Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 26 Jun 2012 [PDF]
• Combined Force Seizes Explosives, Weapons Caches AFPS 26 Jun 2012 -- An Afghan-led, coalition-supported force seized two caches containing chemicals, weapons and improvised explosive device-making components in the Ab Band district of Ghazni province yesterday, military officials reported.
• 58th Military Police Company Redeployment Army News 26 Jun 2012 -- More than 150 Soldiers of the 58th Military Police Company, 728th MP Battalion 8th MP Bde., 8th Theater Sustainment Command, redeployed from Kandahar Afghanistan, June 20th.
• Ahead of meeting, UN mission highlights 'critical need' for protection of Afghan civilians UN News Centre 26 Jun 2012 -- Ahead of a Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on Wednesday, the United Nations mission in the country today drew attention to the 'critical need' for all parties to the conflict to do more to protect civilians.
• Ammunition detachment conducts massive storage move USMC News 26 Jun 2012 -- To combat the effects of frigid winters and blistering summers on more than 6.6 million rounds of ammunition kept at the Field Ammunition Supply Point, a massive effort is underway to store the ammo in a permanent, more durable location.
• UNHCR asks world to share Afghan refugees' burden IRNA 26 Jun 2012 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has asked the world community to share additional burden by helping Pakistan overcome the issue of 1.7 million Afghan refugees living in camps and urban centers across the country.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: Pentagon Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender Pride Month Event DoD 26 Jun 2012 -- Presenter: Department of Defense General Counsel Jeh Johnson; Director of Press Operations Capt. Jane Campbell; Army Veteran Sue Fulton; Marine Corps Capt. Matthew Phelps; and Principal Deputy General Counsel of the Air Force Gordon Tanner
• FRUKUS 2012 Kicks Off in Russia NNS 26 Jun 2012 -- The multinational training exercise FRUKUS 2012 began with an opening ceremony held at the Baltic Fleet Headquarters in Baltiysk, Russia, where participating senior leaders from France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States discussed the exercise objectives, June 25.
• USS Farragut Ensures Combat Readiness NNS 26 Jun 2012 -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) successfully completed a live-fire test of a number of shipboard weapons systems June 23.
• Army accepts last PTDS aerostat Army News 26 Jun 2012 -- On May 29, the Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS) system entered its next chapter as Lt. Col. Michael Parodi, product manager Meteorological and Target Identification, was on hand at the Lockheed Martin facility in Dayton, Ohio; to accept the delivery of the last PTDS ordered.
• Senior Executive Service Announcements DoD 26 Jun 2012
• Many moving pieces to Indonesian Exercise Tendon Valiant 2012 Army News 26 Jun 2012 -- The twist was the idea of Col. Frank Newton, deputy surgeon, U. S. Army Pacific in which teams went door-to-door providing medical aid and conducting assessments for families in the same areas of the clinics in Malang Indonesia.
• Army R&D focuses on tech demos, affordable modernization Army News 26 Jun 2012 -- U.S. Army research and development efforts to support the future Soldier will begin to coalesce during technology-enabled capability demonstrations over the next several years, according to the director of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.
• Communications-Electronics Command hosts world-wide exercise, Aberdeen Proving Ground TODAY Army News 26 Jun 2012 -- The U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), the CECOM Software Engineering Center, and Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Materiel Enterprise partners will hold Media Day at the 19th Annual Joint Users Interoperability Communications Exercise (JUICE) today, June 26, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, one of 40 participant sites. This year's Combatant Command sponsor is U.S. Army Strategic Command.
• Signs of Military Professionalism, Cooperation On the Rise in Africa AFPS 26 Jun 2012 -- Dotting the African continent are promising examples of the capable, professional military forces U.S. Africa Command is working to promote.
• USS Normandy Arrives in Baltiysk for FRUKUS 2012 NNS 26 Jun 2012 -- Guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) arrived in Baltiysk, Russia, to participate in the annual multinational Exercise FRUKUS 2012, June 24.
• USS New York Rescues Stranded Kuwaiti Jet Skier NNS 26 Jun 2012 -- Amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21) assisted in a search and rescue mission for a Kuwaiti jet skier stranded 15 miles off the coast of Kuwait, June 24.
• Swift Arrives in Tanzania for Africa Partnership Station Visit NNS 26 Jun 2012 -- High-Speed Vessel Swift (HSV 2) arrived in Dar Es Salaam June 23 for a port visit supporting Africa Partnership Station (APS) East 2012.
• NAC Statement on the shooting down of a Turkish aircraft by Syria NATO 26 Jun 2012
• NATO Condemns Syria for Downing Turkish Jet VOA 26 Jun 2012 -- NATO member states have condemned Syria for shooting down a Turkish military jet last Friday.
• NATO Condemns Syria's Shoot Down of Turkish Jet RIA Novosti 26 Jun 2012 -- NATO condemned Syria's downing of a Turkish military jet, in a statement issued following an emergency meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, but did not invoke Article 5 of its charter which could possibly allow joint armed intervention against Syria.
• NATO 'Stands' With Turkey But Does Not Invoke Article 5 RFE/RL 26 Jun 2012 -- NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has vowed that NATO will "stand together with Turkey in the spirit of strong solidarity" amid heightened tensions with Syria following the downing of a Turkish jet last week.
• NATO Condemns Syria for Downing Turkish Jet VOA 26 Jun 2012 -- NATO member states have condemned Syria for shooting down a Turkish military jet last Friday. Speaking Tuesday, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen called the action 'unacceptable.'
• What Are NATO's Articles 4 And 5? RFE/RL 26 Jun 2012 -- Following Syria's shooting down of a Turkish jet last week, Ankara on June 26 invoked Article 4 of the NATO founding treaty, which calls for consultations.
• North Atlantic Council to meet following Turkey's request for Article 4 consultations NATO 26 Jun 2012
• Defence Equipment Minister develops ties with South Korea UK MOD 26 Jun 2012 -- Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Peter Luff, has visited the Republic of Korea to help develop the defence industrial relationship between the UK and the East Asian country.
• Russian Lease to Tajikistan Military Base Under Threat RIA Novosti 26 Jun 2012 -- The agreement extending Russia's lease of a military base in Tajikistan by 49 years is under threat, Russian Ground Forces commander Col. Gen. Vladimir Chirkin said on Tuesday.
• India Tests Upgraded Arjun Tank RIA Novosti 26 Jun 2012 -- India has started testing a deeply modernized version of its domestically-developed Arjun main battle tank, The Times of India newspaper reported.
• Sparrow missiles excluded from live-fire exercises CNA 26 Jun 2012 -- Sparrow missiles will not be deployed in a planned live-fire missile exercise next month, military spokesman Luo Shou-he confirmed Tuesday, pointing out that there is no rule that stipulates the missile types the military must put on show in such displays.
• June 26, 2012 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 26 Jun 2012
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney en route Atlanta, GA, 6/26/12 The White House 26 Jun 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 26, 2012

Other Conflicts

• 26 June 2012 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 26 Jun 2012
• Assad: Syria in 'State of War' VOA 26 Jun 2012 -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has acknowledged that his country is in a 'state of war' as activists reported the heaviest fighting between government and rebels forces near the capital since the start of a 15-month opposition uprising.
• Killing of Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer condemned IRNA 26 Jun 2012 -- A volunteer for the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Bashar al-Youssef, was shot and killed Monday in Deir Ezzor, in eastern Syria. This is the fourth time since last September that a member of the Red Crescent has been killed while on duty.
• Turkey Says Syria's Downing of Jet 'Serious Threat' to Peace RIA Novosti 26 Jun 2012 -- Turkey has warned the UN Security Council that Syria's downing of a Turkish military jet represents a 'serious threat' to regional security, the BBC reported on Tuesday.
• Russia Urges Syria, Turkey Against Clashes RIA Novosti 26 Jun 2012 -- The downing of a Turkish jet by Syrian forces should not be considered a provocation or allowed to further destabilize the situation in the region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
• Erdogan Warns Damascus of Turkey's 'Wrath' VOA 26 Jun 2012 -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is ratcheting up the pressure on Syria over the shooting down of a Turkish military plane on Friday. Addressing parliament Tuesday, he launched a stinging attack on Syria's rulers, declaring the country 'a clear and present danger' and warning Damascus of the 'wrath of Turkey.'
• Taiwan rejects Japan's protest over Tiaoyutais row CNA 26 Jun 2012 -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Taiwan's sovereignty over the disputed Tiaoyutai Islands Tuesday after the Japanese authorities demanded that a Taiwanese coastal patrol boat leave the waters around the islands.
• UN refugee agency: more displaced Somalis citing difficulty in providing for themselves UN News Centre 26 Jun 2012 -- The UN refugee agency said today that growing numbers of displaced Somalis have been citing difficulty in providing for themselves as the main reason for fleeing their homes.
• Increasing Number of Somalis Fleeing Insecurity, Hunger VOA 26 Jun 2012 -- The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says insecurity and lack of food continue to drive a large number of Somalis to flee their homes.
• Press Conference on United Nations Strategy on Lord's Resistance Army United Nations 26 Jun 2012
• UN and African envoys present regional plan to halt LRA attacks UN News Centre 26 Jun 2012 -- United Nations and African Union envoys today highlighted a new regional strategy that they hope will bring an end to the activities of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and help affected populations.

News Reports

• Egyptian Court Overturns Military Decree on Civilian Arrests VOA 26 Jun 2012 -- An Egyptian court has overturned a government decree that gave the military powers to arrest civilians.
• Korean Peninsula Faces Worst Drought in a Century VOA 26 Jun 2012 -- Large parts of the Korean peninsula are battling the worst regional water shortages in more than a century, with reports of North Korean soldiers hand-carrying water to irrigate parched farmland, and 80 percent of the South facing extreme drought.
• Salehi: Europe should adopt more rationality in dealing with Iran IRNA 26 Jun 2012 -- Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Tuesday advised Europe to adopt more rationality in dealing with Iran as the country has deep experience to thwart a variety of hostile confrontation.
• EU unilateral sanctions not constructive in nuclear talks, Mehmanparast IRNA 26 Jun 2012 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that the European Union unilateral sanctions against Iran will not have any constructive impact on bilateral relations and the nuclear talks.
• Secretary-General calls on States to provide concrete support for victims of torture UN News Centre 26 Jun 2012 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on countries to provide concrete support for victims of torture and prove their commitment to fighting a cruel and dehumanizing practice that remains pervasive.
• Russia to Convert Two Reactors to LEU in 2014 RIA Novosti 26 Jun 2012 -- Russia plans to convert two nuclear research reactors to low-enriched uranium fuel in 2014 under the U.S.-Russian nuclear cooperation program on peaceful use of atomic energy.
• UN anti-drugs chief: fighting crime and illicit drug trade must be on development agenda UN News Centre 26 Jun 2012 -- Highlighting the impact of drug abuse around the world, the head of the United Nations anti-drugs office today said that countering transnational organized crime and illicit drugs must become an integral part of the development agenda.
• UN: Amphetamine Trafficking, Usage Up in Asia VOA 26 Jun 2012 -- The United Nations, in its latest global report on drug use and trafficking, says Asia is facing increasing trafficking and use of amphetamine type stimulants as well as a revival in the production of opium in Burma and Laos. A senior U.N. official says the illicit production and abuse of drugs is a growing regional problem.
• MALI: Locusts could spread in rebel-held north IRIN 26 Jun 2012 -- Clouds of desert locusts have arrived in rebel-held northern Mali, where insecurity has hampered pest control, bringing fears that the insects may devastate a country already struck by drought, conflict, and the displacement of more than 360,000 people.