Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 03 Jul 2012 [PDF]
• MPs to adopt legislation to block Hormuz Strait in reaction to sanctions IRNA 03 Jul 2012 -- More than 120 Iranian MPs have signed a petition, calling for a plan to block Hormuz Strait in reaction to oil sanctions.
• Statement by Secretary Clinton on her Call With Pakistani Foreign Minister Khar US Dept. of State 03 Jul 2012
• Panetta Welcomes Opening of Pakistan Supply Lines AFPS 03 Jul 2012 -- Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today welcomed Pakistan’s decision to open ground lines of communication on the border with Afghanistan that have been closed since November.
• U.S., Pakistan Say NATO Supply Routes To Reopen RFE/RL 03 Jul 2012 -- Pakistan has confirmed that it has decided to reopen NATO supply routes into Afghanistan that have been closed since November.
• Clinton: Pakistan to Reopen NATO Supply Lines VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Pakistan is reopening vital NATO supply routes into Afghanistan after closing them in response to a deadly a U.S. airstrike last November.
• Pakistan Reopens NATO Supply Route to Afghanistan RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- Pakistan is reopening NATO supply lines to Afghanistan following an unprecedented official U.S. apology for the accidental killing of Pakistani troops last year.
• Combined Forces Confirm Death of al-Qaida Leader AFPS 03 Jul 2012 -- Afghan and coalition forces today confirmed the death of Hanzallah, an al-Qaida leader who operated in Afghanistan.
• NATO Chief Discusses Alliance Role in Syria, Afghanistan AFPS 03 Jul 2012 -- NATO’s core business is security, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels as he outlined the role of the alliance and the international community in Syria and Afghanistan.
• Salehi: Foreign presence hinders Afghanistan development, causes instability IRNA 03 Jul 2012 -- Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said that continued presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan is the main stumbling block to the country’s stability and development.
• Afghanistan's Hazara Minority Outraged By Science Academy Insults RFE/RL 03 Jul 2012 -- Documenting Afghanistan's diverse ethnic makeup would seem like an innocent enough endeavor, but a recent attempt has left a team of academics facing possible criminal charges.
• Firefighting C-130s placed on operational hold AFNS 03 Jul 2012 -- In what officials describe as 'a prudent measure,' all military C-130 aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System have been placed on operational hold after one of the aircraft crashed Sunday, July 1.
• NC Guard Identifies Airmen Killed in C-130 Crash AFPS 03 Jul 2012 -- North Carolina Air National Guard officials released the names of four crew members killed when their C-130 cargo plane equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire-Fighting System crashed July 1.
• MAFFS-equipped C-130s resume operations AFNS 03 Jul 2012 -- The commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command announced that the C-130 Modular Airborne Fire-Fighting System fleet will resume operations.

Defense Policy / Programs

• World's Largest International Maritime Exercise Gets Underway NNS 03 Jul 2012 -- Military leaders from 22 nations formally launched Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2012, July 2. RIMPAC is hosted biennially by U.S. Pacific Fleet in and around Hawaii.
• FRUKUS 2012 Wraps Up in St. Petersburg NNS 03 Jul 2012 -- The multinational training exercise FRUKUS 2012 came to an end with a closing ceremony in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 1.
• Golden Eagles Complete Breeze 2012 NNS 03 Jul 2012 -- A P-3 and aircrew from Patrol Squadron 9's 'Golden Eagles' concluded their participation in the Bulgarian naval exercise Sea Breeze 2012, July 1.
• NAVFAC Southwest Awards $24.23 Million for MCAS Yuma Landing Field NNS 03 Jul 2012 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest awarded a $24.23 million contract, June 25, to Sundt Construction Inc. of Tempe, Ariz., to construct an auxiliary landing field at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Ariz.
• USS Carr visits Santa Marta, Colombia NNS 03 Jul 2012 -- The guided missile frigate USS Carr (FFG 52) arrived in Santa Marta, Colombia, for their first Caribbean port visit, June 28, during their deployment in support of Operation Martillo.
• Africom Builds Logistics Capability in African Partners AFPS 03 Jul 2012 -- Several robust programs at U.S. Africa Command are helping to ensure that when African partners pull together to support shared security interests, they have the logistical capabilities they need to deploy and sustain their operations.
• 45th SW launches NRO satellite AFNS 03 Jul 2012 -- The 45th Space Wing successfully launched a United Launch Alliance-built Delta IV-Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex 37 on June 29 carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office satellite.
• USS Nimitz Arrives in Hawaii for Port Visit NNS 03 Jul 2012 -- The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and embarked elements of Carrier Air Wing 11 arrived in Pearl Harbor July 2 for a port visit.
• AWG's Concepts and Integration Squadron changes command Army News 03 Jul 2012 -- Members of the U.S. Army Asymmetric Warfare Group welcomed the new commander of the Concepts and Integration Squadron during a change of command ceremony here July 2.
• Marines, Romanians exchange contingency operation tactics USMC News 03 Jul 2012 -- Marines with 3rd Platoon, Ground Combat Element, Black Sea Rotational Force 12, participated in a tactics exchange with Romanian soldiers in Timisoara, Romania.
• Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta's Independence Day Message DoD 03 Jul 2012
• Putin Calls for New Ground Forces Equipment RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the country's arms designers and manufacturers to begin work on new small arms, body armor and communications equipment for the infantry and airborne forces.
• Russian Defense R&D down 50% Since 2005 – Report RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- The Russian Defense Ministry has cut financing on research and development in the defense industry by almost a half.
• UPDATED: RAF Tornado incident UK MOD 03 Jul 2012 -- The RAF has confirmed an incident in the Moray Firth area involving two Tornado GR4 aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth.
• Ground-based air defence systems to protect Olympic sites UK MOD 03 Jul 2012 -- The Government has confirmed that ground-based air defence systems will be deployed at six sites in and around London for the duration of the 2012 Olympic Games.
• HMS Diamond exercises with her French counterpart UK MOD 03 Jul 2012 -- One of the Royal Navy's newest warships HMS Diamond has been working with one of her French counterpart near-identical twin ships in the Mediterranean Sea.
• Iran Says Ballistic Missile Tests 'Response to Threats' VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- Iran says it has successfully tested medium-range ballistic missiles which experts say are capable of hitting Israel.
• Iranian Media Says Missile Able To Hit Israel Tested RFE/RL 03 Jul 2012 -- Iranian media say the Islamic republic's military has successfully test-fired a medium-range Shahab-3 ballistic missile capable of striking Iranian rival Israel.
• Iran Test Fires Ballistic Missiles in Exercises RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- Iran's Revolutionary Guards test-fired a number of intermediate range ballistic missiles as part of large-scale training exercises under the name Great Prophet 7.
• At key conference, Ban calls for multilateral treaty to regulate conventional arms trade UN News Centre 03 Jul 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban urged Member States to work towards a treaty to regulate the trade in such weapons, stressing that a set of rules on this matter is long overdue.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, July 3, 2012 US Dept. of State 03 Jul 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 03, 2012
• U.S. Aerospace Firms in Talks With Russia's Energia RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- Russia's Energia space corporation is holding talks with U.S. aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin over manufacture of docking sites and thermal protection equipment for space capsules for the U.S. firms.

Other Conflicts

• Syrian Opposition Holds Talks Amid Calls For International Criminal Court Probe RFE/RL 03 Jul 2012 -- Turkey and Arab states urged the Syrian opposition to unite and form a credible alternative to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
• Russia Blasts Interpretations of Geneva Conference on Syria RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- Russia is against any misinterpretation of the results of a recent international conference on Syria.
• No Need for Friends of Syria Meeting – Russia RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- Russia does not consider it necessary to call other forums to resolve the Syrian problem after the Geneva conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
• Ban hails Action Group on Syria’s agreement, urges follow-through of commitments UN News Centre 03 Jul 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban has welcomed the agreement reached recently by the Action Group on Syria.
• HRW Report: Syria Has 'Archipelago' of Torture Centers VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- Syrian authorities have built an “archipelago” of at least 27 torture centers, according to Human Rights Watch.
• HRW: Syria's Torture Of Civilians Is Crime Against Humanity RFE/RL 03 Jul 2012 -- Human Rights Watch says the ill-treatment and torture of civilians has become state policy in Syria.
• Assad Reportedly Regrets Syria Downing of Turkish Jet VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- A Turkish newspaper has quoted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad saying he regrets that his forces shot down a Turkish military jet last month.
• Syria's Assad 'Regrets' Turkish Jet Downing RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said he regretted "100 per cent" that a Turkish warplane was shot down by Syrian forces.
• India Pakistan Security Talks Come Amid New Tensions VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- Pakistan's foreign secretary is in India for talks likely to be dominated by terrorism and security issues.
• Timbuktu Residents Reject Islamists' Reason for Destroying Shrines VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- The armed group Ansar Dine is destroying shrines to Muslim saints in the ancient city of Timbuktu, saying the sites are idolatrous and un-Islamic.
• World Heritage Committee condemns destruction of Mali sites UN News Centre 03 Jul 2012 -- The World Heritage Committee has condemned the destruction of sites in Mali and decided on measures to help the West African country protect its heritage.
• MAURITANIA: Beyond big refugee camps IRIN 03 Jul 2012 -- M’bera, a refugee camp in scrubland on the border with Mali, came into being just five months ago; it is now Mauritania’s fourth largest town.
• WFP Scales Up Operation in Sahel VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- The World Food Program says it is scaling up its humanitarian operation in West Africa’s Sahel region to assist 10 million people critically short of food.
• At UN-backed meeting, Somalia signs action plan to end use of child soldiers UN News Centre 03 Jul 2012 -- At a United Nations-backed meeting in Italy, Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government signed an action plan to end the recruitment and use of children in the East African country’s national military.
• KENYA: Rising tide of small arms IRIN 03 Jul 2012 -- A spate of "terror" attacks, aid worker kidnappings and heightened ethnic conflict in northern Kenya have fuelled demand for small arms by civilians and criminals.
• Iraq Attacks Kill 36 VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- Bombings in several Iraqi cities have killed at least 36 people and wounded nearly 100 others.
• Car Bomb Kills 25 In Southern Iraq RFE/RL 03 Jul 2012 -- Officials say at least 25 people have been killed and some 50 others injured in a car-bomb explosion that hit a busy market in the southern Iraqi city of Diwaniya.
• Truck Bomb Kills 25 in Southern Iraq VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- A truck bomb has exploded in a crowded market in southern Iraq, killing at least 25 people and wounding at least 50 others others.
• Japan Protests Russian PM's Visit To Disputed Islands RFE/RL 03 Jul 2012 -- The Japanese government has summoned Russia's ambassador to Tokyo to express "extreme regret" over a visit by Prime Minister Dmitry Medevedev to a chain of Russian-controlled islands that are also claimed by Japan.
• Japanese Protest Over Medvedev Visit to Disputed Isles RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- Japan’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador in Tokyo and filed a protest over Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s trip to one of the Kuril Islands.
• Medvedev Vists Kuril Islands RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Russia's Far East Kuril Islands, some 18 months after his visit to the disputed territory sparked a diplomatic row between Moscow and Tokyo.
• Detained International Criminal Court Members Released in Libya RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- The Libyan authorities released four International Criminal Court staff members, including a Russian national.

News Reports

• Iran To Spend $14 Bln on Oil Industry Projects RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- The Iranian National Development Fund will allocate $14 billion on the development of the country’s oil industry projects, Iranian media reported quoting Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi as saying.
• UN Report: North Korea Defies UN Sanctions VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- A United Nations report has concluded that North Korea continues to "actively defy" international sanctions by attempting to ship arms to Burma and Syria and by importing luxury goods.
• Myanmar To Free 46 Prisoners RFE/RL 03 Jul 2012 -- Myanmar's state media say a total of 46 prisoners will be freed to aid "national reconciliation."
• Burma Frees 20 Political Prisoners in General Amnesty VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- Burma has freed more than 20 political prisoners as part of a general amnesty the government says is aimed at promoting national reconciliation.
• SRI LANKA: "Lot of talking and not much improvement" in the north IRIN 03 Jul 2012 -- Sri Lankan parliamentarians in favour of acting on the recommendations in a report into the final stages of the country’s civil war by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission are slowly gaining ground over those who are not.
• OSCE Resolution on Political Persecution in Ukraine ‘Pending’ RIA Novosti 03 Jul 2012 -- A group of Czech senators are preparing an OSCE Parliamentary Assembly resolution on political persecution in Ukraine.
• France, Algeria: Two Lenses on the Past VOA 03 Jul 2012 -- As Algeria marks its 50th anniversary of independence from France, two exhibits in Paris explore a painful chapter in their shared history through very different lenses.