Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Combined Force Detains Multiple Insurgents AFPS 09 May 2012 -- An Afghan and coalition security force detained multiple suspected insurgents during an operation to capture a Taliban leader in the Zharay district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.
• Afghans learn marksmanship from Scout Snipers USMC News 09 May 2012 -- FORWARD OPERATING BASE GERONIMO, Afghanistan - Afghan soldiers will add a new weapon to their arsenal, when recent graduates from a marksmanship course return to their bases. The newly trained soldiers will carry a M24 sniper rifle, a weapon recently acquired by the local kandak.
• 3D MAW (FWD) explores the use of unmanned helicopters USMC News 09 May 2012 -- Improvised explosive devices have changed the way the Marine Corps engages hostile forces. The need has risen for supplies to reach the most remote parts of Afghanistan quickly, reliably and safely.
• DOD News Briefing with British Army Lt. Gen. Adrian Bradshaw via Teleconference from Afghanistan DoD 09 May 2012 -- Presenter: British Army Lt. Gen. Adrian Bradshaw, Deputy Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
• Afghanistan Campaign on Track, Deputy Commander Says AFPS 09 May 2012 -- The message from coalition commanders in Afghanistan is loud and clear that the campaign is 'in a good place right now,' the deputy commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said today.
• UN humanitarian chief appalled by conditions in Afghan informal settlements UN News Centre 09 May 2012 -- The top United Nations humanitarian official today voiced concern over 'unacceptable' conditions in informal settlements sheltering displaced people and former refugees in Afghanistan, and called for greater support for durable solutions to alleviate their hardship.
• Pakistani Court moved for shooting down US spy aircraft IRNA 09 May 2012 -- A Pakistani court has been moved for seeking a verdict to direct Pakistan Air Force (PAF) to shoot down American spy aircraft flying over Pakistani airspace uninterrupted.
• USS Nicholas Supports Drug Interdiction NNS 09 May 2012 -- Guided missile frigate USS Nicholas (FFG 47) assisted partner nation forces with the interdiction of a vessel carrying nearly 2,200 kilograms (4,850 pounds) of cocaine, with an estimated street value of more than $363 million, in the eastern Pacific May 6.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Joint Committee Report Reveals Persistent Waste and Inefficiencies at TSA House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 09 May 2012 -- A new report released by two House Committees offers a critical examination of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) management and its procurement, deployment and storage of airport security screening technologies.
• Remarks by Secretary Panetta and Gen. Dempsey at a Forum on the Law of the Sea Convention DoD 09 May 2012 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey
• Dempsey Urges Ratification of Law of the Sea Convention AFPS 09 May 2012 -- Ratifying the Law of the Sea Convention is the right thing to do for American national security, the U.S. military's highest-ranking officer said here today.
• Panetta: U.S. Leadership Needed in Law of the Sea Convention AFPS 09 May 2012 -- As the globe's preeminent maritime power, the United States has much to gain in ratifying the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.
• US Administration Renews Push to Ratify Law of Sea Treaty VOA 09 May 2012 -- The Obama administration is beginning a new push to get the U.S. Senate to approve the 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea treaty. Administration officials said the pact is necessary to protect the U.S. Navy's right to carry out exercises off the coast of China.
• President Meets with NATO's Secretary General AFPS 09 May 2012 -- President Barack Obama met today with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in the Oval Office to discuss preparations for the May 20-21 NATO summit meeting in Chicago, according to a White House press release.
• NATO Secretary General holds talks with US President ahead of Chicago Summit NATO 09 May 2012 -- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen held talks to prepare for this month’s Chicago Summit with US President Barack Obama at the White House on 9 May 2012.
• Second-Generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System Completes Successful Intercept Flight Test MDA 09 May 2012 -- The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS LAKE ERIE (CG 70) successfully conducted a flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, resulting in the first intercept of a short-range ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean by the Navy’s newest Missile Defense interceptor, the Standard Missile – 3 (SM-3) Block 1B.
• Medical Official Explains F-22 Pilot-protection Efforts AFPS 09 May 2012 -- The Air Force has instituted measures designed to protect its pilots, ensure mission completion and assess the possible physiological effects of flying the F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft, the command surgeon for Air Combat Command told reporters here today.
• Lejeune Marines host People's Republic of China Minister of National Defense USMC News 09 May 2012 -- A military delegation from the People's Republic of China visited Marine units aboard Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River today.
• USS Jason Dunham Leads Strait Transit Exercise NNS 09 May 2012 -- Sailors aboard guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) successfully led a simulated strait transit off the eastern coast of the United States May 8.
• ASN Discusses 21st Century Sailor and Marine Initiative, Readiness in Groton NNS 09 May 2012 -- The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) for Manpower and Reserve Affairs spoke with Sailors at the Nation's first Submarine Base, Naval Submarine Base New London (SUBASE), May 9, and highlighted the Navy's recent initiative to maximize Sailor and Marine personal readiness: the 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative.
• CSAF emphasizes partnership at National Security Forum AFNS 09 May 2012 -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz emphasized partnership between the public and private sectors during his keynote address at the National Security Forum here May 7.
• Deployed aeromedical evac team adds critical role AFNS 09 May 2012 -- There is nothing typical about an aeromedical evacuation mission. Recently one crew of aeromedical technicians was notified prior to take-off that, aside from six patients, their aircraft, a C-17, would also be needed to transport three aircraft engines and two pallets of cargo.
• Eucom Exercises Adapt to Operational, Fiscal Environment AFPS 09 May 2012 -- Budget tightening won't mean an end to U.S. European Command's robust exercise program, but it could bring big changes to the program that keeps U.S. and allied forces at the top of their game, Eucom officials here said.
• Technology improves rescue support for rocket launches AFNS 09 May 2012 -- The 45th Space Wing successfully launched a communications satellite onboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 4. As the rocket lit up the sky and was hurled into space, personnel from the 920th Rescue Wing stood by and watched, knowing their part of the mission had already been accomplished.
• Air Force provides aircraft pilot safety testimony to Congress AFNS 09 May 2012 -- The military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition discussed tactical aviation programs during congressional testimony here May 8.
• Deployed wing becomes part of Air Force, Tuskegee Airmen legacy AFNS 09 May 2012 -- The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing deactivated in a ceremony May 8 at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.
• Officials Emphasize Commitment to Joint Strike Fighter AFPS 09 May 2012 -- Senior leaders from the Air Force and Navy affirmed yesterday that the F-35 joint strike fighter remains the centerpiece of the tactical aircraft program and will play a large part in the services' ongoing modernization plans.
• Millington holds groundbreaking for new Army Reserve facilities Army News 09 May 2012 -- The Tactical Equipment Maintenance Facility/Area Maintenance Support Activity will have a new home early next year in Millington, Tenn. The official ground breaking ceremony was held on May 5 at the new site of a 38,169 square foot facility on 19 acres of land.
• Remarks by Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter at the Spirit of Service Ceremony DoD 09 May 2012 -- Presenter: Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter
• Summit Will Deal With Range of Issues, NATO General Says AFPS 09 May 2012 -- Afghanistan will dominate the NATO summit in Chicago later this month, but alliance leaders will deal with other issues as well, a senior NATO commander said here yesterday.
• NATO's Transformation Command Reinvents Relations with U.S. AFPS 09 May 2012 -- Though the location of its headquarters and the way it works with the U.S. military has changed since its inception, NATO's Allied Command Transformation has forged a stronger relationship with the United States, the organization's commander said here yesterday.
• South Korea to File Complaints About North's Alleged GPS Jamming VOA 09 May 2012 -- South Korea is to file formal complaints with Pyongyang and relevant United Nations agencies about jamming of Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver frequencies that it contends emanates from North Korea.
• SECURITY: A quick reaction force moulded by Africa's circumstances IRIN 09 May 2012 -- Africa's crises are both honing and stalling the formation of the African Standby Force (ASF) of the African Union (AU) - a quick reaction force that could eventually number about 30,000 troops to be deployed in a range of scenarios, from peacekeeping to direct military intervention.
• May 9, 2012 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 09 May 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 09, 2012
• Pakistan May Buy 8 Sukhoi Superjet 100s RIA Novosti 09 May 2012 -- Pakistan's Air Indus has shown an interest in buying eight Sukhoi Superjet 100 airplanes, the manufacturer said on Wednesday.
• Russian Plane with 44 on Board Missing in Indonesia RIA Novosti 09 May 2012 -- Russia's Sukhoi Superjet-100 airplane on a demonstration flight near Jakarta went missing on Wednesday, Indonesian aviation authorities said.
• Rain, Darkness Complicate Search of Russian Missing Plane RIA Novosti 09 May 2012 -- The darkness, fog and rain complicate the search of Russia's Sukhoi Superjet-100, which went missing on Wednesday on a demonstration flight near Jakarta, a spokesman of aeronautical airspace control in Indonesia said.

Other Conflicts

• 9 May 2012 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 09 May 2012
• U.S. to Continue Pressing for Assad's Resignation RIA Novosti 09 May 2012 -- The United States will continue its efforts to make Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, the country's envoy to the UN, Susan Rice, said.
• Bomb explodes near UN observer convoy in Syria UN News Centre 09 May 2012 -- A bomb exploded in the vicinity of a convoy of UN observers in Syria today, injuring several Syrian soldiers accompanying the delegation, the UN mission in the Middle Eastern country said.
• Blast Hits Syrian Military Escorting UN Monitors VOA 09 May 2012 -- A roadside blast wounded six Syrian soldiers as they escorted United Nations monitors toward the restive southern town of Dara'a.
• China's First Deepwater Rig Starts Drilling in S. China Sea RIA Novosti 09 May 2012 -- China's first deepwater drilling rig started operations in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the Xinhua news agency reported.
• Lawmaker: At Least 17 Killed in Somalia Fighting VOA 09 May 2012 -- A Somali lawmaker said at least 17 fighters with militant group al-Shabab have been killed in fighting with Ethiopian and Somali government troops.
• South Sudan Accuses Sudan of More Airstrikes VOA 09 May 2012 -- South Sudan says Sudan has carried out cross-border airstrikes in violation of a United Nations-backed cease-fire.

News Reports

• Would-be U.S. Plane Bomber Said to Be Double Agent - Media RIA Novosti 09 May 2012 -- A member of Yemen's al-Qaeda branch, suspected of trying to blow up a U.S. passenger jet, was an intelligence agent of Saudi Arabia, The New York Times said citing unnamed U.S. and foreign officials.
• Al-Qaida Suicide Bomber Was 'Double Agent' VOA 09 May 2012 -- U.S. media reports say a man sent by al-Qaida's branch in Yemen to blow up a U.S.-bound airliner was actually a double agent who infiltrated the terror network and convinced the terrorists to trust him with a new bomb designed to pass through airport security.
• Tymoshenko Ends Hunger Strike After Move To Hospital RFE/RL 09 May 2012 -- A German specialist who traveled to Ukraine to treat Yulia Tymoshenko says the jailed former prime minister has halted her hunger strike after nearly three weeks.
• Tymoshenko Stops Hunger Strike RIA Novosti 09 May 2012 -- Ukraine's former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has stopped the hunger strike, which she announced in protest against the cruel treatment in prison, Ukrainian Unian news agency reported on Wednesday.
• Opposition Leaders Detained After Medvedev Confirmed As Prime Minister RFE/RL 09 May 2012 -- Moscow police detained dozens of demonstrators late on May 8 - including opposition Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov and activist Aleksei Navalny - as small sporadic protests continued against President Vladimir Putin's rule.
• Salehi deplores non-observation of NPT Article XI IRNA 09 May 2012 -- Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi on Wednesday deplored non-observation of Article XI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that calls for elimination of nuclear weapons.
• Berlin eyes confidence-building steps at next Iran nuclear talks IRNA 09 May 2012 -- Berlin hopes for confidence-building measures aimed at overcoming the Iranian nuclear stalemate when diplomats from six western powers meet with their Iranian counterparts in Baghdad on May 23, a German official said here Wednesday.