Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 07 May 2012 [PDF]
• Afghan-led Security Force Detains Taliban Leader AFPS 07 May 2012 -- In operations around Afghanistan yesterday:
• Taliban on Their Heels, Pentagon Spokesman Says AFPS 07 May 2012 -- Coalition and Afghan forces have reversed the Taliban's momentum and will continue to build on that success, a senior Pentagon spokesman said today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Panetta: U.S.-China Relationship One of World’s Most Critical AFPS 07 May 2012 -- Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta welcomed Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie to the Pentagon today as part of the first U.S. visit by a Chinese defense minister in nine years.
• Background Briefing on the Visit of China's Minister of National Defense from the Pentagon DoD 07 May 2012 -- Presenter: Senior Defense Official
• Joint Press Briefing with Secretary Panetta and Gen. Liang from the Pentagon DoD 07 May 2012 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and China’s Minister of National Defense Gen. Liang Guanglie
• U.S., China Must Work Together on Cyber, Panetta Says AFPS 07 May 2012 -- Because the United States and China have developed technological capabilities in the cyber arena, the nations must work together to avoid misperception that could lead to a crisis, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.
• Secretary Panetta Town Hall at Fort Benning, Ga. DoD 07 May 2012 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta
• Secretary of the Navy Announces DDG 116 to Be Named Thomas Hudner DoD 07 May 2012 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today the next Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer (DDG) will be named the USS Thomas Hudner.
• Army Materiel Command brings 'last MRAP' to port Army News 07 May 2012 -- The last U.S. Army mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle to depart from Iraq arrived at the Port of Beaumont, Texas, May 6, on its way to the 1st Cavalry Brigade Division Museum at Fort Hood, Texas, for preservation and display.
• USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) Completes Acceptance Trials NNS 07 May 2012 -- The future USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) successfully completed acceptance trials May 4, testing the ship's major systems and equipment in port and underway in Lake Michigan.
• Golden Falcons Supply Lincoln Strike Group, One Replenishment at a Time NNS 07 May 2012 -- Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 Sailors have completed 34 replenishments-at-sea during their 2011-2012 deployment as of April 26, 14 of which have been to supply the ships of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9.
• Seabees Survive Jungle Warfare Training in Okinawa NNS 07 May 2012 -- Seabees assigned to U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) FORTY successfully completed Jungle Warfare training, Apr. 18, in Northern Okinawa, Japan.
• EODMU 12 and Canadian Divers Train to Defend North America NNS 07 May 2012 -- In an exercise scenario May 7, Nova Scotia's Sydney harbor is mined, threatening the local shipping industry and civilian boating.
• First refueling unit to reach 25,000 missions in single AOR AFNS 07 May 2012 -- Members of the 22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron here reached a milestone of 25,000 air refueling missions May 4.
• Tactical communications network backbone heads into operational test Army News 07 May 2012 -- Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, known as WIN-T, Increment 2 is nearing the finish line as it heads into its largest operational test this month. WIN-T Increment 2 is a major upgrade to the Army's tactical communications backbone and provides an on-the-move network that reaches down to the company level for the first time.
• Quick Reaction Force deploys to Schofield Army News 07 May 2012 -- Soldiers of C Troop, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division took part in an emergency deployment readiness exercise on May 1 as part of an effort by the 25th Infantry Division and 2nd Brigade Combat Team to ensure their Quick Reaction Force was prepared to perform its mission.
• CRWs join forces to span coasts, globe AFNS 07 May 2012 -- The Air Force's two contingency response wings will join forces in a ceremony May 29 at Travis Air Force Base, Calif.
• Force Changes in Europe to Preserve Strategic Edge AFPS 07 May 2012 -- With major force changes to unfold across Europe, including a drawdown of about 7,000 U.S. forces there, U.S. European Command remains committed to its mission of ensuring a ready force prepared to respond if called upon, officials said.
• U.S. and S. Korean Air Forces Kick off Largest-ever Air Drill Targeted against North KCNA 07 May 2012 -- The U.S. 7th Air Force and the south Korean puppet air force Monday kicked off the largest-ever joint air drill across south Korea, according to CBS.
• Ministry reiterates mission to train coast guards in South China Sea CNA 07 May 2012 -- The Ministry of National Defense is training coast guards stationed in the disputed South China Sea region to improve their combat readiness, an official reiterated Monday in response to a report about plans to redeploy troops in the area.
• May 7, 2012 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 07 May 2012
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 5/7/12 The White House 07 May 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 07, 2012

Other Conflicts

• 07 April 2012 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 May 2012
• UN committed to helping war-torn nations build and sustain peace – Ban UN News Centre 07 May 2012 -- The United Nations is determined to do everything possible to assist societies torn by war from sliding back into conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an audience in the United States capital today, adding that while there have been setbacks, peacebuilding remains a crucial element of the world body's efforts.
• UN Secretary-General: Syrian Bloodshed Unacceptable and Intolerable VOA 07 May 2012 -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday that the 14-months of violence in Syria that has claimed more than 9,000 lives is an unacceptable and intolerable situation. Mr. Ban made the remarks during an appearance in Washington.
• Parliamentary Vote Kicks Off in Syria RIA Novosti 07 May 2012 -- Polling stations opened across Syria on Monday for the country's first multi-party parliamentary elections in half a century amid reports of ongoing violence that has jeopardized the UN-backed peace plan designed to end the 14-month bloody conflict.
• Activists: Syrians Boycott 'Sham' Parliamentary Election VOA 07 May 2012 -- Syrian activists say people in rebellious towns and villages across the country are largely boycotting a government-run parliamentary election that major opposition groups have dismissed as a sham.
• PHILIPPINES: Government, Muslim rebels move closer to peace deal IRIN 07 May 2012 -- The Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have edged nearer to a peace treaty after agreeing to a set of consensus points that could lead to less confrontation on the ground, officials say.
• South Sudan: UN official calls for Jonglei state to start new 'chapter of peace' UN News Centre 07 May 2012 -- The state of Jonglei in South Sudan has the opportunity to start 'a new chapter of peace,' a United Nations envoy said today, during the signing of resolutions to end violence among the state's six main communities.
• UN genocide tribunal in Rwanda swears-in judges selected to finish its work UN News Centre 07 May 2012 -- Nine judges were sworn-in today to be part of the mechanism set up in 2010 to finish the work of the United Nations tribunal dealing with the worst war crimes committed during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
• Pro-Al-Shabab MPs May Be Elected in Somalia VOA 07 May 2012 -- Somalia's Constituent Assembly conference has convened a series of meetings in Mogadishu, bringing together more than 100 traditional elders to decide the selection of the assembly that will adopt a constitution and a new parliament. Some analysts said elders from areas still under the control of al-Shabab and those clans supporting the group may elect members of parliament who favor the Islamist militant group.

News Reports

• US Foils al-Qaida Airliner Bomb Plot VOA 07 May 2012 -- U.S. officials say they have stopped an al-Qaida bomb plot intended to destroy an airliner heading for the United States.
• Putin Returns to Kremlin Amid Protests RIA Novosti 07 May 2012 -- Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russian president on Monday in a glittering Kremlin ceremony that took place less than 24 hours after protesters opposed to his rule had battled police in downtown Moscow.
• Putin Sworn In Amid Controversy Over Protest Violence VOA 07 May 2012 -- Vladimir Putin was sworn in Monday as Russia's president. But the highly choreographed ceremony in the Kremlin's St. Andrew Hall was clouded by events in the Russian capital a day earlier, when police and protesters, during a large opposition demonstration, left dozens injured on both sides.
• China Criticizes US Role in Dissident Case VOA 07 May 2012 -- Chinese newspapers are stepping up their criticism of dissident Chen Guangcheng, who fled to Beijing last month, and the United States, which harbored him for six days in the embassy.
• US Secretary of State Meets Key Regional Figure in Indian Politics VOA 07 May 2012 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in the Indian capital, where she is scheduled to meet the country's highest officials. Clinton is pressing energy-starved India to continue weaning itself off oil imports from Iran.
• Francois Hollande: France's 'Normal' President-Elect RFE/RL 07 May 2012 -- His detractors call him Monsieur Flanby, after a wobbly caramel pudding.
• UN envoy: political crisis in Guinea-Bissau worsens citizens' living conditions UN News Centre 07 May 2012 -- The current political crisis in Guinea-Bissau is worsening the living conditions of its citizens, a United Nations envoy said today, stressing that an inclusive sustainable solution among all national stakeholders is needed to put an end to the turmoil.
• Five Parties, Opposition Bloc Qualify for Seats in Armenian Parliament RIA Novosti 07 May 2012 -- Five political parties and an opposition bloc have passed the election threshold to make in into Armenia's parliament, according to preliminary vote results published by the Central Election Commission on Monday.