Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 16 May 2012 [PDF]
• Combined Force Captures Taliban Leader AFPS 16 May 2012 -- An Afghan and coalition security force detained a Taliban leader during an operation in the Nad ?Ali district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
• Combat Logistics Battalion 4 assists realigning Marine Corps forces in Afghanistan USMC News 16 May 2012 -- Service members attached to 1st MLG (Fwd) provide tactical logistics support to adjacent units in Regional Command (Southwest) and assist in the Marine Corps’ reset and reconstitution effort.
• ISAF Deputy Commander reflects on progress in Helmand UK MOD 16 May 2012 -- Lieutenant General Adrian Bradshaw, Deputy Commander of ISAF in Afghanistan, here reflects on recent visits to Helmand and eastern Afghanistan, and gains made by ISAF over the past year.
• Allen: NATO Summit to Define ‘Vision’ for Afghanistan AFPS 16 May 2012 -- The upcoming NATO summit in Chicago will help determine the long-term commitment to Afghanistan beyond 2014 and create a network of bilateral strategic partnerships.
• Afghanistan Top Agenda Item at NATO Chicago Summit VOA 16 May 2012 -- Afghanistan will be at the top of the agenda when heads of state and government from the 28-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization meet in Chicago.
• Germany Pledges $193 Million Annually For Afghan Transition RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel says her country will give Afghanistan 150 million euros annually to support its police and military forces after NATO-led troops leave the country in 2014.
• Czech Cabinet Announces Afghan Exit Plan RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- The Czech government plans to start withdrawing its troops from the NATO mission in Afghanistan, bringing the number down from the current 590 to 170 by the end of 2014.
• Russian Official Hails Joint Antidrugs Operation In Afghanistan RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- The head of Russia's Federal Service for Drugs Control says a joint antinarcotics operation in Afghanistan had "a phenomenal result."
• U.S. Urged To 'Name Names' In Support Of Central Asia's Political Prisoners RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- Civil liberties advocates and a former political prisoner from Uzbekistan have urged the United States to continue "naming names" in support of Central Asia's jailed opposition leaders, religious figures, and journalists.
• ISAF Commander Sees Positive Signs for Relationship with Pakistan AFPS 16 May 2012 -- The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan pointed to indications today that Pakistan is preparing to open cross-border NATO supply lines into Afghanistan.
• Pakistani Cabinet Backs Agreement On Supply Routes RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- Pakistan's cabinet has ordered officials to finalize an agreement on reopening a vital supply route for NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan.
• Pakistan delays decision on NATO supply line restoration IRNA 16 May 2012 -- A Pakistani panel of top civilian and military leaders Tuesday night deferred a decision on restoration of NATO supply line, a cabinet minister and an official statement said.
• US Lawmakers Calling for Faster Withdrawal From Afghanistan VOA 16 May 2012 -- Washington, D.C.- A bipartisan group of 86 members of the U.S. House of Representatives has written a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to bring the war in Afghanistan to an accelerated end.
• Executive Order - Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the Peace, Security, or Stability of Yemen The White House 16 May 2012
• Message to Congress - Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the Peace, Security, or Stability of Yemen The White House 16 May 2012
• Statement by the Press Secretary on Today’s Executive Order on Yemen’s Peace, Security, and Stability The White House 16 May 2012
• Obama Order Targets People Threatening Yemen Transition VOA 16 May 2012 -- President Barack Obama on Wednesday issued an executive order freezing U.S. assets of anyone considered to be threatening the success of the U.S.-backed political transition in Yemen.
• Obama Warns Against Yemen Political Disruption RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- U.S. President Barack Obama has issued an executive order allowing sanctions to be imposed on people and entities who seek to undermine the political transition in Yemen.
• 3-4 ADA returns after eleven month deployment Army News 16 May 2012 -- The 3rd Battalion 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment completed an 11 month deployment to Southwest Asia.
• Taylor Participates in Operation Ocean Shield NNS 16 May 2012 -- USS Taylor and its visit, board, search, and seizure team have actively patrolled the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor and provided security assistance to several merchant vessels transiting through the Gulf of Aden region.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pre-Summit press briefing by the NATO Spokesperson, Oana Lungescu NATO 16 May 2012
• Turkey Flexes Muscles Before NATO Summit VOA 16 May 2012 -- A last-minute deal has cleared away a dispute over the attendance of senior European Union officials at the NATO summit opening in Chicago.
• Dempsey Describes Future Force at Warfighting Conference AFPS 16 May 2012 -- The U.S. military must leverage emerging technologies and capabilities to create Joint Force 2020, the fighting force of the future, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
• DOD News Briefing with Gen. Odierno from the Pentagon DoD 16 May 2012
• Odierno: Army to Create Leaner, More Agile Force AFPS 16 May 2012 -- The Army wants to create a leaner and more agile force over the next seven years.
• Odierno: Army 'Moving Toward' Opening Combat Arms to Women AFPS 16 May 2012 -- Army leaders are asking whether - and how - to open infantry and armor ranks to women, the service’s senior soldier said.
• Doctrine Strategy Army News 16 May 2012 -- Since 1905, doctrine, the fundamental principles behind Soldiers' actions, has officially been a part of overall Army strategy.
• U.S.-South Korea Alliance Provides Security in Northeast Asia AFPS 16 May 2012 -- The U.S.-South Korea alliance provides security and stability in Northeast Asia and that partnership will continue into the future, said Brig. Gen. Kang Yong-hee.
• Eucom’s State Partnership Program Becomes Global Model AFPS 16 May 2012 -- A program started almost two decades ago to support former Soviet bloc militaries following the Cold War has proven to be a U.S. model for building long-standing military-to-military and civil-military relationships around the world.
• George Washington Wraps Up Sea Trials NNS 16 May 2012 -- The USS George Washington returned to its homeport of Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka May 16, after completing sea trials.
• No One Injured as USS Essex, USNS Yukon Collide at Sea NNS 16 May 2012 -- At approximately 9:20 a.m. PST, USS Essex collided with USNS Yukon during an approach for a routine underway replenishment due to an apparent steering malfunction aboard Essex.
• B-1 aircrews make history by employing laser JDAMS AFNS 16 May 2012 -- B-1 Lancer aircrews from here employed laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions against moving targets during a weapon system evaluation program exercise May 14 through 16.
• First Ever Joint Russian-U.S. Military Training On American Territory RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- The first joint U.S.-Russian military exercises on American territory have begun in the western state of Colorado, with drills involving special antiterrorist units.
• Swift Conducts TSC Visit in Pointe Noire NNS 16 May 2012 -- Congolese navy sailors greeted the crew of High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) after they arrived in Pointe Noire to conduct a theater security cooperation (TSC) visit as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS) 2012, May 15.
• Department of Defense Awards $155 Million in Research Funding DoD 16 May 2012
• Homeland Response Force validation training lifts off Army News 16 May 2012 -- The FEMA II Homeland Response Force includes members of the New Jersey, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands National Guards.
• Missouri Guard remains on mission 1 year after Joplin tornado Army News 16 May 2012 -- Within hours of the deadly Joplin tornado on May 22, 2011, Gov. Jay Nixon activated the Missouri National Guard.
• Exercise Participants Begin Testing Burkina Faso's Pandemic Response Preparedness and Response Plans AFRICOM 16 May 2012 -- On the second day of the Burkina Faso Government Pandemic Disaster Response Tabletop Exercise, May 15, 2012, participants began meeting in five task-oriented groups.
• Pandemic Influenza Table Top Exercise Begins in Burkina Faso AFRICOM 16 May 2012 -- Nearly 100 civilian and military representatives from seven African nations, the United States and three United Nations organizations met in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso for exercise.
• Remarks by the President at Medal of Honor Ceremony to Specialist Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. The White House 16 May 2012
• President Awards Posthumous Medal of Honor to Vietnam-era Soldier AFPS 16 May 2012 -- President Barack Obama paid tribute to a man who died defending his fellow soldiers 42 years and six days ago.
• Army Leaders Order System-wide Review of Behavioral Health Care DoD 16 May 2012
• Russia Tightens Defense Contract Standards RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- The Russian parliament approved in the first reading a government sponsored bill penalizing officials for failure to place state defense contracts on time.
• Russia ‘May Buy’ $50 Mln Worth of Israeli UAVs RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- Russia may buy a large new consignment of unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel and 24 command and control systems.
• Russia to Sell Off 18 'Indian' Su-30 Fighters RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- Russia is to put up for sale a batch of 18 Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter aircraft, rejected by India on concerns about their engines and returned to Russia in 2003.
• Russian Police Find Artillery Shells in Forest RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- Police in the Kuzbass town of Yurga found 200 boxes of artillery shells and explosives in a nearby forest, a law enforcement source said.
• Army Officer Convicted for Shooting Guard Dogs RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- A court martial in Russia's Leningrad region convicted a unit commander for shooting dead army guard dogs while he was drunk, the Russian Prosecutor General's office said.
• S. Korean Forces to Stage Drills KCNA 16 May 2012 -- The 65th Division of the south Korean forces announced that it would stage 2012 Ssangryong exercises from May 16 to 18.
• Japanese Move to Institute War Constitution KCNA 16 May 2012 -- The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan in its recent Executive Council meeting formally approved an amendment to the Constitution.
• Supersonic missile key to Taiwan's defense against China CNA 16 May 2012 -- Taiwan's locally developed supersonic anti-ship missile enhances the country's defense capabilities.
• Taiwan Military personnel need approval to engage with Chinese CNA 16 May 2012 -- Military personnel should report and obtain advance approval for any engagements they have with Chinese people.
• Iranian naval forces save Panamaian cargo ship from pirates IRNA 16 May 2012 -- Iranian naval forces rescued a Panamaian-flagged cargo ship Cruiser Heilan with 25 crew on board from pirates in the Sea of Oman.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 5/16/12 The White House 16 May 2012
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, May 16, 2012 US Dept. of State 16 May 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 16, 2012
• Indonesia Predicts Slow Probe of Crashed Russian Jetliner VOA 16 May 2012 -- Indonesia says it could take as long as a year to analyze equipment and flight data recovered from the crash site of a Russian jetliner.
• Voice Recorder from Superjet 100 Contains 2 Hrs of Audio RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- A voice recorder from the Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger jet that crashed a week ago in Indonesia recorded the last two hours of conversation in the cockpit.
• Crashed Superjet 100 ‘Black Box’ Recovered RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- The Indonesian authorities have confirmed they have found the cockpit voice recorders of the crashed Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger jet.

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 16 May 2012 United Nations 16 May 2012
• Syrian Activists: Government Attacks Kill 9 VOA 16 May 2012 -- Syrian activists say government shelling and gunfire killed at least nine people across the country.
• UN observers return to base in Syria UN News Centre 16 May 2012 -- A group of UN military observers who stayed overnight in the Syrian town of Khan Cheikhoun, following a bomb blast, have returned to their team site.
• Terror Attacks on the Rise with UN Observers - Assad RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- The number of terrorist attacks in Syria has increased since UN observers arrived in the country, President Bashar al-Assad said.
• Syria's Assad Warns Against Sowing Chaos RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- President Bashar al-Assad has said countries that "sow chaos" in Syria could suffer from it themselves.
• UN Team Evacuated From Syrian Town, Civilians 'Executed' RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- A team of international observers has been evacuated from a tense town in northern Syria, as pro-government forces were accused of having executed civilians elsewhere.
• Beijing Eases Anti-Philippine Talk, Holds Firm on Territorial Dispute VOA 16 May 2012 -- The Chinese government is not yielding in its weeks-long maritime territorial dispute with the Philippines, although it is softening some of its sharp rhetoric.
• S. China Sea Dispute Blamed Partly on Depleted Fish Stocks VOA 16 May 2012 -- China and the Philippines have announced temporary bans on fishing in areas of the South China Sea they both claim as sovereign territory.
• S. Sudan Aims to Receive Anti-Aircraft Missiles RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- The Chief of General Staff of South Sudan’s military, General James Hoth Mai, has pledged that within a few months the country will acquire anti-aircraft missiles.
• Arab League Joins Campaign for Sudan Aid Corridor VOA 16 May 2012 -- The Arab League has joined UN and AU in pressing Sudan to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to the provinces of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile.
• DRC: North Kivu in turmoil again IRIN 16 May 2012 -- Fighting between government troops and “mutineers” has ended three years of relative peace in North Kivu Province.
• Report: Congo Mutiny Using Child Soldiers VOA 16 May 2012 -- Human Rights Watch says a renegade general is forcibly recruiting child soldiers to support his mutiny in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
• UN refugee chief alarmed at fresh displacement from DR Congo clashes UN News Centre 16 May 2012 -- The top United Nations refugee official voiced his alarm at new inflows of refugees into Rwanda and Uganda, fleeing fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Guinea-Bissau Prepares For Arrival Of ECOWAS Peacekeepers VOA 16 May 2012 -- Five weeks after a military coup in Guinea-Bissau, the country is preparing for the installation of the new transitional government and the arrival of regional peacekeepers, scheduled for Friday.
• IRGC dismisses speculation on Iran encouraging Hezbollah to launch preemptive strikes on Tel Aviv IRNA 16 May 2012 -- The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps dismissed the speculation of encouraging Hezbollah of Lebanon to launch preemptive strike on Tel Aviv.
• UN relief official voices concern over plight of Palestinians affected by occupation UN News Centre 16 May 2012 -- A senior United Nations relief official voiced deep concern over the plight of Palestinians affected by Israel’s occupation.
• Police Kill Dagestan Bomb Plotter RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- A mastermind of the May 3 deadly terrorist attack in Dagestan’s capital city of Makhachkala was killed in a special police operation early, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said.
• Trial of former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic opens at UN tribunal UN News Centre 16 May 2012 -- The trial of Ratko Mladic got under way today in the United Nations tribunal set up in the wake of the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.
• Mladic Goes on Trial for War Crimes VOA 16 May 2012 -- War crimes tribunals in The Hague are hearing cases against former Bosnian-Serb military commander Ratko Mladic and former Liberian president Charles Taylor.
• Prosecutors Say Mladic Guilty Of War Crimes 'Beyond Reasonable Doubt' RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- Prosecutors at the former Yugoslavia war crimes tribunal say the evidence shows "beyond reasonable doubt" that Ratko Mladic implemented a campaign to non-Serbs during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
• Ex-Bosnian Serb General Mladic Goes on Trial RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- The long-awaited trial of the former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic opens on Wednesday at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
• 16 May 2012 - Press Conference by Prosecutor of International Criminal Court on Libyan Situation United Nations 16 May 2012
• ICC considering request by Libya to try Qadhafi’s son in national court UN News Centre 16 May 2012 -- The ICC is considering a request by the Libyan authorities to try the son of former leader Muammar al-Qadhafi in their national courts.
• At UN-backed court, Charles Taylor denies role in Sierra Leone atrocities UN News Centre 16 May 2012 -- Convicted former Liberian President Charles Taylor told the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone that he was saddened by the atrocities and crimes committed in Sierra Leone.
• Former Liberian President Speaks at War Crimes Sentencing Hearing VOA 16 May 2012 -- Former Liberian president Charles Taylor has said he has "deepest sympathies" for those who suffered during Sierra Leone's brutal civil war.
• Judge resigns from UN-backed Cambodia genocide tribunal UN News Centre 16 May 2012 -- One of the judges from the United Nations-backed Cambodia genocide tribunal today informed the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of his decision to resign his position.

News Reports

• Iran, World Powers to Resume Nuclear Negotiations VOA 16 May 2012 -- The US and other world powers are scheduled to meet with Iran next week as part of efforts to curb that country’s controversial nuclear program.
• Analysis: Why Arab Springs Falter - Bahrain VOA 16 May 2012 -- In Bahrain, deep divisions keep Sunni and Shia at odds while King Hamad pledges reforms and devises ways to implement them without alienating his Sunni base, the Shia opposition or his own royal family.
• Iran Steps Up Criticism Of Saudi-Bahrain Union Plan RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- Iran is stepping up criticism of plans by Gulf Arab states to form a closer political, economic, and military union.
• Chinese Dissident Submits Passport Application VOA 16 May 2012 -- Blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng said he and his family have filled out passport application forms.
• MYANMAR: Census offers hope to ethnic groups IRIN 16 May 2012 -- A recent decision to undertake a national census could prove key to empowering Myanmar’s more than 100 ethnic groups, provided it is inclusive and conducted to international standards.
• US Says Mali and Guinea Bissau Must Return to Civilian Rule VOA 16 May 2012 -- The Obama administration says leaders of military coups in Mali and Guinea Bissau must agree to West African demands to return their countries to democratic rule.
• Rights Group: Mali Facing 'Worst Crisis Since Independence' VOA 16 May 2012 -- Mali is facing its worst crisis since independence in 1960 according a Britain-based human rights group.
• Singh: India Committed to Nuclear Energy VOA 16 May 2012 -- India's prime minister is reasserting his country's commitment to nuclear energy.
• Indian PM strongly pitches for nuclear energy IRNA 16 May 2012 -- India’s PM Singh, making a strong pitch for nuclear energy, said it would be 'harmful' if the country gave up option of additional source of electricity.
• Swedish Trial Set For Exiled Uzbek Imam's Would-Be Killers RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- Sweden’s chief public prosecutor says two Uzbeks arrested for alleged involvement in the attempted assassination of prominent Uzbek cleric will face trial this week.
• Civil War-Era Commanders Creating New Tajik Opposition Group RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- Ex-leaders of Tajikistan's former Popular Front party have announced plans to resurrect the party to help unite the political opposition in the Central Asian nation.
• Greece Appoints Caretaker PM, Sets Date for New Elections VOA 16 May 2012 -- Greece has sworn in a senior judge as the country's new caretaker prime minister.
• Greece to Hold Repeat Elections June 17 VOA 16 May 2012 -- Greece has set June 17 as the date for the country's repeat elections, after major political parties failed to form a coalition government on Tuesday following several attempts to broker a deal.
• Greek Election Set For June 17, Judge Named Caretaker PM RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- It has been officially announced that debt-stricken Greece will hold new elections June 17, and a senior judge has been named to head a caretaker government until the vote.
• Ukraine Accepts EU Legal, Medical Experts In Tymoshenko Case RFE/RL 16 May 2012 -- Ukraine's PM Azarov says the European Union can send experts to assess both the medical state of his jailed predecessor Yulia Tymoshenko and the legal process that led to her conviction and seven-year sentence.
• Tymoshenko May Only be Released by Court - PM RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- Jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, may only be released after consideration of her appeal but not at “the command of the [executive] authorities”, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said.
• Viktor Bout’s Transfer to Colorado Prison Postponed RIA Novosti 16 May 2012 -- U.S. prosecutors have postponed the transfer of convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout from his Brooklyn jail to a super maximum security prison in Colorado.