Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 21 Jun 2012 [PDF]
• ISAF Aircraft Makes Forced Landing in Afghanistan AFPS 21 Jun 2012 -- An International Security Assistance Force aircraft made a forced landing in eastern Afghanistan.
• Afghan Forces Show Progress, DOD Officials Tell House Committee AFPS 21 Jun 2012 -- The Afghan national security forces are making tremendous strides and look to be ready to assume security control of the country on schedule.
• Afghan and British soldiers bridge canal to relieve troubled area UK MOD 21 Jun 2012 -- Afghan warriors and British soldiers recently bridged a canal while under enemy fire as part of an operation to bring security to a troubled area of Helmand province.
• Army civilian engineers team with Soldiers in Afghanistan Army News 21 Jun 2012 -- U.S. Army civilian engineers are deploying to Afghanistan along with Soldiers to resolve issues that hinder mission success in theater.
• Afghan power company linemen receive training, new equipment during debut training session Army News 21 Jun 2012 -- Twelve Afghan electric company technicians will be better able to maintain power lines throughout southern Afghanistan.
• Karzai Makes Anticorruption Plea RFE/RL 21 Jun 2012 -- President Hamid Karzai has issued a fresh call for Afghan lawmakers and international allies to do more to tackle rampant corruption in Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Agency Officials Praise New START Treaty Progress AFPS 21 Jun 2012 -- Work taking place under the 16-month-old new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia fosters transparency and predictability for the world's two largest deployed nuclear arsenals.
• DOD News Briefing with George Little from the Pentagon DoD 21 Jun 2012
• Army Announces Force Structure Relocations DoD 21 Jun 2012
• Westphal looks ahead to Army of 2020 Army News 21 Jun 2012 -- The Army's fiscal year 2013 budget request calls for about $18 billion less than fiscal year 2012, with additional cuts coming over the next several years.
• South Korea, Japan, US Hold Military Drills VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- South Korea is participating in several military exercises, some overlapping and involving other countries including the United States and Japan.
• U.S., Japanese Defense Officials to Meet to Discuss Osprey Issues AFPS 21 Jun 2012 -- Senior Defense Department officials will brief a Japanese delegation at the Pentagon tomorrow on recent incidents involving U.S. MV-22 and CV-22 Osprey aircraft variants.
• Africom Strives to ‘Turn on Lights’ Against Terrorism in Africa AFPS 21 Jun 2012 -- Eliminating terrorist safe havens and support for terrorist groups in Africa is a top U.S. Africa Command priority, Africom’s top military officer said.
• Navy Partners with Coast Guard for Initial Fuel Test NNS 21 Jun 2012 -- The Navy provided U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Henry Blake with a 50/50 blend of F-76 and hydro-processed renewable diesel, June 20, to examine the feasibility of using renewable diesel fuel in Coast Guard cutters.
• Picatinny engineers set phasers to 'fry' Army News 21 Jun 2012 -- Scientists and engineers at Picatinny Arsenal are busy developing a device that will shoot lightning bolts down laser beams to destroy its target.
• Cloud Formation Discovery Expected to Impact Future Military Operations NNS 21 Jun 2012 -- A newly discovered radar capability to detect individual cloud hydrometeors in the free atmosphere can impact future performance of combat systems and military decision making.
• Sound of Black Hawk rotor blades signals highly trained Army Army News 21 Jun 2012 -- Earlier this year, a couple of new "birds" - the UH-60M and HH-60M helicopters - landed at Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield.
• USS Jason Dunham Departs on Maiden Deployment NNS 21 Jun 2012 -- USS Jason Dunham departed from Naval Station Norfolk for its maiden deployment along with embarked Helicopter Anti-Submarine Light Squadron 42 Detachment 7 as part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group June 20.
• USS Normandy Anchors in Sweden NNS 21 Jun 2012 -- Guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy anchored outside of Karlskrona, Sweden, for a scheduled port visit, June 20.
• Navy, Coast Guard seize $13 Million of Cocaine in the Caribbean NNS 21 Jun 2012 -- USS Elrod and embarked U. S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment , interdicted a suspected smuggling vessel, recovering more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine.
• California Marines return after seven months at sea USMC News 21 Jun 2012 -- More than 2,200 Marines and sailors from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit returned here June 21 after serving seven months in the Western Pacific, Middle East and Horn of Africa regions.
• German air force brings Eurofighter, skills to Eielson AFB AFNS 21 Jun 2012 -- After a nearly 5,000-mile trip across the world, 150 members of the German air force recently arrived with eight German Eurofighter Typhoons.
• Warfare Center Supports Exercise Bold Quest NNS 21 Jun 2012 -- Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane), personnel provided electronic warfare and electromagnetic spectrum collection support for Exercise Bold Quest 2012 at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, in Indiana, June 12-13.
• 382nd Military Police Battalion spearheads joint training efforts at Golden Coyote Army News 21 Jun 2012 -- The 28th annual exercise brought together military personnel from the Army Reserve, National Guard and international forces.
• Thousands of Vietnamese receive health care during joint, combined operation AFNS 21 Jun 2012 -- A team of approximately 30 U.S. military service members conducted health education clinics for local residents at two schools here June 10-18.
• Anniston Army Depot begins construction of new rail spur Army News 21 Jun 2012 -- Work has begun on a new entry point at Anniston Army Depot - one meant specifically for ammunition rail cars.
• Reforms Improve DOD’s Security Clearance Process, Official Says AFPS 21 Jun 2012 -- Reforms in the personnel security clearance process have improved the speed and efficiency of background investigations and adjudications with a direct, positive impact on the Defense Department’s ability to carry out its mission.
• Pentagon sacks instructor over anti-Islamic course IRNA 21 Jun 2012 -- The Pentagon sacked an instructor who presented anti-Islamic study materials in a course for senior military officers suggesting that the US is at war with Islam.
• 11th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation Released DoD 21 Jun 2012
• Review Panel Urges Changes in Combat, Incentive Pays AFPS 21 Jun 2012 -- The 11th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation recommends changes to combat pay and changes to special and incentive pays while saying current military pay rates are about right.
• Study Offers Glimpse Into Suicide Motives AFPS 21 Jun 2012 -- Why? What makes people attempt suicide? It’s a vital question, as the answer could help mental health professionals and even friends and family better recognize when they need to step in to help to save a life.
• Smartphones May Soon Join Battle Against Suicide AFPS 21 Jun 2012 -- Human to human interaction is basic to mental health care, but smartphones can extend therapy’s reach and help potential suicide victims stay alive.
• Russia to Take on ‘High Risk’ Defense Research Projects RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- The Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects in the Defense Industry will finance high-risk projects.
• NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow: "NATO in the New Global Security Era" NATO 21 Jun 2012
• India, China agree to step up defence and security dialogue IRNA 21 Jun 2012 -- India and China today agreed to step up their defence and security dialogue and work to take steps to ensure that the two countries achieve a USD 100 billion trade target by 2015.
• New Foxhound vehicle on display in the UK UK MOD 21 Jun 2012 -- The British Army's new Foxhound vehicle has been unveiled for the first time since its arrival in Afghanistan.
• Indonesian Air Force Plane Crash Kills Nine RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- Nine people were killed and at least 35 injured as an Indonesian Air Force Fokker F27 transport aircraft crashed.
• Kazakh Border Guards Arrested Over Mass Desertion RFE/RL 21 Jun 2012 -- Kazakhstan's military prosecutor's office has announced that three border guards, including an outpost commander, have been arrested on suspicion of beating conscripts.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 6/21/12 The White House 21 Jun 2012
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, June 21, 2012 US Dept. of State 21 Jun 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 21, 2012
• ‘No Technical Problems’ in Superjet Crash RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- The Sukhoi Superjet airliner that crashed in Indonesia last month had no apparent technical problems, United Aircraft Corporation President Mikhail Pogosyan said.

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 21 June 2012 United Nations 21 Jun 2012
• Report: US Helping Syrian Rebels Arm, Fight VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Syrian rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad may be getting some added help from the United States.
• Most Turks Oppose Taking Sides in Syrian Conflict VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been among the strongest opponents of the Syrian government and its ongoing violent crackdown on dissent.
• Rising Death Toll in Syria Prompts Calls for Western Intervention VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- The United Nations says at least 10,000 Syrians are dead and 1 million are in need of assistance in a conflict that appears to be spiraling towards civil war.
• Syria Said to Possess Vast Quantities of Chemical Weapons VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- The Syrian Army is by regional standards a highly-capable military force and its air force is one of the largest in the Middle East.
• U.S. to Maintain Pressure on Assad Regime, Press Secretary Says AFPS 21 Jun 2012 -- The U.S. will continue to apply economic and diplomatic pressure on Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s regime and it encourages Syrians to resist.
• Lavrov Denies Russia 'Changed Stance' on Syria RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has rejected recent comments by British Prime Minister David Cameron that Russia has changed its stance on Syria.
• Red Cross Evacuation in Homs On Hold VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Attempts by the Red Cross to evacuate civilians from the battered northern Syrian city of Homs appear to be stalled, as government forces continue their military offensive.
• Violence in Homs Blocks Evacuation of Wounded VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Aid teams from the ICRC and the Syrian Red Crescent said that violence has forced them to halt attempts to evacuate wounded civilians from Homs.
• Syrian Fighter Pilot Defects in Jordan VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Jordan's information ministry says a Syrian fighter pilot has landed at a military base in Jordan and asked for political asylum.
• Syrian MiG Fighter Jet Defects to Jordan RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- A Syrian Air Force MiG-21 fighter pilot has flown his aircraft to Jordan and landed at an air force base, Jordan's Minister of Media Affairs and Communications Samih Maaytah said.
• Russia's Lavrov Confirms Ship Was Carrying Helicopters To Syria RFE/RL 21 Jun 2012 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says a cargo ship that was forced to turn back toward Russia was carrying three military helicopters bound for the Syrian regime.
• Russian Ship Carrying Syrian Attack Helicopters Returns Home RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- The Russian ship MV Alaed, carrying a cargo of overhauled Russian-made Mil Mi-25 helicopter gunships bound for Syria, will dock in the north Russian port of Murmansk on Saturday.
• Analysis: Intervention options in northern Mali IRIN 21 Jun 2012 -- The African Union and ECOWAS have been taking a dual-track approach in Mali in recent weeks.
• US Designates Boko Haram as Terrorists VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- The United States designated as terrorists three members of the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram.
• US Puts 3 Boko Haram Members on Terrorist List VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- The United States has placed three members of the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram on its list of designated terrorists.
• Over 200,000 Flee Fighting in North Kivu VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Fighting in North Kivu province over the past two months has forced more than 200,000 people to flee their homes in the area.
• Liberians not Responsible for Ivory Coast’s Instability VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- A former Liberian rebel leader has called on the government to reassess its decision to deploy troops to southeastern Grand Gedeh County bordering Ivory Coast.
• South Africans Freed From Somali Pirates VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Two South Africans kidnapped 20 months ago by pirates off the Somali coast have been freed.
• Over 100 Killed in Libya's Tribal Clashes RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- Recent week-long tribal clashes in western Libya left 105 people dead and some 500 injured.
• Gaza Militants Fire 9 Missiles Despite Ceasefire - Israel RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- Palestinian militants in Gaza fired at least nine missiles on South Israel despite a ceasefire announced earlier, Israel’s military said.
• Gaza Militants ‘Ready’ for Truce After Deadly Clashes with Israel RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- After three days of deadly cross-border fighting, Hamas militants say they have agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel.
• Amnesty Says North Caucasus Authorities Threaten Security As Much As Militants RFE/RL 21 Jun 2012 -- Rights group Amnesty International has warned that the threat to security for many residents of Russia's North Caucasus region comes as much from law-enforcement agencies as it does from armed groups.
• MYANMAR: Bleak prospects for Chin refugees in India IRIN 21 Jun 2012 -- The Chins have suffered human rights violations by Myanmar’s military rulers for years.
• Two Serbs Detained Over Srebrenica Massacre RFE/RL 21 Jun 2012 -- Police in Bosnia-Herzegovina say two Serbian men have been detained over their suspected involvement in the Srebrenica massacre of thousands of Muslim males toward the end of Bosnia's 1992-95 war.

News Reports

• As Iran Talks Falter, Fears of Military Action Increase VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- The near failure of talks in Moscow and the pending imposition of a full EU oil embargo have deepened the dispute between Iran and the international community.
• Israel Demands Stiffer Sanctions On Iran RFE/RL 21 Jun 2012 -- Israel is demanding the West slap stiffer economic sanctions on Iran after talks between Iran and the West produced no breakthrough.
• UN Chief Regrets No Deal on Iran After Moscow Talks RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- United Nations Secretary General Ban has expressed regret that no agreement on Iran’s controversial nuclear program had been reached during the latest round of talks in Moscow.
• Iran Meeting in Moscow Brings 'No Progress' - Russia RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- The third round of talks on the Iranian nuclear problem that took place on June 18-19 in Moscow has not brought any significant results.
• Ring leader of terrorist group involved in nuclear scientists hits arrested: Intelligence minister IRNA 21 Jun 2012 -- Minister of Intelligence Heidar Moslehi said that the ring leader of a terrorist group involved in assassination of a number of Iranian nuclear scientists was arrested.
• Clinton: Military Must Hand Power to Egypt Presidential Winner VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Egypt's military must "fulfill its promise" to turn over power to the winner of a presidential runoff vote.
• Egypt Military Election Stance Could Aggravate Crisis, says Analyst VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- A Washington-based scholar says Egypt could be plunged into crisis if the military council is seen as pressuring the election commission to declare former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq winner of the presidential run-off vote.
• Egypt's Shafiq Campaign Signals Softening in Standoff VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Egypt's election officials are reviewing complaints about irregularities in the nation's first freely-contested presidential election, delaying announcement of the results.
• Tensions Soar In Egypt As Election Result Delayed RFE/RL 21 Jun 2012 -- The decision by Egyptian election officials to delay declaring a winner in the country's presidential ballot has sent tensions in the country soaring.
• Election Results Delayed As Egypt Crisis Deepens RFE/RL 21 Jun 2012 -- Egypt's election commission has delayed declaring a winner in the country's presidential election, amid rising tensions over who will succeed ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
• Egypt Election Results Due This Weekend RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- The official results of Egypt’s presidential elections will be announced on Saturday or Sunday, Supreme Elections Commission chief Hatem Bagato said in an interview broadcast on national television.
• Pakistan's Political Crisis Grows as PM Nominee Faces Arrest VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- One of the candidates chosen to replace Pakistan's ousted prime minister is facing an arrest warrant.
• Exit of Yusuf Raza Gilani deepens Pakistan's political crisis IRNA 21 Jun 2012 -- Yusuf Raza Gilani lost the post of Prime Minister in a row of contempt of court as he had refused to accept the Supreme Court’s repeated orders to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
• Judge Said To Issue Warrant For Pakistani PM-Designate RFE/RL 21 Jun 2012 -- Judges have issued an arrest warrant for President Asif Ali Zardari's candidate to be the country's new prime minister.
• Arrest Warrant Issued for Pakistan PM Candidate RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- A court in Pakistan has issued an arrest warrant for Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Makhdoom Shahabuddin.
• Pakistani President nominates Shahabuddin for PM IRNA 21 Jun 2012 -- President Asif Ali Zardari has formally nominated Syed Makhdoom Shahabuddin as candidate of the majority Pakistan Peoples Party for the post of Prime Minister.
• Zardari Nominates Party Stalwart For Pakistani PM Post RFE/RL 21 Jun 2012 -- Reports from Pakistan say President Asif Ali Zardari has nominated Makhdoom Shahabuddin, a veteran loyalist of the ruling party and current textiles minister, to be Pakistan’s next prime minister.
• Chinese State Media: Democracy No 'Panacea' for Burma VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Chinese state media are warning against "excessive and hasty" democratic change in Burma, saying democracy alone cannot solve all of the Southeast Asian country's problems.
• Aung San Suu Kyi Addresses British Parliament VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi made a historic addresse to Britain's parliament following an earlier meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron.
• Ai Weiwei: Still Can't Leave China VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei says police have told him he is stilled barred from leaving the country, despite the expiration of a one-year bail imposed after his release from detention.
• Mozambique Struggles to Find Source of Kidnappings VOA 21 Jun 2012 -- Authorities in Mozambique have rounded up 22 people in connection with kidnappings that have terrorized the Muslim community in recent months.
• Yanukovych 'Sorry' for Tymoshenko RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych felt "sorry" for jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko and will seek a "humane decision" in her case.
• Lavrov Calls for Uniform OSCE Election Monitoring Rules RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe member states should introduce uniform regulations for election monitoring, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
• 'Belarusian List' of Katyn Victims Found RIA Novosti 21 Jun 2012 -- The long-sought "Belarusian list" of Polish officers executed in 1940 by the Soviet secret police, the NKVD, has been found in Russia’s state military archives.