Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Helicopter Support Team conducts night operations via sling load USMC News 12 May 2012 -- The calming shade of blue makes the water enticing under the intense Afghan sun, but the currents are relentless. When the Helmand River is too deep to ford while delivering supplies, the helicopter support team is called in.
• Afghan Gunmen in Uniform Target NATO Troops VOA 12 May 2012 -- NATO says two men wearing Afghan police uniforms have turned their weapons on coalition troops in southern Helmand province Saturday, leaving two service members dead.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Global Strike Command leader previews B-52 upgrades AFNS 12 May 2012 -- During a recent visit to Edwards AFB, Calif., the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command spent time with B-52 Combined Test Force officials to preview the combat capability enhancements made to the B-52H Stratofortress.
• Rodong Sinmun on S. Korea-US Exercises KCNA 12 May 2012 -- The south Koreans on May 7 commenced a large-scale joint aerial warfare exercise "Max Thunder" with the US in the sky over the area west of the Korean Peninsula.
• Carl Vinson Returns to 3rd Fleet NNS 12 May 2012 -- Sailors of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 returned to the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) May 11.
• Submarine Development Squadron 12 Changes Commanders NNS 12 May 2012 -- Submarine Development Squadron (DEVRON) 12 held a change of command ceremony May 11 aboard Los Angeles-class submarine USS San Juan (SSN 751) at Naval Submarine Base New London, Conn.
• Russia to Test New Naval Air Defense System by Year End RIA Novosti 12 May 2012 -- Russian air defense systems manufacturer Almaz Antei hopes to complete testing of its new Poliment-Redut ship-based air defense missile system by the end of this year, the company's General Director Vladislav Menshikov said on Saturday.
• Military Source Explains Firing of Russian Navy Commander RIA Novosti 12 May 2012 -- The dismissal of Russian Navy Commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky was due to his reluctance to comply with an order by Russia's top military leadership to move the Navy General Staff from Moscow to St. Petersburg, a high-ranking source in the General Staff of the Armed Forces said on Saturday.
• Russia to Limit Weapon Makers' Profits RIA Novosti 12 May 2012 -- The Russian government is to set out recommended profit margins and prices for domestically-produced armaments in a bid to reduce what it sees as their excessive cost, and speed up procurement.
• Russia Testing Italian Tank RIA Novosti 12 May 2012 -- Russia is testing Italy's Centauro wheeled tank and considering building it under license, a representative of the Oto-Melara company which makes the tank said on Saturday.
• Pakistan air force aircraft crashes IRNA 12 May 2012 -- A Mirage aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has crashed in the outskirts of the posrt city of Karachi. According to official sources, the aircraft, which took off from Masroor Airbase crashed near Hub in Balochistan province.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• 7 Killed in Syria as More UN Observers Arrive VOA 12 May 2012 -- At least seven people were killed in anti-government-related unrest across Syria Saturday, as more United Nations observers arrived in the country.
• Suicide Bombings in Syria Could Signal al-Qaida's Engagement VOA 12 May 2012 -- As repeated bombing attacks hit Syria, concerns are rising that al-Qaida terrorists may be opening a dangerous new chapter in a conflict that has killed thousands of people.
• Ban welcomes South Sudan's withdrawal of police from disputed Abyei UN News Centre 12 May 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed South Sudan's decision to withdraw its police force from the disputed area of Abyei , and strongly urged neighbouring Sudan to pull out its police from the area as well, in accordance with the agreement both parties signed in June last year.
• Using force in South China Sea very risky for China: expert CNA 12 May 2012 -- China and the Philippines should restrain themselves to prevent tensions over their recent South China Sea dispute from escalating beyond a war of words, a Singaporean expert on the issue said Saturday.
• UN relief official calls for sustained aid and livelihood support in Somalia UN News Centre 12 May 2012 -- A senior United Nations relief official today urged the international community to build on the effective delivery of aid that helped roll back last year's famine in Somalia, noting that about 2.5 million people in the Horn of Africa country remain in need of humanitarian support.

News Reports

• Lithuanian President Says Ukraine Must Guarantee Opposition Rights RFE/RL 12 May 2012 -- Lithuania's president has warned Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych that his government needs to guarantee the rights of all opposition prisoners or risk isolation from the rest of Europe over jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.