Medical Laboratory participated in two Republic of Korea-U.S. combined exercises.
• History-making Op Deep Freeze 2011-2012 season concluded AFNS 22 Mar 2012 -- Personnel participating in the 2011-2012 edition of Operation Deep Freeze can lay claim to yet another successful and history-making season.
• Air Force Culture and Language Center launches new field guides for Airmen AFNS 22 Mar 2012 -- The Air Force Culture and Language Center, located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., is currently developing a series of Expeditionary Culture Field Guides on key countries to where U.S. forces are deploying.
• NMCB 3 Joins the Fight NNS 22 Mar 2012 -- In preparation for the trilateral exercise Lisa Azul, Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 assembled a building-clearing obstacle course at the simulated urban terrain compound Hogan's Alley aboard Naval Station Rota, Spain, March 6.
• Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2012 Tests Security of Installations NNS 22 Mar 2012 -- Exercise Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2012 began in the Hampton Roads area, March 19.
• CERDEC reorganizes workforce; new name to focus on core competencies Army News 22 Mar 2012 -- The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command's Communications-Electronics RD&E center has reorganized an element of its workforce.
• Army will likely surpass President's goals for Energy Savings Performance Contracts Army News 22 Mar 2012 -- The Army announced that it is likely to execute $900 million in alternative financed energy efficiency projects in the next two years.
• Pentagon Seeks Less for Construction, More for Conservation AFPS 22 Mar 2012 -- The Defense Department is asking for less money for military construction and more for energy conservation in its fiscal 2013 budget request.
• Deadline to Apply for Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay Extended DoD 22 Mar 2012
• Navy Surgeon General Testifies Before Congress NNS 22 Mar 2012 -- The U.S. Navy Surgeon General told members of Congress March 21, that Navy Medicine collectively remains strong and continues to meet their operational and wartime commitments.
• Senior Enlisted Leaders Condemn Hazing in Military AFPS 22 Mar 2012 -- Senior enlisted leaders from each service denounced hazing in the armed forces today and delivered a message of unity while testifying before a congressional panel.
• MCPON Testifies before Congress on Hazing NNS 22 Mar 2012 -- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West testified before Congress March 22.
• Russia Destroys Over 60% of its Chemical Weapons Stockpile RIA Novosti 22 Mar 2012 -- Russia has destroyed more than 24,000 metric tons of chemical agents, or 60.4 percent of its chemical weapons stockpile.
• Russia Eyes Development of Futuristic Weaponry RIA Novosti 22 Mar 2012 -- Proposals for the development of weaponry based on futuristic concepts will be ready by December this year.
• All Defense Industry Plants Must Stay Afloat RIA Novosti 22 Mar 2012 -- Defense industry enterprises that are not part of the new rearmament program should not be neglected.
• Russia Orders 30 Su-30SM Fighters RIA Novosti 22 Mar 2012 -- Russia's Defense Ministry has signed an order with aircraft-maker Irkut for 30 Su-30SM multirole fighter aircraft.
• Hemp Uniforms 'Unsuitable' for Russian Army RIA Novosti 22 Mar 2012 -- Domestically grown hemp (cannabis) is not a viable alternative to the imported fibers used to make uniforms for the Russian armed forces.
• Russia, Kyrgyzstan Clash Over Torpedo Plant RIA Novosti 22 Mar 2012 -- Moscow and Bishkek are in a deadlock over the swap of the controlling stake in the Dastan torpedo plant for a write-off of the Kyrgyz debt to Russia.
• Army and RAF help combat Mount Kenya fires UK MOD 22 Mar 2012 -- UK Armed Forces personnel are helping to put out a fire on the slopes of Mount Kenya which is destroying the habitat of wildlife.
• Lawmakers concerned over budget for all-volunteer military CNA 22 Mar 2012 -- Lawmakers expressed concern about whether Taiwan can transform its compulsory military service system to a full volunteer service.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, March 22, 2012 US Dept. of State 22 Mar 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 22, 2012
• Rock Island Arsenal-JMTC signs partnering agreement with Mack Defense Army News 22 Mar 2012 -- The Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center and Mack Defense signed an agreement via public-private partnerships.

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 22 March 2012 United Nations 22 Mar 2012
• Russian Official Says Syria's Assad Needs To 'Take First Step' RFE/RL 22 Mar 2012 -- Mikhail Margelov, the chairman of foreign policy committee for Russia's upper house of parliament, said that the conflict in Syria needs to be stopped.
• US Wants Iraq to Block Iran Weapons Sales to Syria VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- The United States wants Iraq to stop Iran from using Iraqi airspace to ship weapons to Syria.
• Syrian Groups: At Least 60 Dead in Fresh Violence VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- Fresh clashes broke out across Syria on a day after the United Nations Security Council called for the government and opponents to enact a peace plan.
• UN Chief Urges Syria Cease-Fire VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban says the Security Council has sent a "clear" message in approving a non-binding document calling for end the country's bloody conflict.
• EU Welcomes UN Syria Statement RIA Novosti 22 Mar 2012 -- European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has welcomed the UN Security Council’s statement on the Syria peace plan by its special envoy Kofi Annan.
• Statement by the Press Secretary on Mali The White House 22 Mar 2012
• ECOWAS Condemns Military ‘Adventurism’ in Mali VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- An official of the Economic Community of West African States says the sub-regional bloc will not tolerate “military adventurism” after mutinous soldiers toppled Mali President Amadou Toumani Toure.
• US Calls for End to Military Takeover in Mali VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- The United States is calling for the restoration of civilian authority in Mali, after soldiers announced they have taken power in a coup d'état.
• US Joins Condemnation of Mali Coup VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- The United States is considering a cutoff in non-humanitarian aid to Mali after the apparent overthrow of Mali's President Amadou Toumani Toure by mutinous soldiers.
• EU Condemns Mali Coup VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- The European Union has called for constitutional rule to return to Mali "as soon as possible" following an apparent coup d’etat by mutinous soldiers.
• UN Security Council Condemns Mali Coup VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- The U.N. Security Council has condemned mutinous Malian soldiers for their "forcible seizure of power" from Mali's democratically elected government.
• UN chief calls for calm and peaceful resolution of Malian conflict UN News Centre 22 Mar 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for calm and a peaceful resolution of grievances in Mali after rebel soldiers reportedly announced they have seized control of the country.
• MALI: Rebellion claims a president IRIN 22 Mar 2012 -- Former Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré, overthrown this morning by mutinous soldiers, said recently that tackling recalcitrant Tuareg rebels in the north is going to be an ongoing task for future governments.
• Soldiers Oust Mali President, Seize Control VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- Malian soldiers angered over the government's mishandling of the two-month-old Tuareg rebellion in the North say they have overthrown President Amadou Toumani Toure.
• After Coup, Mali Tuaregs Fear Discrimination VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- In Mali's capital, Bamako, people from Tuareg and Arab ethnic groups say the soldiers who seized power vowing to lead a more robust response to the Tuareg rebellion must work to avoid renewed discrimination against civilians from these communities.
• 34 Reported Killed In Attacks On Al-Qaeda Militants In Yemen RFE/RL 22 Mar 2012 -- Media reports and Yemeni officials said at least 29 people have been killed in a 48-hour period in a joint attack by Yemeni and U.S. forces on suspected al-Qaeda militants in the southern part of Yemen.
• Press Statement on UN Human Rights Council Vote on Sri Lanka Reconciliation US Dept. of State 22 Mar 2012
• UN urges Sri Lanka to take ‘credible’ steps to ensure accountability for alleged war crimes UN News Centre 22 Mar 2012 -- The top United Nations human rights body called on the Government of Sri Lanka to take “credible” steps to ensure accountability.
• China backs Sri Lanka to stave off US-sponsored resolution IRNA 22 Mar 2012 -- China firmly backed Sri Lanka against the US-sponsored resolution at the UNHRC on alleged war crimes, saying it is against any country putting pressure on others in the name of rights violations.
• At Least One Dead, 23 Injured In Kashmir Blast RFE/RL 22 Mar 2012 -- At least one person has been killed and 23 injured after a car bomb exploded in India-administered Kashmir on March 22.
• Minsk Group Urges Armenia, Azerbaijan To Settle Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict RFE/RL 22 Mar 2012 -- The United States, Russia, and France are urging Azerbaijan and Armenia to show the "political will needed to achieve a lasting and peaceful settlement” to their conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
• Cambodian Opposition Leader Blasts Tribunal Interference VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- Cambodia's opposition leader in exile is criticizing the country's government, accusing it of blatantly interfering with attempts to prosecute crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge.

News Reports

• N. Korean Missile Announcement Considered a Slap to Diplomacy VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- Diplomats and analysts are generally pessimistic international pressure will prompt North Korea to halt a planned launch.
• UN Chief: North Korean Rocket Launch Could Threaten Peace RFE/RL 22 Mar 2012 -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says North Korea's plan to launch a rocket could be a threat to regional peace.
• Rosatom Says Construction Of Iran Nuclear Plant On Schedule RFE/RL 22 Mar 2012 -- Head of Russia's state nuclear company Rosatom: Construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran isto schedule.
• Iran will send monkey into space in early 2012 IRNA 22 Mar 2012 -- Head of Iranian Space Agency, Hamid Fazeli: Iranian shuttle, Kavoshgar-5 (Explorer-5) carrying monkey to space will be launched into space during March-August 2012.
• Tibetan Unrest Highlights Rejection of Chinese Development Goals VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- China has long championed its policies in Tibet as aimed at boosting development and raising living standards.
• Scandal-Tainted Hong Kong Campaign Nears Sunday Poll VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- A committee of pro-Beijing business tycoons and special interest groups will appoint the next leader of the Hong Kong government.
• Opposing Approaches Will Determine Senegal's Second-Round Vote VOA 22 Mar 2012 -- After failing to win outright in the first round of Senegal's election, President Abdoulaye Wade faces Macky Sall in Sunday's second-round vote.
• Ahead of elections, UN envoy calls on Sierra Leone’s politicians to put national interests first UN News Centre 22 Mar 2012 -- Outgoing head of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Mission in Sierra Leone called on the country’s political establishment to put the country’s national interests ahead of their own political ambitions.