Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
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News Reports

Current Operations

Defense Policy / Programs

• Obama: Executive Order Protects Military, Vet Students AFPS 28 Apr 2012 -- President Barack Obama dedicated his weekly radio and video address today to describing the advantages of a new executive order designed to crack down on bad actors who prey on service members and veterans considering higher education.
• NMCB 133 Bridge Detail Builds Confidence, Knowledge During Command Post Exercise NNS 28 Apr 2012 -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133's Bridge Detail (Bridge Det) participated in its third command post exercise (CPX) April 23 - 27 to get ready for the battalion's upcoming field training exercise (FTX) and deployment.
• USS Independence Concludes First Foreign Port Visit NNS 28 Apr 2012 -- The littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS 2) departed Manzanillo, Mexico, April 28, concluding the ship's first foreign port visit since its commissioning.
• Pakistani President for bridging trust-deficit with U.S IRNA 28 Apr 2012 -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has told a top visiting U.S. diplomat that bridging the trust-deficit between the two countries holds the key to Pakistan re-joining the counter-terrorism cooperation.
• US, Pakistan Talks Fail VOA 28 Apr 2012 -- The talks failed to yield a remedy to the damage caused by a U.S. airstrike in November that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the Afghanistan border.
• Year Later, Bin Laden Killing Still Colors Pakistan-US Ties VOA 28 Apr 2012 -- One year ago, one of the most expensive manhunts in history ended when U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. The secret U.S. raid and the exposure of bin Laden's hideout near Pakistan's premier military academy jolted relations between Washington and Islamabad. Ayaz Gul reports from the Pakistani capital on how the countries are still struggling to move on.
• U.S. will consider selling new jet fighters to Taiwan: White House CNA 28 Apr 2012 -- The United States will consider a proposal to sell new fighter jets to Taiwan as one of the options to resolving the disparity in numbers of such aircraft across the Taiwan Strait, the White House said Friday.
• Defense ministry welcomes U.S. position on new jet fighters CNA 28 Apr 2012 -- Taiwan welcomes any action that would help enhance its defense capabilities, the Ministry of National Defense said Saturday after learning that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama had promised to consider selling new jet fighters to Taiwan to help redress the disparity in air power across the Taiwan Strait.
• Russia Orders More S-300 SAM Missiles RIA Novosti 28 Apr 2012 -- The Russian Defense Ministry has resumed large-scale procurements of modernized S-300V surface-to-air missile systems, the manufacturer said on Saturday.
• Iran slams Russian miltiary official's remarks on US missile system IRNA 28 Apr 2012 -- Iran on Saturday lashed out at a Russian military official for his surprising statement that deploying US missile system does not pose a threat to Russia.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• U.S. Not Planning to Send Monitors to Syria RIA Novosti 28 Apr 2012 -- The United States has no plans to send its monitors to Syria as part of a UN-backed peace plan to end the 14-month conflict there, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
• Syrian Violence Continues as Monitoring Chief Heads to Country VOA 28 Apr 2012 -- The head of the United Nations observer team in Syria, Norwegian Gen. Robert Mood is due in the capital Damascus Saturday, to give a fresh impetus to a mission which critics claim is fraying amid persistent violations of an over two-week old ceasefire. There have been reports of more clashes between government and opposition forces in several areas of the country, with reports saying 15 have been killed.

News Reports

• DPRK Foreign Ministry Statement Distributed as Official Document of UNSC KCNA 28 Apr 2012 -- The statement of the DPRK Foreign Ministry dated April 17 was distributed as the UN Security Council's official document S/2012/239 on April 19.
• Rodong Sinmun on S. Korean Defense Minister's Remarks KCNA 28 Apr 2012 -- The south Koreans staged opening to media new type missiles capable of "promptly striking" any part of the DPRK recently.
• KCNA Commentary on South Korean Policy KCNA 28 Apr 2012 -- Chon Yong U, senior presidential secretary for diplomacy and security of Chongwadae, let loose invectives against the DPRK.
• Iran Nuclear Summit: 'Expectations Will Be Very High' RFE/RL 28 Apr 2012 -- With talks between Iran and Western powers on the Persian Gulf country's nuclear program scheduled to take place in Baghdad on May 23, RFE/RL Radio Farda's Fred Andon Petrossians spoke with Middle East specialist Kenneth Katzman about the possible outcomes of this crucial summit.
• Russian Progress M-14M Splashes Down in Pacific RIA Novosti 28 Apr 2012 -- Russia's Progress M-14M cargo spacecraft has been sent on its final journey to the waters of the Pacific Ocean, Mission Control said on Saturday.
• Court Postpones Second Tymoshenko Trial for 3 Weeks RIA Novosti 28 Apr 2012 -- Kharkov's District Court suspended the second trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko until May 21 on Saturday, due to her absence on grounds of poor health, a spokeswoman for Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna party said.