Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 23 Mar 2012 [PDF]
• Coalition Airstrike Kills Taliban Bomb Expert AFPS 23 Mar 2012 -- A coalition airstrike killed a Taliban expert bomb maker and wounded another insurgent in the Baghlan-e Jadid district of Afghanistan’s Baghlan province.
• RAF Tornados hit Taliban bombers UK MOD 23 Mar 2012 -- A Tornado GR4 crew from 12 (Bomber) Squadron unleashed a Brimstone missile attack on an insurgent attempting to lay a number of improvised explosive devices in the ground in Kandahar.
• U.S. Forces Afghanistan Prefers Criminal Charges Against Bales AFPS 23 Mar 2012 -- U.S. Forces Afghanistan formally preferred criminal charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice against Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales.
• US Soldier Facing 17 Counts of Murder in Afghan Killings VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- U.S. officials say Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales is expected to be formally charged Friday with 17 counts of murder in the massacre of Afghan civilians.
• U.S. Soldier Charged With Killing 17 Afghans RFE/RL 23 Mar 2012 -- U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, six counts of attempted murder, and other charges.
• Combat Logistics Battalion 4 supports operations in Afghanistan USMC News 23 Mar 2012 -- Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 4 conducted a combat logistics patrol supporting counterinsurgency operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 4-7.
• Taliban Bombing Against Rival Group Kills At Least Five RFE/RL 23 Mar 2012 -- At least five people have been reported killed in a suicide bomb attack in northwestern Pakistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Army wants two additional BRAC rounds Army News 23 Mar 2012 -- The Army wants another two rounds of base realignment and closure to optimize facility usage across the service.
• U.S. and Colombian Armies conclude annual Staff Talks Army News 23 Mar 2012 -- United States Army South and the Colombian army concluded their third annual bilateral staff talks here March 22 and agreed to conduct 19 activities over approximately the next 12 months.
• Army sees 10,000 CROWS manufactured Army News 23 Mar 2012 -- The Army recently marked the manufacture of the 10,000th M153 Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station.
• NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic Awards Contract for Marine Helicopter Facility NNS 23 Mar 2012 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic's North Carolina Integrated Product Team (IPT) awarded an $11.5 million contract to Walbridge Aldiner Company of Detroit for construction of a helicopter gearbox repair and test facility at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. March 15.
• Office of Naval Intelligence Celebrates 130th Anniversary NNS 23 Mar 2012 -- The men and women of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) celebrated the 130th anniversary of the establishment of the command in a ceremony today at ONI's headquarters in Suitland, Md.
• Navy Region Northwest Participates in Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2012 NNS 23 Mar 2012 -- Commands throughout Navy Region Northwest participated in the annual security training exercise Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield 2012 (SC-CS12) March 19-23.
• USS Blue Ridge Arrives in Manila NNS 23 Mar 2012 -- The 7th Fleet command flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) arrived in Manila, Republic of the Philippines, March 23, for a port visit.
• Enterprise Prepares for 3M Assessment NNS 23 Mar 2012 -- Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) hosted a material, maintenance and management assist (3MA) team March 22 as they evaluated the ship's 3M program.
• Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield Tests Proficiencies At Naval Air Station Jacksonville NNS 23 Mar 2012 -- Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jax) security and fire department personnel conducted an anti-terrorism/force protection evolution March 22 as the installation participated in the nationwide 2012 Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield exercise.
• USS Constitution Departs for Phoenix Navy Week NNS 23 Mar 2012 -- Sailors assigned to USS Constitution will participate in Phoenix Navy Week in Phoenix, March 26-30.
• General: Space Capability Integral to All Military Operations AFPS 23 Mar 2012 -- Commander of Air Force Space Command: Space capabilities have become integral to all military operations.
• Clinton to Approve Military Aid to Egypt VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- A State Department official says the U.S. is set to release $1.3 billion in annual military aid to Egypt, despite concerns that it is not making sufficient democratic reforms.
• McChord Airmen set Operation Deep Freeze record AFNS 23 Mar 2012 -- Reservists from the 446th Airlift Wing and active-duty Airmen from the 62nd Airlift Wing completed a record-setting season for Operation Deep Freeze.
• Time Running Out for Missile Shield Talks RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2012 -- Russia is still open for dialogue on a planned U.S. missile shield in Europe, but opportunities for discussion are decreasing.
• Sukhoi Su-30SM: An Indian Gift to Russia’s Air Force RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2012 -- Russia’s Defense Ministry has ordered 30 heavy Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter planes.
• Russia Announces 'Massive' Tank Scrappage Scheme RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2012 -- Outmoded tanks and armored vehicles will be scrapped in a "massive" scheme launched by the defense ministry last year.
• India Emerges as World’s Biggest Arms Importer VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- India has emerged as the world’s largest weapons importer in the last five years, according to a Swedish research group.
• India to produce 5,000 Pinaka rockets every year IRNA 23 Mar 2012 -- The Ordnance Factory Ambajhari near Nagpur is all set to enhance its manufacturing capacity of Pinaka rockets from the present 1,000 rockets to 5,000 every year for the Indian Army.
• All Ukrainian Uranium to be Removed by Sunday - Kiriyenko RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2012 -- Russia will remove the last of Ukraine's highly enriched uranium by Sunday.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, March 23, 2012 US Dept. of State 23 Mar 2012
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 3/23/2012 The White House 23 Mar 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 23, 2012

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 23 March 2012 United Nations 23 Mar 2012
• Press Conference by Commission of Inquiry on Syria, 23 March 2012 United Nations 23 Mar 2012
• UN HRC demands end to violence in Syria UN News Centre 23 Mar 2012 -- The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution demanding that the Syrian Government cease all violence.
• UN Panel: Syrians Victims of Military Attacks VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- The head of the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on Syria says his investigators are finding that Syrians are increasingly victims of military attacks on towns and villages.
• EU Slaps Sanctions on Syrian First Lady VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- The EU imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on Syrian President al-Assad's wife and several other members of his family and administration Friday.
• EU Ministers Impose New Sanctions On Belarus, Iran, Syria RFE/RL 23 Mar 2012 -- European Union foreign ministers have imposed new sanctions targeting the Iranian, Belarusian, and Syrian regimes.
• Explainer: The Pros And Cons Of Possible Military Intervention In Syria RFE/RL 23 Mar 2012 -- The international community debates whether it should intervene militarily to stop the killing in Syria.
• SYRIA: UN asks for help in responding to Syrian refugee crisis IRIN 23 Mar 2012 -- At the edge of this busy border town, a set of old, overcrowded buildings has become a transit house for Syrians fleeing to Jordan illegally.
• African Union Suspends Mali, Hears President Toure Safe VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- The African Union has suspended Mali's membership and condemned the coup that ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure.
• Taureg Rebels Vow Push in Mali After Coup VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- Tuareg rebels in northern Mali say they will push to seize more government territory, a day after mutinous soldiers in the south overthrew President Amadou Toumani Toure.
• UN refugee agency monitoring developments in Mali following armed rebellion UN News Centre 23 Mar 2012 -- The United Nations refugee agency is monitoring developments in Mali following the announcement that parts of its military forces had taken control of the country.
• Press Conference on Strategy against Lord's Resistance Army, 23 March 2012 United Nations 23 Mar 2012
• African countries to launch UN-backed task force against Lord's Resistance Army UN News Centre 23 Mar 2012 -- With the backing of the United Nations and the African Union (AU), four African countries affected by the activities of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) are launching a joint military task force to pursue the rebel fighters, including the group's leader, Joseph Kony, UN and AU officials said today.
• KENYA-SOMALIA: “I never regret being in Dadaab” IRIN 23 Mar 2012 -- Dadaab, which is home to an estimated 463,000 Somali refugees, has since November 2011 recorded a series of abductions and road-side bombs.
• Former Somali President Yusuf Dies at 77 VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- The former president of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government has died at a hospital in the United Arab Emirates at the age of 77 following a long battle with liver disease.
• India's Vote in UN Against Sri Lanka Draws Mixed Reactions VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- Sri Lanka's government is expressing disappointment over India's backing of a United Nations resolution calling on Sri Lanka to further investigate allegations of war crimes during its civil war.

News Reports

• Rosatom prioritized safety standards in Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant IRNA 23 Mar 2012 -- Director General of Rosato: First priority in all phases of construction of Bushehr NPP was meeting safety standards.
• Sanctions do not affect Iran-India trade transactions: Indian FM IRNA 23 Mar 2012 -- Indian Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna said that New Delhi is holding talks with Iran on a guarantee for uninterrupted export of Iran's crude oil to India.
• EU Expands Iran Sanctions RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2012 -- The foreign ministers of the 27-member European Union on Friday approved broadened sanctions against Iran.
• China Telecom Backs Off After Iran Tech Sale Revealed RFE/RL 23 Mar 2012 -- China's second-largest telecommunications equipment company has said it will "restrict...business development" in Iran following reports it had sold sophisticated monitoring technology to Tehran.
• Two Detained In Turkey For Attack On Iranian Embassy RFE/RL 23 Mar 2012 -- Turkish media reports say police have detained two men of Iranian background after a firebomb attack on the Iranian Embassy in the capital Ankara.
• DPRK Foreign Ministry Spokesman on Launch of Working Satellite KCNA 23 Mar 2012 -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry released the following statement Friday
• Japan Prepares to Intercept Possibly Errant N. Korean Missile VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- The Japanese parliament has approved a resolution condemning North Korea's planned missile launch.
• China Urges Calm Ahead Of Possible North Korea Rocket Launch RFE/RL 23 Mar 2012 -- China has called for calm ahead of a possible rocket launch by nuclear-armed North Korea next month.
• The Korean DMZ: What Might Obama See? VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- As U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to visit the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean Peninsula, we take a look at the area and what it symbolizes.
• New Details on China’s Sacking of Top Party Official VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- Chinese political analysts are weighing the implications of the public fall of ambitious political leader Bo Xilai.
• Gunmen Injure 3 Policemen in Eastern Saudi Arabia RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2012 -- Three Saudi policemen who were patrolling the streets in the eastern Shiite province of Qatif were wounded by unknown gunmen.
• Senegal Votes in Presidential Runoff Sunday VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- Senegal votes Sunday in a tightly-contested runoff election that pits opposition leader Macky Sall against his former political mentor, incumbent president Abdoulaye Wade.
• Guinea-Bissau Candidate Shuns Presidential Run-Off VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- One of the two finalists in Guinea-Bissau's presidential poll says he will not participate in a run-off election, citing alleged fraud in the first round.
• Guinea-Bissau Candidate to Boycott Runoff VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- The second-place finisher in Guinea-Bissau's presidential poll says he will not take part in a run-off vote, because he says the election process was fraudulent.
• Uzbekistan Delays Presidential Vote RFE/RL 23 Mar 2012 -- Uzbekistan's parliament has moved back the country's presidential polls from December 2014 to the first half of 2015.
• New Moldovan President to be Sworn In RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2012 -- Moldova’s President-elect Nicolae Timofti will be sworn in on Friday in the republic’s capital Chisinau, the presidential staff reported.
• EU Extends Sanctions on Belarus RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2012 -- Following the recent execution of two Minsk metro bombers European Union foreign ministers extended their sanctions on the Belarusian regime.
• Minsk Does Not Want EU Diplomats Back RFE/RL 23 Mar 2012 -- Officials in Minsk have said that there is no need for the European Union member states' ambassadors to return.
• Belarus to Impose Iron Curtain for Opposition RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2012 -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has officially confirmed that Minsk would introduce an “iron curtain” on the country's opposition.
• US Ambassador to Russia: No Return to Cold War VOA 23 Mar 2012 -- The new U.S. ambassador to Russia said he has been surprised by how much anti-American sentiment he has experienced at his new post.
• Lavrov Slams EU for Rejecting Anti-Nazi UN Resolution RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2012 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned several European states’ reluctance to vote on a UN draft resolution condemning the glorification of Nazism in the Baltic states.