Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 06 Jun 2012 [PDF]
• Helicopter Crash Kills 2 ISAF Members in Afghanistan AFPS 06 Jun 2012 -- Two International Security Assistance Force service members died following a helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan.
• Suicide Bombings Kill 22 in Southern Afghanistan VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- Suicide bombers killed at least 22 civilians near a NATO air base in Afghanistan on Wednesday, offcials said.
• Dual Suicide Attacks Kill At Least 22 Civilians In Kandahar RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- Afghan authorities say at least 22 people were killed when two suicide attackers blew themselves up in a market area in the southern province of Kandahar.
• NATO Air Strike Said To Have Killed Afghan Women, Children RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- Afghan officials and residents say an early-morning NATO air strike in eastern Afghanistan has killed several civilians, including many women and children.
• Two Foreign Troops Killed In Afghan Helicopter Crash RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- The NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan says two of its troops have died in a helicopter crash in the eastern part of the country.
• Afghan, Foreign Suspects Held For Alleged Poisoning Of Schoolgirls RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- A security official in Afghanistan's northeastern Takhar Province says 17 people have been detained in connection with the alleged gas poisoning of hundreds of schoolgirls.
• Panetta: Drone Campaign Will Continue in Pakistan VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- The United States has no plans to curtail drone attacks on Pakistani soil, saying its right to target terrorist leaders "is about our sovereignty."
• White House: Elimination of al-Libi a Major Blow Against al-Qaida VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- The White House says the killing of al-Qaida's second-in-command has further degraded the organization's leadership.
• White House Confirms Death of Al-Qaida’s Second-in-Command AFPS 06 Jun 2012 -- The U.S. government has confirmed the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi, the second in command of al-Qaida.
• Taliban claim responsibility for Pakistani post attack IRNA 06 Jun 2012 -- Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for attack on a border post in a tribal region.
• Enterprise makes safe transit from sea to shining sea USMC News 06 Jun 2012 -- Last month Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 sailed through the Strait of Hormuz aboard aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta: "The U.S. and India: Partners in the 21st Century" DoD 06 Jun 2012
• Media Availability with Secretary Panetta in New Delhi, India DoD 06 Jun 2012
• Readout of Secretary Panetta's Meeting with Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony DoD 06 Jun 2012
• Panetta Says U.S.-India Relations Must Deepen, Grow for Peace AFPS 06 Jun 2012 -- Defense Secretary Panetta: The U.S.-India relationship must deepen and grow to truly provide security for the Asia-Pacific region and the world.
• Pakistan Ponders Panetta's Visit to India VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s visit to Pakistan’s rival, India, highlights Washington’s increasingly friendly ties with New Delhi.
• Panetta Says Strategy Puts Dream of 21st Century in Reach AFPS 06 Jun 2012 -- The dream of the 21st century is a world that shares in prosperity and security and peace, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.
• Dempsey: Partners Enthusiastic About Asia Strategy AFPS 06 Jun 2012 -- The nation’s top military officer set out May 29 for a week’s travel in the Asia-Pacific pledging to listen to partners’ perspectives on new U.S. security strategy.
• Chairman: Asia-Pacific Will Challenge Military Leaders AFPS 06 Jun 2012 -- Creating thinking, adaptable leaders not only within U.S. forces but also with partner nations’ militaries is key to maintaining readiness against future threats, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
• Pentagon Sends More Warships to Pacific VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- The United States is building up its navy fleet in the Asia-Pacific region, a part of the world where China also has strategic interests.
• Eighth Army signs historic agreement with ROK Army Army News 06 Jun 2012 -- The Eighth Army commander signed a historic agreement with the commander of the Republic of Korea Army formation that serves along the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
• KCNA on US Moves to Justify Its Modernization of Nukes KCNA 06 Jun 2012 -- U.S. President Obama said that the U.S. will never remain a passive onlooker to the threat of north Korea and Iran to the whole world with nuclear programs.
• 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit Maritime Raid Force brings Special Operations capabilities to the fight USMC News 06 Jun 2012 -- Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force went straight to work showing off their capabilities in preparation for Exercise Eager Lion 12.
• 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit Scout Snipers kick off Eager Lion 12 USMC News 06 Jun 2012 -- Exercise Eager Lion 12 began with a live-fire training event by the scout sniper platoon from Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
• Southcom Program Plugs Science, Technology Gaps AFPS 06 Jun 2012 -- A little-known office here at the U.S. Southern Command headquarters is making a big impact by identifying technical capabilities to support the mission, and lacking them, helping develop new ones.
• Squadron nears completion of ballistic missile warning communications upgrade AFNS 06 Jun 2012 -- Ballistic missile warning sensors at sites around the world provide information vital to U.S. national security.
• Soldiers return from Fort Bliss assessment Army News 06 Jun 2012 -- Soldiers who took part in the Maneuver Battle Lab's Ground Combat Vehicle assessment last month at Fort Bliss, Texas, praised the various capabilities and features on the five vehicles used in the weeklong evaluation.
• USS Greeneville Departs for Western Pacific Deployment NNS 06 Jun 2012 -- USS Greeneville departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for a scheduled Western Pacific deployment, June 5.
• Alleged WikiLeaker Returns to Fort Meade Courtroom AFPS 06 Jun 2012 -- Army Pfc. Bradley Manning returned to the courtroom here today as lawyers spent most of the day wrangling over the release of documents associated with what’s considered the largest intelligence leak in U.S. history.
• Russian Missile Forces Have ‘Safe Busting’ Sledgehammer RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces are equipped with a special ?safe-busting’ sledgehammer that can be used in an emergency to break open the safe containing launch codes if it fails to open.
• Rogozin Doubts Need to Develop New Strategic Bomber RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has questioned the need to develop a new strategic bomber.
• Yury Dolgoruky to Complete Sea Trial on Thursday RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- Russia's latest ballistic missile submarine, the Borey class Yury Dolgoruky will complete an initial sea trial on June 7.
• Beijing Summit Stresses Security RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- Regional security is the focus of a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which is getting under way in the Chinese capital, Beijing.
• Russia Rejects SCO Membership For Iran Until UN Sanctions Lifted RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- Iran, which has observer status in the organization, can only become a full member when United Nations sanctions against the Islamic republic are lifted.
• Iran SCO Membership Blocked by Sanctions RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- Iran’s application to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organizationwill be considered after international sanctions on it have been lifted.
• U.S. report warns of threats from China's military modernization CNA 06 Jun 2012 -- Taiwan should do more to resist China's military threat, the Washington-based think tank American Enterprise Institute suggested.
• Taiwan denies report on likely cancellation of aircraft plan CNA 06 Jun 2012 -- Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense denied a local report that it will mull calling off plans to adopt Taiwan-made unmanned aerial vehicles.
• India, Japan to conduct first ever Naval Exercise IRNA 06 Jun 2012 -- The Indian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force will conduct their first ever bilateral exercise from 5-9 June, 2012.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, June 6, 2012 US Dept. of State 06 Jun 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 06, 2012
• Sukhoi Crash Families to get 1.25 billion Rupiah RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- Sukhoi Civil Aircraft plans to pay 1.25 billion Indonesian rupiah to the families of those killed in the May Sukhoi Superjet crash in Indonesia.

Other Conflicts

• Press Conference by General Assembly President, 06 June 2012 United Nations 06 Jun 2012
• UN GA President ‘disappointed’ over continuing violence in Syria UN News Centre 06 Jun 2012 -- The President of the General Assembly expressed his disappointment over the lack of progress in ending the violence in Syria.
• Secretary Clinton Statement: Friends of the Syrian People Sanctions Working Group US Dept. of State 06 Jun 2012
• U.S. Warns Of UN Sanctions Against Syria RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- The US has warned Syria that tough economic sanctions may soon be imposed on Damascus as punishment for its violent campaign against citizens calling for regime change.
• Syrian Activists: At Least 78 Killed Near Hama VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- Syrian activists say pro-government militia and security forces have killed at least 78 people, including women and children, in the central province of Hama.
• Syrian Troops Kill 7 in Coastal Area VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- A Syrian rights group says government troops have killed at least seven people in a second day of fighting with rebels.
• Clinton Asks Russia, China to Help in Syria Crisis RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on China and Russia to apply its influence on Damascus to stop the bloodshed in Syria.
• Moscow Calls for Meeting on Annan Plan Support RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- Countries that have influence on the Syrian opposition should hold a meeting to outline measures in support of the peace plan proposed by Kofi Annan.
• Assad Names New Prime Minister To Form Syrian Government RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- Syrian state-run television says President Bashar al-Assad has named former agriculture minister Riyad Hijab to be the new prime minister.
• U.S. Allocates $12.8 Mln of Humanitarian Aid for Syria RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- The United States has allocated $12.8 million of humanitarian aid to Syria bringing the total sum of the assistance provided to over $52 million.
• Indo-Pak peace process should be 'irreversible': Pak High Commissioner IRNA 06 Jun 2012 -- Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik said there was a 'window of opportunity' that should be seized.
• U.S., India Must Find Ways To Work With Pakistan, Says Panetta RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says the United States and India need to find ways to work with Pakistan.
• Turkey's Political Leaders Discuss How to End Kurdish Insurgency VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- How to resolve a more than three-decade Kurdish insurgency in Turkey was the topic of a rare meeting between the country's prime minister and main opposition political leader.
• Secretary Clinton Remarks With Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov US Dept. of State 06 Jun 2012
• Clinton To Visit Baku Amid Azeri-Armenian Tensions RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to make a trip to Azerbaijan on June 6 on the final leg of her tour of South Caucasus countries.
• One Killed, Two Wounded In Nagorno-Karabakh Clashes RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan’s separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region said that one of its soldiers was killed and two wounded in shootouts with Azerbaijani forces overnight.
• Azeris Attack Karabakh Border RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- An Azerbaijani commando group attempted to penetrate Karabakh Army positions in the early hours of Wednesday.
• Secretary Clinton Interview With Eka Kvesitadze of Georgian Public Broadcaster US Dept. of State 06 Jun 2012
• Moscow Warns U.S. on Georgia Support RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- The U.S. administration does not fully appreciate the consequences of its support for Georgia's efforts to propagandize the "Russian occupation of Georgia," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.
• A User's Guide To Georgia's 'Neutral' Passports RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- Residents of Georgia's two breakaway regions will soon be allowed to visit the United States with so-called "status-neutral" documents issued by the authorities in Tbilisi.
• U.S. To Recognize 'Status-Neutral' Passports From Georgia's Breakaway Regions RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- Visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the United States will recognize "status-neutral" documents issued by Georgia's government.
• Rival Militias Still Fighting in Libya VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- Some worry that the country's instability may mar the election or dim the hopes from last year’s successful revolution.
• Bomb Targets US Embassy Office in Libya VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- An explosion outside the U.S. mission in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi caused no injuries.
• Press Conference on Lord’s Resistance Army, 06 June 2012 United Nations 06 Jun 2012
• New UN report highlights Lord’s Resistance Army atrocities against children UN News Centre 06 Jun 2012 -- The LRA remains among the most persistent perpetrators of grave violations against children.
• Sudan Talks Bog Down in Map Dispute VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- South Sudan has proposed setting up a large demilitarized zone along its border with rival Sudan, a suggestion that Sudan quickly rejected.
• DRC: Within Days of Crushing Ntaganda Rebellion VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- The Democratic Republic of Congo's government says it is close to ending a rebellion by soldiers loyal to Bosco Ntaganda, a militia leader wanted by the International Criminal Court.
• Central African Republic at ‘crucial’ juncture, UN envoy tells Security Council UN News Centre 06 Jun 2012 -- The top UN envoy to the CAR stressed the need for the country to continue building on the momentum recently created on the political, security and disarmament fronts.
• UN: Central African Republic at Critical Juncture VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- A senior United Nations official says the Central African Republic continues to face challenges after years of political instability and armed conflict.
• Nominee For U.S. Ambassador To Iraq Pledges To Protect Democratic Gains RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- US President Barack Obama's nominee for ambassador to Iraq has told lawmakers that guarding against "backsliding" on fragile democratic gains will top his agenda if he is confirmed.
• Nikolic's Comments on Srebrenica Draw More Criticism VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- Serbia's new president, Tomislav Nikolic, is facing more criticism from the West and the region for denying that the 1995 massacre of Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina's eastern town of Srebrenica was a genocide.
• Rights Group: Liberia Fails to Stop Cross-Border Attacks VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- Human Rights Watch says mercenaries in eastern Liberia are running deadly cross-border raids into Ivory Coast and recruiting child soldiers.
• Russia Proposes Kuril Islands Talks 'Without Preconditions' RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- Russia invites Japan to discuss the disputed Kuril Islands without preconditions, Russian Ambassador to Japan Yevgeny Afanasiev said.

News Reports

• U.S. IAEA Envoy Says Iran 'Not Fooling Anyone' RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- The acting US ambassador to the IAEA says Iran needs to stop calling the UN nuclear watchdog names and focus on answering suspicions about its nuclear program.
• Tehran Says IAEA Acts Like 'Intelligence Agency' RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- Iran has accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of acting like an "intelligence organization."
• Iran Questions World Powers' Readiness For Talks RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- Iran has questioned whether world powers are prepared for negotiations over its disputed nuclear program.
• Iran Questions G5+1 Talks ‘with No Agenda’ RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- Tehran said failure to draft an agenda for the upcoming nuclear talks in Moscow was not conducive to their success.
• Study Details Political Caste System in North Korea VOA 06 Jun 2012 -- A U.S.-based human rights group has released a report detailing how North Korea ranks its citizens based on their family's loyalty to the Kim dynasty.
• Egypt Unprepared for Presidential Election - El Baradei RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- One of Egypt's leading opposition figures, ex-head of the IAEA Mohamed El Baradei said that currently his country is not ready to hold presidential elections due to contradictions between Egyptian political forces.
• Former FSB Officer Sentenced to 18 Years for Espionage RIA Novosti 06 Jun 2012 -- The Moscow Military District Court sentenced retired Federal Security Service Colonel Valery Mikhailov to 18 years in a high-security prison for spying for the US.
• Russian Ex-Officer Gets 18 Years In Jail For Selling State Secrets To U.S. RFE/RL 06 Jun 2012 -- The Moscow Military District Court has sentenced retired Federal Security Service Colonel Valery Mikhailov to 18 years in jail for divulging state secrets to the US.