Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 10 Apr 2012 [PDF]
• Remarks by Secretary Panetta, Afghan Defense Minister Wardak and Afghan Interior Minister General Mohammadi at U.S.-Afghanistan Security Consultations Forum DoD 10 Apr 2012 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and Afghan Interior Minister General Bismellah Khan Mohammadi
• Regional Command (South) CSM conducts a battlefield circulation in Zabul province Army News 10 Apr 2012 -- In support of the mission in Regional Command (South), Command Sgt. Maj. Bryant C. Lambert, 82nd Airborne Division and RC(S) command sergeant major, conducted a battlefield circulation with leadership from RC(S) headquarters and Combined Task Force Arrowhead throughout Zabul province April 8.
• Combined Force Captures Taliban Facilitator AFPS 10 Apr 2012 -- An Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban facilitator in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Afghanistan's Helmand province today, military officials reported.
• At Least 18 Dead in Afghan Suicide Blasts RIA Novosti 10 Apr 2012 -- At least 18 people were killed and another 45 injured in two separate Taliban attacks in Afghanistan's Herat and Helmand provinces on Tuesday, Al Jazeera said, quoting local police.
• Third U.S. - Afghanistan Security Consultations Forum Held at Pentagon DoD 10 Apr 2012
• Panetta Meets Afghan Defense, Interior Ministers at Pentagon AFPS 10 Apr 2012 -- The goal of a sovereign, secure Afghanistan is in sight, Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak said here today at the beginning of the Afghanistan Security Consultation Forum.
• Putting Afghans Forces in Charge Raises Concerns VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- U.S. and Afghan military leaders have called the agreement transferring leadership for night raid operations to Afghan forces a major milestone towards Afghanistan's sovereignty. But as Some analysts have raised concerns that the process was driven by political expediency and that the Afghan military and judiciary are not capable of fulfilling the agreement.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Independence Departs for Homeport of San Diego NNS 10 Apr 2012 -- Littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS 2) departed Naval Station Mayport April 9, embarking on the ship's maiden voyage to its homeport of San Diego.
• USS Helena Returns from Deployment NNS 10 Apr 2012 -- Los Angeles fast-attack submarine USS Helena (SSN 725) returned to Naval Station Norfolk from a regularly scheduled deployment April 10.
• ASN Visits Submarine Force to Discuss 21st Century Sailor & Marine NNS 10 Apr 2012 -- Assistant Secretary (ASN) of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs (M&RA) visited Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga., April 10, to host a town hall for service members stationed aboard the base.
• NMCB 133 Pensacola Project Builds Managers NNS 10 Apr 2012 -- Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133's Air Detachment marked a signifigant milestone March 28, as they placed concrete for a pre-engineered canopy building used to store liquid oxygen at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola.
• Naval Weapons Station Yorktown Conducts Joint Exercise with York County NNS 10 Apr 2012 -- Emergency responders from Naval Weapons Station (WPNSTA) Yorktown joined forces with emergency response assets from York County during Exercise Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield (SC-CS), March 20.
• Sun Kings Keep Fit at Sea NNS 10 Apr 2012 -- The Sun Kings of Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 116 are preparing for the upcoming Navywide Physical Fitness Assessment cycle by creating and meeting fitness goals while aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).
• DOD Expands International Cyber Cooperation, Official Says AFPS 10 Apr 2012 -- The Defense Department is moving beyond its traditional treaty allies to expand partnerships in cyberspace, a senior defense office said today.
• Navy Investigates Unmanned Helicopter Mishaps NNS 10 Apr 2012 -- The Navy recently experienced two unrelated operational mishaps with the MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter.
• Senior Executive Service Announcement DoD 10 Apr 2012
• Future vertical lift aircraft faster, with less logistics footprint Army News 10 Apr 2012 -- The Army's aircraft of the future will be faster than what the service has now, it will carry more weight, it will require less of a logistical footprint, and officials said it will better do what Army aviation is meant to do: serve the ground commander.
• Combat engineers train to provide mobility, freedom USMC News 10 Apr 2012 -- An Afghanistan deployment is on the horizon for 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, and the unit is making sure all its Marines are ready for the insurgents' weapon of choice – the improvised explosive device.
• Army examining what capabilities 'make sense' for network of future Army News 10 Apr 2012 -- The U.S. Army will assess capabilities and emerging Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, known as C4ISR, technologies as part of its efforts to shape the future network when its annual integrated capabilities event begins at Fort Dix, N.J., April 16.
• Engineers prepare to lead way in future deployment USMC News 10 Apr 2012 -- They can build structures, find improvised explosive devices and bring the heat with their weapons when needed. These Marines are combat engineers and frequently lead foot patrols to clear Afghanistan roads of IEDs.
• Air National Guard medical team sets bar during disaster response test AFNS 10 Apr 2012 -- It took only 36 minutes for the 139th Airlift Wing's medics here to make their presence known as medical performers during a recent homeland response evaluation.
• Russia Tests New Thermobaric Rocket System RIA Novosti 10 Apr 2012 -- Russia has tested a new thermobaric rocket for its TOS-1 Buratino and TOS-1A Soltsepek multiple launch rocket systems, the Izvestia daily reported on Tuesday.
• India’s Defense Minister Dismisses Reports India Not Battle Ready VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- Assurances follow recent concerns expressed by India’s army chief about the country’s defense preparedness.
• Tank munition reserves: Antony terms reports as 'rumours' IRNA 10 Apr 2012 -- Dismissing as 'rumours' reports about shortage of certain tank ammunition, Defence Minister A K Antony Tuesday said there will always be 'shortcomings' but the country was in a much stronger position as compared to the past.
• HMS Defender sails through second sea trials UK MOD 10 Apr 2012 -- The fifth of Britain's Type 45 destroyers is getting closer to being taken in to operational services after completing her second period of sea trials off Scotland.
• Army's rapid reaction force takes to the air UK MOD 10 Apr 2012 -- Troops from the British Army's rapid reaction force have taken part in an aviation skills master class.
• Pakistan army says rescue operation continues in avalanche-hit area IRNA 10 Apr 2012 -- Pakistan army said Tuesday that despite weather hazards, rescue work continues at Siachen where a massive avalanche has buried 135 soldiers and civilians since Saturday.
• Taiwan declines to comment on report of new missile development CNA 10 Apr 2012 -- Taiwan's defense ministry declined to comment Tuesday on a foreign report that it is planning to develop a new type of anti-ship missile.
• April 10, 2012 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 10 Apr 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 10, 2012

Other Conflicts

• 10 April 2012 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 10 Apr 2012
• Syrian government pulls back troops from armed conflict areas: FM IRNA 10 Apr 2012 -- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said on Tuesday that the Syrian government has pulled back troops from cities in line with a UN-backed peace plan to end armed conflict in the country.
• Annan Says 'No Preconditions' As Violence Continues RFE/RL 10 Apr 2012 -- International envoy Kofi Annan has said the bloodshed in Syria must end without any preconditions, as violence continued across the country despite a cease-fire agreement coming into force.
• Damascus Faces Deadline To Withdraw Troops RFE/RL 10 Apr 2012 -- Hopes for an end to the bloodletting in Syria suffered a blow as violence continued ahead of a deadline today to withdraw troops from cities as part of a peace plan by the UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan.
• Russia Urges Syria to Act on Annan Peace Plan RIA Novosti 10 Apr 2012 -- Russia criticized the Syrian authorities on Tuesday over their efforts on UN envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan and said Damascus needed to show more decisiveness to end the violence in the Middle East country.
• Annan Hopeful for Syria Cease-Fire Despite Continued Violence VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan is holding out hope that Syria's government and opposition will abide by terms of a cease-fire plan that he brokered, as a Tuesday deadline for Damascus to begin pulling its forces out of urban areas came without a cessation of attacks.
• As Syrian Government Claims Pullout, Activists Report Attacks VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- Syrian activists reported military attacks on two towns and no large-scale troop pullout Tuesday, even as Syria's government claimed its forces have begun withdrawing from some cities in compliance with a U.N.-brokered truce.
• DRC: Thorny issue of reparations for Lubanga's victims IRIN 10 Apr 2012 -- Motorcycles, school fees, counselling, cash: Thomas Lubanga's `kadogo' (child soldiers) know what reparations they want from the International Criminal Court (ICC). Less clear is what a cash-strapped tribunal can offer damaged children taken from their families and forced to fight in a brutal ethnic conflict in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
• SUDAN-SOUTH SUDAN: Abyei displaced struggle to survive in impoverished villages IRIN 10 Apr 2012 -- Almost a year after fleeing fighting in Abyei, a disputed region on the border between South Sudan and Sudan, thousands of civilians are struggling to get by in villages such as Abothok in South Sudan.
• Malians Protest Rebel Takeover of North VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- Thousands of Malians marched in the streets of Bamako on Tuesday, calling for the'liberation' of northern cities taken over by Tuareg separatists and Islamic militants.
• Notice - Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Somalia The White House 10 Apr 2012
• Letter - Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Somalia The White House 10 Apr 2012

News Reports

• Secretary Clinton Remarks With And Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba After Their Meeting US Dept. of State 10 Apr 2012
• North Korean Rocket Readied for Expected Launch VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- Analysts say the close-up view of a North Korean rocket on the launch pad and the satellite it is supposed to carry into space has allowed them to make some fresh conclusions.
• Tensions Rise Ahead of Planned North Korean Launch VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- An international chorus is denouncing North Korea’s planned satellite rocket launch.
• North Korean Officials Say All Preparations Done For Launch RFE/RL 10 Apr 2012 -- North Korean officials say preparations for this week's planned satellite launch are on track.
• DPRK Satellite Launch Disregards UN Says Russia RIA Novosti 10 Apr 2012 -- Russia considers Pyongyang's decision to launch a scientific rocket to place a satellite in earth orbit as disregarding UN Security Council resolutions , Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Tuesday.
• US: N. Korea Rocket Would Violate UN Resolutions VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- The United States says a planned North Korean rocket launch would represent a'clear and serious violation' of the country's obligations under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
• China Urges Restraint on Korean Peninsula VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- China on Tuesday urged all sides to 'exercise restraint' on the Korean Peninsula, as Pyongyang's gears up to launch what it is calling a weather satellite in the next few days.
• Philippines Announces Precautionary Measures Ahead of North Korean Rocket Launch VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- The Philippines is announcing precautions for airlines and ships to avoid falling debris from North Korea's expected rocket launch, due in the next few days. North Korean officials say the first stage will fall into the sea about 160 kilometers from the Philippines, but past North Korean launches have been notoriously inaccurate.
• North Korean rocket launch will not affect Taiwan: Defense Ministry CNA 10 Apr 2012 -- A planned launch by North Korea of a research satellite set to take place between April 12 and April 16 is not expected to affect Taiwan, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday, although it added that it is preparing for any contingency.
• Strasbourg Court Backs Five Terror Suspects' Extradition from UK RIA Novosti 10 Apr 2012 -- The European Court of Human Rights has approved the extradition of radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza and four other terror suspects, including a man accused of raising money for Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, from Britain to the United States, British and U.S. media reported on Tuesday.
• European Court Gives Go Ahead for US Extradition VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- Britain can extradite jailed radical-Muslim preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri and four other alleged terrorists to the United States, according to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.
• Parliament Speaker to Become Interim Mali President VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- Mali's parliament speaker is expected to be sworn in as interim president on Thursday, taking temporary control of a fractured nation beset by instability.
• Mali: Security Council calls for implementation of accord to restore constitution UN News Centre 10 Apr 2012 -- The Security Council today urged the military rebels who seized control of the government in Mali to immediately implement the agreement signed last week with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which provides a series of steps to restore constitutional order in the country.
• Terrorists affiliated to Rigi group smashed, top commander IRNA 10 Apr 2012 -- Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said a team of terrorists affiliated to the former Jondollah leader Abdolmalek Rigi was completely smashed and a number of its members were killed.
• Egypt Court Suspends Constitutional Assembly VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- An Egyptian court has suspended an Islamist-dominated panel that has the job of rewriting the country's constitution.
• Iraqi leaders must work together to resolve outstanding issues UN News Centre 10 Apr 2012 -- The top United Nations envoy to Iraq underscored the need for the country’s leaders to work together to resolve outstanding issues.
• Bo Xilai Removed from Top Ranks of China's Communist Party VOA 10 Apr 2012 -- China's Communist Party has suspended charismatic politician Bo Xilai from its top ranks, in the latest development in a political scandal involving him and his family.
• UN warns lack of funds threatens response to food crisis in Africa's Sahel region UN News Centre 10 Apr 2012 -- Senior United Nations officials today made impassioned appeals to the international community to make more resources available to assist millions of people affected by the severe food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa, cautioning that global inaction could lead to a humanitarian disaster.