Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 29 May 2012 [PDF]
• Afghan Security Forces, ISAF Counterparts Kill Senior al-Qaida Leader AFPS 29 May 2012 -- Afghan security forces and their International Security Assistance Force partners killed a senior al-Qaida leader in Kunar province May 27, a senior Defense Department spokesman told reporters at the Pentagon today.
• Troops working to eradicate poppy fields in Afghanistan Army News 29 May 2012 -- Afghan National Army and 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Soldiers teamed up earlier this month to locate and destroy several acres of opium poppy fields.
• Combined Force Kills 2 Insurgents in Firefight AFPS 29 May 2012 -- A combined force killed two insurgents and seized several AK-47 rifles and some ammunition magazines during a search for a Haqqani leader in the Gomal district of Afghanistan's Paktika province today, military officials reported.
• Afghan and British troops discover huge drugs and explosives cache UK MOD 29 May 2012 -- Working closely with Afghan security forces, soldiers of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment have made a considerable discovery of insurgent narcotics and supplies in the Nad 'Ali district of Helmand province.
• UN drugs and crime official urges concerted effort against narcotics in Afghanistan UN News Centre 29 May 2012 -- Highlighting the importance of political commitment and action, the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, today welcomed efforts by the Afghan Government to combat the menace of trafficking and production of narcotics in the country.
• Fighter jets strike kills 15 militants in NW Pakistan IRNA 29 May 2012 -- At least 15 militants were killed when fighter jets pounded militant hideouts in Pakistan's north western tribal region on Tuesday, media reports said.
• US: No Commando Spies in North Korea VOA 29 May 2012 -- PENTAGON - The Pentagon is denying a media report that quotes a top U.S. commander as saying the U.S. is parachuting special forces into North Korea to do reconnaissance missions.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pentagon Supports Diplomatic, Economic Pressure on Syria AFPS 29 May 2012 -- The Defense Department supports the U.S. policy of working with international partners to put diplomatic and economic pressure on Syria's government to help stem the humanitarian crisis there, the Pentagon's press secretary said here today.
• White House Responds to Report on Obama's Role in Targeted Killings VOA 29 May 2012 -- The White House responded Tuesday to a major U.S. newspaper report about President Barack Obama's role in the U.S. war against al-Qaida, including decisions to place suspected terrorists on a list of people to be killed.
• DOD News Briefing with George Little from the Pentagon DoD 29 May 2012 -- Presenter: Press Secretary George E. Little
• Multinational medical exercise readies forces to save time, lives AFNS 29 May 2012 -- A two-week joint medical exercise began with a kickoff ceremony here May 28.
• Underwood Concludes UNITAS Pacific, Starts Silent Forces Exercise NNS 29 May 2012 -- CALLAO, Peru - The closing ceremony for the multi-national exercise designed to improve interoperability between the U.S. and South and Central American navies, UNITAS Pacific (PAC), was held in Callao, Peru, May 25.
• VP-1 Completes Deployment at Naval Air Facility Misawa NNS 29 May 2012 -- Patrol Squadron (VP) 1 completed a six-month deployment at Naval Air Facility Misawa May 28 and officially turned over with VP-8.
• S.C. Army National Guard Soldiers partner with Kuwaiti National Guard Army News 29 May 2012 -- Partnership meant opposition for some United States Army National Guard and Kuwaiti National Guard troops during an exercise here recently.
• Army delivers new blue force tracking system to Korea Army News 29 May 2012 -- The Army's next-generation friendly force tracking system that equips Soldiers with a faster satellite network, secure data encryption and advanced logistics for improved tactical communications and situational awareness has deployed to bases in Korea.
• Army to pilot new Soldier transition resources, processes Army News 29 May 2012 -- The Army will begin piloting in mid-July components of what constitutes a major overhaul of how the Army transitions Soldiers from military to civilian life.
• U.S., Bulgarian Airmen strengthen ties during exercise AFNS 29 May 2012 -- More than 500 U.S. Airmen and two dozen F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 31st Fighter Wing here recently returned from a deployment to Graf Ignatievo Air Base, Bulgaria, where they spent a month conducting bi-lateral training with Bulgarian Airmen during Thracian Star 2012.
• AH-1Z Viper exceeds expectations on first deployment USMC News 29 May 2012 -- Six months into its first operational deployment, the four-blade AH-1Z Viper is performing at levels that show, according to officials, just why the Marine Corps has upgraded its aviation attacking power.
• India test-fires 2 Akash missiles, one successful IRNA 29 May 2012 -- For 3rd time in 5 days, India today test-fired surface-to-air anti-aircraft 'Akash' missiles from 2 Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near Balasore in Odisha state, achieving success in one while the data of the second trial was being analyzed.
• Iran Overhauls Russian-Built Sub RIA Novosti 29 May 2012 -- The Iranian Navy has brought back into operation a Russian-built submarine, after major repairs with locally produced components, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting company, IRIB, reported on Tuesday.
• Pakistan capable of shooting down US drones: scientist IRNA 29 May 2012 -- Founder of Pakistan's nuclear program, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan said that the country has the capability to shoot down unmanned US surveillance aircraft.
• Navy Rescue Vessel To Get Two Mini-subs RIA Novosti 29 May 2012 -- A Russian Navy search and rescue vessel will be equipped with two unique deepwater submersibles, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.
• F-35 fighters best suit Taiwan's air defense needs: official CNA 29 May 2012 -- F-35 stealth fighters are the new-generation combat aircraft that best serve Taiwan's air defense needs, a military official said Tuesday, the latest hint that the government may not be as keen to acquire advanced F-16 C/D fighters as once thought.
• Ministry to mull fitting cruise missiles on planned warships CNA 29 May 2012 -- Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Tuesday it will mull the possibility of fitting indigenous cruise missiles on the warships the country plans to build at home, one day after lawmakers passed a proposal asking the ministry to consider such a move.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 5/29/12 The White House 29 May 2012
• May 29, 2012 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 29 May 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 29, 2012

Other Conflicts

• 29 May 2012 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 29 May 2012
• Press Conference on International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers United Nations 29 May 2012
• Interview: Peacekeeping and partnerships UN News Centre 29 May 2012 -- In 2011, 112 UN peacekeepers were killed in the line of duty – adding to the almost 3,000 military, police and civilian staff members who have lost their lives as a result of acts of violence, accidents and disease since the first UN peacekeeping mission in 1948.
• US Expels Syrian Diplomat Over Houla Massacre VOA 29 May 2012 -- The United States is expelling Syria's most senior envoy in Washington over what it says is the Syrian government's responsibility for last week's massacre in the village of Houla. U.N. observers confirm the deaths of more than 90 people in Houla, including several families who appear to have been executed in their homes.
• ICRC alarmed by tragic event in Houla IRNA 29 May 2012 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross is shocked by the high number of civilian casualties caused by the tragic events in al-Houla, in Homs governorate.
• Assad Receives Annan For Talks In Damascus RFE/RL 29 May 2012 -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has held talks with United Nations-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan in Damascus, amid intensifying international concern about the bloodshed in Syria.
• Nine Countries Expel Damascus Diplomats In Protest RFE/RL 29 May 2012 -- The United States says it has expelled the Syrian charge d'affairs in response to the massacre of 108 civilians on May 25 in the village of Houla, which the United Nations has concluded was committed by Syrian government forces.
• Tehran Sent Troops to Syria - Iranian Officer RIA Novosti 29 May 2012 -- A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander has admitted that Iran has sent its troops to help the regime of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fight opposition forces.
• Syria Conflict May Spark Mideast Hostilities - Russia RIA Novosti 29 May 2012 -- Russia’s top diplomat predicted on Tuesday that the spiraling violence in Syria could ignite tensions across the Middle East.
• Joint UN-Arab League envoy urges Syrian President to take 'bold steps' to end violence UN News Centre 29 May 2012 -- In a meeting with the Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States on the Syrian Crisis, Kofi Annan, today stressed that a peace plan, put forward in March, cannot succeed without 'bold steps' to stop the violence and release detainees.
• Envoy Annan Calls for 'Bold Steps Now' in Syria VOA 29 May 2012 -- With deaths mounting and the West expelling Syrian diplomats, international peace envoy Kofi Annan told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that the U.N.'s six-point peace plan needs efforts to propel it forward.
• Israelis and Palestinians must capitalize on recent steps to advance peace - UN envoy UN News Centre 29 May 2012 -- Israelis and Palestinians must be willing to take the much-needed steps to capitalize on recent positive trends that hold the potential for progress in the peace process, a top United Nations envoy told the Security Council today.
• DR Congo: Tens of thousands displaced by the latest violence in North Kivu - UN UN News Centre 29 May 2012 -- The latest outbreak of violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has displaced more than 40,000 people, the United Nations refugee agency said today, adding that the distribution of relief items will soon commence among those uprooted, with most of them having sought shelter in schools and churches.
• Nepal: As constitution deadline passes, Ban urges consensus on way forward UN News Centre 29 May 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced disappointment that Nepal's Constituent Assembly has expired without the adoption of a long-awaited constitution, and called on all parties to work together in the national interest to ensure that the achievements of the past several years are not lost.
• Mali Rebels Say They Will Create Moderate Islamic State VOA 29 May 2012 -- Two groups of rebels in control of northern Mali say they have united and will turn the territory into an Islamist state. The leaders of one rebel group say the state will be governed by a more moderate form of sharia law than is currently being imposed by the other group, made up of Islamist fighters.
• South Sudan Questions Khartoum's Sincerity as Peace Talks Resume VOA 29 May 2012 -- A senior South Sudanese official has questioned Sudan's sincerity in resolving disputes as a fresh round of peace talks gets underway in Addis Ababa.

News Reports

• FM spokesman: Fixing date, place of talks with 5+1 good step forward IRNA 29 May 2012 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said fixing of date and place of next round of talks with the 5+1 is a good step forward.
• Velayati: G5+1 has to take practical steps to recognize Iran's rights IRNA 29 May 2012 -- Advisor for the Supreme Leader for International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati said that Group 5+1 should recognize Iran's rights to nuclear technology in practice.
• Iran Nuclear Power Plant Full Launch Facing Further Delay RIA Novosti 29 May 2012 -- The full capacity launch of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, Iran's first, may be rescheduled to June from May, a source in Russia's civilian nuclear power corporation, Rosatom, said on Tuesday.
• Moscow Tells U.S. Envoy to Tone it Down RIA Novosti 29 May 2012 -- MOSCOW, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - The U.S. ambassador to Russia should remain diplomatic in his public comments and not jeopardize his country's ties with Russia, a Russian presidential aide said on Tuesday.
• Flame, 'The Most Powerful Virus To Date' RFE/RL 29 May 2012 -- Someone is infecting Iran's computers with what experts call "the most powerful virus to date." Here are four things to know about the virus, dubbed Flame.
• Iran Says It Can Destroy Data-Stealing Virus VOA 29 May 2012 -- The Iranian government said Tuesday it has produced an antivirus program capable of fighting what computer experts are calling 'the most sophisticated cyber weapon yet unleashed.'
• Taiwan's Opposition Leader Seeks Flexible Ties with China VOA 29 May 2012 -- The new chairman of Taiwan's normally anti-Beijing opposition party is urging a flexible working relationship with China. That stance by the head of the Democratic Progressive Party could bring a thaw to a history of icy relations between Taiwan and China.
• Egyptians Outraged Over Presidential Poll Results VOA 29 May 2012
• KENYA: Oil, hope and fear IRIN 29 May 2012 -- Although just a few hundred kilometres from Nairobi, the county of Turkana, where newly-confirmed oil reserves are set to go on stream in the next few years, feels more like a million miles away from the gleaming skyscrapers and concentrations of power and money found in Kenya's capital.
• UN office in Guinea-Bissau condemns recent use of force against protesters UN News Centre 29 May 2012 -- The United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS) has condemned the recent use of force by members of the country's security and defence forces against a group of demonstrators.
• National dialogue could make or break Yemen's transition - UN envoy UN News Centre 29 May 2012 -- Yemen's national dialogue conference, slated for next year, will be crucial for the democratic transition underway in the country, which is dealing with serious security concerns, an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and many unresolved conflicts, a senior United Nations official said today.
• Aung San Suu Kyi Starts Landmark Bangkok Visit VOA 29 May 2012 -- Burma's long-time democracy icon and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has arrived in Thailand's capital, marking her first international trip in 24 years and ending an era of isolation in her home country.