Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 11 Apr 2012 [PDF]
• Combined Force Captures Taliban Leader AFPS 11 Apr 2012 -- An Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban leader in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.
• 12 Mechanized Brigade takes command of Task Force Helmand UK MOD 11 Apr 2012 -- 12 Mechanized Brigade has taken command of Task Force Helmand in Afghanistan, officially marking the start of Operation HERRICK 16.
• 533rd FEST-M in Afghanistan Army News 11 Apr 2012 -- When people think of special operations units, they imagine highly trained shadow warriors who execute exotic missions no one ever hears about. But there are many kinds of special units, and the 533rd Engineer Detachment, Forward Engineer Support Team-Main (FEST-M) are not the least bit shy about telling what they accomplished in Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Judge Hears Arguments on Cole Defendant's Motions AFPS 11 Apr 2012 -- A military judge ruled today that a defendant in the USS Cole bombing may meet with his defense attorneys unfettered.
• Press Availability with Colonel McFadden and Captain Crawford from the Pentagon DoD 11 Apr 2012 -- Presenter: Maryland Air National Guard Colonel Nahaku McFadden and Air Force Captain Barry Crawford
• USS Porter Enters Gulf of Aden, Joins CTF 151 NNS 11 Apr 2012 -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) arrived in the Gulf of Aden, April 8, to join with Combined Maritime Forces, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151.
• Emory S. Land Sailors Conduct Dive with Royal Malaysian Navy NNS 11 Apr 2012 -- Navy divers assigned to submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) conducted a coordinated scuba diving evolution with Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) divers April 8.
• USS Emory S. Land Completes Port Visit to Sepangar, Malaysia NNS 11 Apr 2012 -- Submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) concluded a theater security cooperation (TSC) and friendship mission to Malaysia, April 9.
• Battery deploys to Afghanistan Army News 11 Apr 2012 -- Soldiers from A Battery, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Sill, Okla. deployed to Afghanistan on March 31 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
• New fixed-wing aircraft will replace C-12s Army News 11 Apr 2012 -- The Army is looking to replace its fleet of 117 C-12 aircraft with something called a 'Future Fixed Wing Utility Aircraft.'
• Pacific Ocean Division-Forward supports Key Resolve 2012 Army News 11 Apr 2012 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pacific Ocean Division supported the U.S. Forces Korea readiness exercise Key Resolve Feb. 27-March 9.
• CSAF: Total force integration key to increased effectiveness AFNS 11 Apr 2012 -- 'Total Force Integration allows us to leverage Air Reserve Component experience, improve access to aircraft, encourage retention, and increase total force effectiveness,' said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz during opening remarks at the 18th Air Force TFI Summit here April 3-4.
• Clinton: U.S. Reach, Resolve Key to Asia-Pacific Stability AFPS 11 Apr 2012 -- The world's economic prospects, human rights goals and hopes for peace center on the Asia-Pacific region, the nation's top diplomat told future Navy leaders last night.
• NATO ship captures suspected pirates off Somali coast NATO 11 Apr 2012 -- A NATO ship detained 16 suspected pirates on 11 April off Somalia’s east coast after stopping a dhow sailboat which along with its 12-member crew had been taken hostage a month ago.
• NATO Dismisses 'Russian Base' Talk RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012 -- There is no question of setting up a NATO base in Russia, the director of the NATO information bureau in Moscow, Robert Pszel, said on Wednesday.
• Russian Planes Spotted over Japanese Destroyer RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012 -- Two Russian anti-submarine aircraft have flown over a Japanese destroyer preparing to shoot down a North Korean rocket if it passes over Japan's territory, a Japanese TV channel reported on Wednesday, citing the country's Defense Ministry.
• Russia to Admit Foreign Investors to Defense Asset Sales - Putin RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012 -- Foreign investors will be eligible to bid for stakes in enterprises of Russia's defense industry but the process will be controlled by the government, president-elect Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
• Putin Sets April 15 Deadline for Defense Order RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012 -- Russian Prime Minister and president-elect Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered that 2012 state arms procurement contracts be placed before April 15.
• India 'watchful' of China's rising military profile IRNA 11 Apr 2012 -- Noting that China has upgraded its military force projection through rapid modernisation, India's Defence Ministry said the country was 'conscious and watchful' of Beijing's rising military profile in the immediate and extended neighbourhood.
• Taiwan navy ships enter Indonesia with flags flying CNA 11 Apr 2012 -- Taiwan's Fleet of Friendship naval ships entered an Indonesian port with national flag flying, in accordancewith international practice, the Navy Command Headquarters clarified Wednesday in a statement.
• April 11, 2012 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 11 Apr 2012
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 4/11/12 The White House 11 Apr 2012
• Press Briefing by Ben Rhodes and Dan Restrepo to Preview the President's Trip to the Summit of the Americas The White House 11 Apr 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 11, 2012

Other Conflicts

• 11 April 2012 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 11 Apr 2012
• JORDAN: Civil society at heart of Syrian refugee response IRIN 11 Apr 2012 -- Community-based organizations have arguably played the largest role in helping thousands of Syrian refugees pouring into neighbouring Jordan. Until recently, the response had been fairly ad-hoc, or as one aid worker put it, 'a mess', with various players on the ground and many Syrians simultaneously registering and getting assistance from various organizations.
• Annan stresses non-military solution for Syria crisis IRNA 11 Apr 2012 -- The UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan said here on Wednesday that the military action is not the way to solve the Syrian crisis.
• Annan Says Syria To Stop Military Action On April 12 RFE/RL 11 Apr 2012 -- International envoy Kofi Annan says Damascus has informed him it will stop all military action at 6 a.m. local time on April 12.
• Syria Focus Of Renewed Diplomatic Activity RFE/RL 11 Apr 2012 -- Diplomatic activity over Syria is expected to be stepped up on April 11, a day after Damascus ignored a deadline to withdraw troops and tanks from cities.
• Security Council Urges Syria Ceasefire by Thursday RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012 -- The United Nations Security Council called on the Syrian government to stick to the Six-Point plan and cease hostilities by Thursday, April 12, the U.S. envoy to the UN told reporters.
• Syria Situation to Improve on Thursday – Annan RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012 -- UN's special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, said that he expects progress on the peace process in the country after the deadline for the ceasefire on Thursday.
• Russia Has Convinced Assad, Now the Opposition Has to Be Brought Around RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012
• Syria Government informs envoy that it will 'cease all military fighting' on Thursday UN News Centre 11 Apr 2012 -- The Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, Kofi Annan, today received a letter from the Syrian Government informing him of its decision 'to cease all military fighting throughout Syrian territory as of 6:00 a.m. (Damascus time) tomorrow, Thursday, 12 April 2012,' Mr. Annan's spokesperson said today.
• Despite Violence, Syria Pledges to Meet Cease-fire Deadline VOA 11 Apr 2012 -- Even as it continued widespread shelling of opposition strongholds Wednesday, the Syrian government told peace envoy Kofi Annan that it will stop military action against rebels on Thursday morning.
• UN and AU officials on joint mission to strengthen anti-Lord's Resistance Army initiative UN News Centre 11 Apr 2012 -- Senior officials from the United Nations official and African Union (AU) are visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR) to strengthen the newly-launched joint initiative to counter the threat of the terror group known as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
• Ban urges South Sudan and Sudan to immediately stop escalating conflict UN News Centre 11 Apr 2012 -- In a conversation today with the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate de-escalation of the situation between South Sudan and Sudan in order to avoid further bloodshed.
• UN Calls on South Sudan to Withdraw From Sudanese Town VOA 11 Apr 2012 -- The United Nations Security Council has called on South Sudan to withdraw from a town in Sudan that it captured Wednesday. The 15-nation council called the seizure of the oil-producing town of Heglig a 'very serious development'.
• Sudan Cuts Off Talks With South Sudan VOA 11 Apr 2012 -- The Sudanese government has pulled out of negotiations with neighboring South Sudan after reports of recent clashes in a disputed oil-producing border area.
• UN and partners urge Israelis and Palestinians to avoid actions that undermine trust UN News Centre 11 Apr 2012 -- The United Nations and its diplomatic partners in the search for peace in the Middle East today urged both Israel and the Palestinians to avoid actions that undermine trust between them and instead engage in positive actions that are conducive to the resumption of direct negotiations.
• Thousands of Pakistanis Flee Fighting in Northwest VOA 11 Apr 2012 -- International aid agencies say Pakistan's counter-insurgency operations in a northwestern tribal district have forced thousands of families to flee the region. United Nations officials are warning that the number of internally displaced persons is growing by the day, and they say more funds are needed from international donors to help those affected.
• MALI: People trapped, aid stalled, refugees waiting IRIN 11 Apr 2012 -- One week after the regions of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu in northern Mali were captured by rebel and Islamist groups, many Malians are trapped and have limited access to food and other basic necessities, while aid operations remain largely suspended.
• MYANMAR: Cross-line NGOs in Kachin need support IRIN 11 Apr 2012 -- Local NGOs in northern Myanmar with access to both sides of an ongoing conflict between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) are playing a key role in addressing the needs of thousands of displaced.
• Nepalese leaders to bring Maoist arms, cantonments under army IRNA 11 Apr 2012 -- Nepalese political leaders Tuesday inched forward on the stalled peace process as they agreed to bring the arms and the cantonments of the former Maoist guerrillas under the direct control and supervision of the national army.
• Philippines Warship, Chinese Vessels in Standoff VOA 11 Apr 2012 -- A Philippine naval ship, two Chinese vessels and at least eight fishing boats are in a standoff near a shoal in the South China Sea that the Philippines says is well within its territory. However, China says the fishermen are in its sovereign waters. Both sides say they are trying to come to a diplomatic solution.
• DRC President Puts Pressure on Military Defectors VOA 11 Apr 2012 -- Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila is seeking an end to a standoff with soldiers loyal to former rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The president is trying to persuade the soldiers, who defected from the army in eastern Congo last week, to rejoin.

News Reports

• North Korea Fuels Rocket ahead of Launch RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012 -- North Korea has begun pumping fuel into a rocket whose launch later this week looks set to exacerbate tensions between the isolated Asian state and the international community.
• U.S., Japan Vow 'Appropriate Action' Over North Korea's Launch RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012 -- The United States will 'pursue appropriate action' over North Korea's planned rocket launch, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said after talks with her Japanese counterpart.
• North Korea Names Kim Jong-un as Party Head RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012 -- North Korea named on Wednesday Kim Jong-un as first secretary of the Workers' Party, a newly-created position that would seem to give him the authority to rule the isolated East Asian country.
• North Korea Readies Rocket Launch VOA 11 Apr 2012 -- North Korea is counting down to a rocket launch that has been widely condemned by the international community. North Korean authorities on Wednesday invited foreign journalists to a satellite control center and showed the latest preparations.
• WPK Holds Kim Jong Il in High Esteem as Eternal General Secretary KCNA 11 Apr 2012 -- The Fourth Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea decided to hold leader Kim Jong Il in high esteem as eternal general secretary of the WPK. The conference took place at a stirring time when all the service personnel and people of the DPRK are turning out in the great historic advance for fresh victory of the Juche revolution.
• WPK Conference Elects Kim Jong Un as First Secretary of WPK KCNA 11 Apr 2012 -- The Fourth Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea elected the dear respected Kim Jong Un, supreme leader of the WPK and people of the DPRK, as first secretary of the WPK, true to the behest of leader Kim Jong Il.
• WPK Conference Adopts Decision on Revision of Party Rules KCNA 11 Apr 2012 -- The Fourth Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea adopted a decision on revising the 'WPK rules.'
• 4th Conference of WPK Held KCNA 11 Apr 2012 -- The Fourth Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) took place with splendor in Pyongyang, capital of the revolution, Wednesday.
• Members of WPK Central Guidance Body Elected to Fill Vacancies, Elected and Appointed KCNA 11 Apr 2012 -- Members of the party central guidance body were elected to fill vacancies, elected and appointed at the 4th Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea.
• Brief History of Member of Presidium, Members and Alternate Members of Political Bureau of C.C., WPK Elected to Fill Vacancies KCNA 11 Apr 2012
• Kim Jong Un Pays Tribute to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Ila KCNA 11 Apr 2012 -- The dear respected Kim Jong Un together with the participants in the Fourth Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun Wednesday and paid high tribute to President Kim Il Sung and general secretary Kim Jong Il.
• Space Experts, Media Persons Visit General Satellite Control and Command Center KCNA 11 Apr 2012 -- Experts on space science and technology and media persons from different countries Wednesday visited the General Satellite Control and Command Center in Pyongyang in the run-up to the DPRK's launch of the first working satellite.
• Rodong Sinmun Calls for Turning Out in Struggle for Independence, Democracy and Reunification KCNA 11 Apr 2012 -- The grim situation of south Korea for the past four years when Lee Myung Bak and the 'Saenuri Party' were in power forces the youth and students to turn out in the active struggle for independence and democracy of society and the country's reunification, says Rodong Sinmun Wednesday in a bylined article.
• Rodong Sinmun Calls for Turning Out in Struggle for Independence, Democracy and Reunification KCNA 11 Apr 2012 -- The grim situation of south Korea for the past four years when Lee Myung Bak and the 'Saenuri Party' were in power forces the youth and students to turn out in the active struggle for independence and democracy of society and the country's reunification, says Rodong Sinmun Wednesday in a bylined article.
• Mehmanparast: Iran's peaceful N program under full IAEA supervision IRNA 11 Apr 2012 -- Spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry Ramin Mehmanparast reiterated that Iran's peaceful nuclear program is under full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
• Bo Xilai expelled from CPC Political Bureau CNA 11 Apr 2012 -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) decided Tuesday to expel the disgraced former party boss in Chongqing from both the CPC Central Committee and its Political Bureau, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported late in the night.
• Beijing reaffirms prospects for 'Taishang' despite Bo's fall CNA 11 Apr 2012 -- Taiwanese businessmen based in China, better known as 'Taishang,' will continue to enjoy promising investment opportunities in Chongqing despite the downfall of the city's Communist Party chief Bo Xilai, a Chinese official said Wednesday.
• Suspended official's case shows China's efforts to maintain stability CNA 11 Apr 2012 -- A decision by Beijing to refer the case of suspended official Bo Xilai to the party discipline authorities is a means to maintain stability within the Communist Party of China before an important congress set for this autumn, Taiwanese academics said Wednesday.
• China again blocks Internet searches on Bo Xilai CNA 11 Apr 2012 -- Chinese citizens woke up Wednesday to find that China's ubiquitous firewall had once again blocked all searches related to Bo Xilai.
• Bo Xilai Scandal Dominates Chinese Media VOA 11 Apr 2012 -- China's worst political scandal in decades dominated newspaper front pages in the Chinese capital Wednesday: a high ranking politician suspended from his key central party post and his wife suspected in the death of a British businessman.
• Chinese Internet Users React to Bo Xilai Scandal VOA 11 Apr 2012 -- Heavy keyword censorship on Chinese microblogs did not stop Chinese Internet users from hotly debating the deepening scandal surrounding former high-profile politician Bo Xilai, whose wife is under investigation for the murder of a British businessman.
• Putin Calls For Unity In Final Address To Parliament RFE/RL 11 Apr 2012 -- Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin has called on all political forces to work together for the country's good after what he called the "political battles" following parliamentary and presidential elections.
• Putin's Parliament Report Prompts Walkout - Wrap RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012 -- Prime Minister and president-elect Vladimir Putin tried to avoid politics in his final report to the State Duma on Wednesday, but his speech resulted in dozens of opposition lawmakers walking out.
• President Ahmadinejad's remarks on nuclear rights get wide coverage IRNA 11 Apr 2012 -- The remarks of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Iran will defend its rights received wide coverage in almost all Pakistani newspapers on Wednesday.
• Defense minister criticizes West for backing terrorist MKO IRNA 11 Apr 2012 -- Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi criticized the West for supporting the terrorist grouplet Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO).
• Libya 'Signals' Readiness to Cooperate with Russia – Putin RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2012 -- The new Libyan authorities have signaled their readiness to continue economic cooperation with Russia, president-elect Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.