Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Obama: Summit Will Reflect Consensus on Afghanistan AFPS 20 May 2012 -- The NATO summit largely will be devoted to ratifying and reflecting the broad consensus on long-term support for Afghanistan that the alliance and its International Security Assistance Force partners have agreed to, President Barack Obama said here today after a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
• Obama: World is Behind Strategy for Afghanistan VOA 20 May 2012 -- U.S. President Barack Obama and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai met on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Chicago on Sunday, reaffirming a shared vision of creating a secure and stable Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Law authorizes moblizing reservists to respond to natural disasters AFNS 20 May 2012 -- New authority in this year's Defense Department authorization act allows reservists in Air Force Reserve Command and other reserve components to be called to duty in response to natural disasters or emergencies in the homeland. The law also permits mobilizations for extended periods to support theater security missions around the world.
• Panetta Meets With United Kingdom Counterpart AFPS 20 May 2012 -- Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta met here this afternoon with his counterpart from the United Kingdom, Secretary of State of Defense Philip Hammond, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.
• Readout of Secretary Panetta's Meeting with United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence, the Right Honourable Philip Hammond DoD 20 May 2012
• 'Blackjacks' of HSC-21 Take Part in Pacific Partnership 2012 NNS 20 May 2012 -- Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21, the 'Blackjacks,' is providing mission support for Pacific Partnership 2012 (PP12) aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).
• NATO Declares Missile Defense System Operational AFPS 20 May 2012 -- During its first session at the 25th NATO Summit here today, the alliance's senior governing body declared operational the missile defense system it endorsed at its November 2010 summit in Lisbon, Portugal, NATO's secretary general said.
• NATO declares interim missile defence capability NATO 20 May 2012 -- NATO leaders declared that the Alliance now has an interim ballistic missile defence capability at their summit in Chicago on 21 May, marking the first step in the development of a NATO missile-defence system.
• Summit Reaffirms Commitment to Collective Security, Obama Says AFPS 20 May 2012 -- A year and a half after the NATO members at their summit in Lisbon, Portugal, pledged bold action to revitalize the future alliance, heads of state and government are reaffirming commitment to their collective defense and security, President Barack Obama said here today.
• NATO delivers at Chicago Summit NATO 20 May 2012 -- NATO leaders reached agreements in Chicago that will enable the Alliance to provide security for the decade to come and beyond.
• NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Programme takes off in Chicago NATO 20 May 2012 -- NATO nations took an important step towards the delivery of a NATO-owned and operated ground surveillance and reconnaissance capability.
• Secretary General Kicks Off NATO Summit in Chicago AFPS 20 May 2012 -- NATO's largest-ever summit opened here today to focus on keeping Afghanistan secure, ensuring NATO's capability in the 21st century, and enhancing the alliance's global network of partners, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
• NATO leaders gather for Chicago Summit NATO 20 May 2012 -- NATO leaders gathered in Chicago on 20 May for a summit that will ready the North Atlantic Alliance to tackle the challenges of the future.
• NATO Summit Opens In Chicago RFE/RL 20 May 2012 -- NATO leaders have convened in Chicago for a two-day summit that is expected to be dominated by discussion of a military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
• Obama in Chicago for NATO Summit VOA 20 May 2012 -- President Barack Obama is in his home town of Chicago, Illinois, where he will host leaders of the 28 trans-atlantic allies for the NATO summit beginning Sunday.
• Briefing by General John Allen, General Doug Lute, and Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes The White House 20 May 2012
• Press Briefing by U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder and Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes The White House 20 May 2012

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Activists: Syrian Troops Kill 34 People in Hama VOA 20 May 2012 -- A Syrian rights group says security forces have attacked a rebellious town in the country's central province of Hama, killing 34 people including children.
• Ma reaffirms Taiwan's sovereignty over South China Sea islands CNA 20 May 2012 -- President Ma Ying-jeou on Sunday reaffirmed Taiwan's sovereignty in the South China Sea, vowing to adopt peaceful approaches to resolving territorial disputes amid growing tensions in the region.

News Reports

• Majlis urges 5+1 to change hostile approach against Iran IRNA 20 May 2012 -- The Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis) in a statement on Sunday called on 5+1 to change hostile attitude towards Tehran and pursue interaction instead.
• Salehi underlines Iran's right to use nuclear energy based on NPT IRNA 20 May 2012 -- Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi underlined Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes within the framework of Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
• Russia Concerned about Changing Positions towards Military Action against Iran - Foreign Ministry RIA Novosti 20 May 2012 -- Russia is concerned about changing the position of some countries towards a military solution of the situation around Iran, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
• Convicted Lockerbie Bomber Dies After Cancer Battle VOA 20 May 2012 -- A former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has died of cancer in Tripoli, nearly three years after Scottish authorities released him from prison on compassionate grounds.
• Nationalist Nikolic Declares Victory In Serbian Presidential Vote; Tadic Concedes RFE/RL 20 May 2012 -- Opposition leader Tomislav Nikolic has declared himself the winner in Serbia's runoff election for president in a vote that could boost fears of a renewed nationalism and deepen political divides.
• Obama: 'Emerging Consensus' On Eurozone RFE/RL 20 May 2012 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says there's an "emerging consensus" that more must be done to promote jobs growth in Europe as the continent faces its debt crisis.