Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 05 Jul 2012 [labeled as 04 Jul 2012] [PDF]
• Combined Force Detains Taliban Weapons Supplier AFPS 05 Jul 2012 -- An Afghan and coalition security force detained a Taliban weapons supplier in the Chimtal district of Afghanistan's Balkh province today, military officials reported.
• Reopened Supply Routes Mean Cost Savings, Spokesman Says AFPS 05 Jul 2012 -- Pakistan's decision to reopen ground supply routes on its border with Afghanistan will allow the Defense Department to save tens of millions of dollars transporting material in and out of Afghanistan, a senior Pentagon spokesman said here today.
• First NATO Supply Trucks Cross Into Afghanistan From Pakistan RFE/RL 05 Jul 2012 -- The first trucks carrying NATO supplies have entered Afghanistan from Pakistan following a resumption of operations after a seven-month blockade.
• Pakistani cabinet approves restoration of NATO supplies IRNA 05 Jul 2012 -- Pakistan Federal Cabinet on Wednesday endorsed the decision of reopening of NATO supply routes after the US apologized for killing 24 Pakistani soldiers in a NATO airstrike in November, officials said.
• Pakistani alliance to protest against NATO supply line reopening IRNA 05 Jul 2012 -- Leaders of Islamic parties in Pakistan Wednesday announced to chalk out a protest plan against the the government's decision to reopen supply routes for NATO forces in Afghanistan.
• Pakistan: Resumed NATO Shipments Crossing Into Afghanistan VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- Pakistani officials say the first trucks carrying NATO supplies have crossed into Afghanistan, following a U.S.-Pakistani deal announced this week that ended Islamabad's months-long blockade.
• Continued military, police presence in Afghan town brings out community Army News 05 Jul 2012 -- The continued presence of Afghan National Army, American Soldiers and Afghan Local Police in the small town of Pankilla, Afghanistan has emboldened civilians to come out of their homes to engage in commerce and community.
• NORTHCOM spends 'Fourth' fighting blazes AFNS 05 Jul 2012 -- Six Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) and under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command are assisting in the efforts to control fires in the Rocky Mountain region and western United States at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho.
• Military C-130 Crews Continue Firefighting Efforts AFPS 05 Jul 2012 -- In 123 airdrop missions since they were called into action to battle fires in the Rocky Mountain region and other western locales, Defense Department C-130s equipped with the U.S. Forest Service's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System had discharged more than 320,000 gallons of retardant as of early today, U.S. Northern Command officials reported.

Defense Policy / Programs

• NATO to Strengthen Ability to Act with Global Partners AFPS 05 Jul 2012 -- NATO seeks to assume a more global perspective, play its part globally and strengthen its ability to act with partners around the globe, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in London yesterday.
• Underwood Completes Passing Exercise with Colombian Navy NNS 05 Jul 2012 -- The Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate USS Underwood (FFG 36) completed a passing exercise (PASSEX) with the Colombian navy, July 4.
• Navy Medicine Support Command to Reorganize NNS 05 Jul 2012 -- The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery's (BUMED) sole point of accountability for Navy Medicine education, training, public health, and human-resource management for Sailors and Marines around the world will be reorganized July 15 in response to a BUMED initiative to streamline operations.
• Counter IED Experts Train Royal Thai Army for Deployment Army News 05 Jul 2012 -- Trainers from the Asia Pacific Counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Fusion Center helped prepare soldiers from the Royal Thai Army for future deployment to the southern provinces of Thailand where a guerrilla war has raged for years.
• Transition, resilience, re-commitment - SEAC visits Afghanistan Army News 05 Jul 2012 -- Paying special attention to the details, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the most senior of non-commissioned officers in the U.S. Armed Forces, spent the week touring the major commands here getting a firsthand look at the progress of the transition and delivering the Chairman's message to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines.
• US Military Faces Balancing Act in Asia VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- As the United States steps up efforts to increase its military allies in Asia, it is revealing more details about plans to shift forces to the region. Analysts say the rebalancing effort, as the Pentagon calls it, will also be a balancing act.
• Tinker Reservists to participate in Navy fleet exercise AFNS 05 Jul 2012 -- Four 507th Air Refueling Wing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft and more than 135 Air Force Reservists will join forces with the U.S. Navy during July to support a U.S. Pacific Fleet exercise.
• Commander qualifies in the F-22, confident in Raptor AFNS 05 Jul 2012 -- Air Combat Command's senior Airman completed F-22 Raptor pilot qualification recently, reinforcing his personal stake in the Air Force's efforts to identify the root cause of unexplained physiological incidents involving a small number of Raptor crews.
• Africom Promotes Humanitarian Response Readiness in Africa AFPS 05 Jul 2012 -- As the worst drought in six decades grips the Horn of Africa, displacing millions of people and creating a severe humanitarian crisis, the United States has stepped up its emergency assistance.
• Commander, Task Force 67 Changes Hands in Sigonella NNS 05 Jul 2012 -- Commander, Task Force (CTF) 67 held a change of command ceremony at Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella, July 5.
• NAVCENT Commander Visits Lincoln Strike Group NNS 05 Jul 2012 -- The commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command visited Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9 ships in the Arabian Sea, July 4-5.
• Future Reserve Forces 2020 UK MOD 05 Jul 2012 -- Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has announced that the Government accepts the broad thrust of the six recommendations made in the review of the United Kingdom's Reserve Forces published on 18 July 2011.
• CGS outlines rationale behind today's Army 2020 announcement UK MOD 05 Jul 2012 -- Writing in The Times newspaper, Chief of the General Staff General Sir Peter Wall has outlined the thinking behind the changes to be made to the Army in today's Army 2020 announcement.
• Army 2020: transforming the British Army for the future UK MOD 05 Jul 2012 -- Today the Secretary of State announced the outcome of the Army 2020 review setting out how the Army will transform to become a smaller, integrated and more adaptable army than it is today.
• Secretary General praises Slovenian commitment to NATO missions NATO 05 Jul 2012 -- Slovenia was commended for its commitment to Smart Defence, as well as to NATO missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen during talks with Slovenian leaders on Thursday (5 July).
• 'Stalin's Dogs' Join Russian Army RIA Novosti 05 Jul 2012 -- The Russian military will begin employing a breed of dog created in the Red Army kennels in the mid-20th century and known in English as 'Stalin's dogs,' a military spokesman said on Thursday.
• Indian defence research organization in the process of developing robotic soldiers IRNA 05 Jul 2012 -- India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is in the process of developing robotic soldiers, which would take a final shape soon, a top official said Thursday in Coimbatore.
• Taiwan close to sealing F-16 A/Bs upgrade deal with U.S. CNA 05 Jul 2012 -- Taiwan will send back a proposal by the United States to overhaul the country's aging F-16 A/B jet fighters to seal the arms sales deal by the end of next week, Taiwan's military said Thursday.
• Iran Demands $4 Bln From Russia Over Canceled Missile Deal RIA Novosti 05 Jul 2012 -- Iran's Defense Ministry and The Aerospace Industries Organization have launched a $4 bln law suit against Russia's state arms corporation Rosoboronexport in an international court in Geneva over a deal to buy missiles suspended by Russia, Rosoboronexport said in its annual report.
• July 5, 2012 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 05 Jul 2012
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney en route Ohio, 7/5/12 The White House 05 Jul 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 05, 2012
• Aviastar Sends First Il-76MD-90A Plane for Tests RIA Novosti 05 Jul 2012 -- Russia's Aviastar aircraft plant has completed the first flying prototype of the Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft and sent it off for test-flights, the plant's general director, Sergei Dementyev, said on Thursday.

Other Conflicts

• 5 July 2012 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 05 Jul 2012
• Security Council welcomes start of work at branch of Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals UN News Centre 05 Jul 2012 -- The Security Council today welcomed the start of work at the Arusha branch of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), emphasizing its importance in ensuring no impunity for those responsible for serious crimes committed in Rwanda, as well as the Balkans, in the 1990s.
• Al Qaeda Infiltrates Syria Via Iraq – Iraqi FM RIA Novosti 05 Jul 2012 -- Members of the world's No.1 terrorist organization Al Qaeda infiltrate Syria via Iraq to carry out terrorist attacks, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Thursday.
• WikiLeaks to Release 2.4 Mln Syria Files RIA Novosti 05 Jul 2012 -- Whistleblowing website WikiLeaks said on Thursday it had begun publishing more than 2.4 million e-mails from Syrian officials, government ministries and companies dating from August 2006 to March 2012.
• UN mission in Syria to re-structure its observer presence throughout the country UN News Centre 05 Jul 2012 -- The United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) will restructure itself in order to better meet its operational mandate, its Chief Military Observer, Major-General Robert Mood, said today.
• UN Monitor Chief Says Team Will Adapt Syria Mission VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- The head of the United Nations observer team in Syria says he will adjust the way the monitors work when their mission resumes, with a focus on staying in certain areas for longer periods of time.
• UN Monitor Chief: Violence in Syria Reaches 'Unprecedented' Levels VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- The head of the United Nations monitoring mission in Syria says violence there has reached 'unprecedented' levels, and that a cease-fire must be implemented in order for his unarmed observer teams to resume their mission, which was suspended last month.
• India, Pakistan agree to prevent cross-border firing IRNA 05 Jul 2012 -- India and Pakistan agreed on Thursday to prevent cross-border firing along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir and promised to take all steps to 'nip in the bud' such instances.
• India, Pakistan discuss peace, security IRNA 05 Jul 2012 -- India and Pakistan on Wednesday discussed peace and security as well as Jammu and Kashmir on day one of the two-days Foreign Secretary level talks began in New Delhi.
• India, Pakistan reiterate to carry forward dialogue process IRNA 05 Jul 2012 -- India and Pakistan reiterated their desire to carry forward the dialogue process in a purposeful and result-oriented manner.
• Mali: Security Council demands end to hostilities, open to considering force deployment UN News Centre 05 Jul 2012 -- Condemning the forcible seizure of power in Mali earlier this year, the United Nations Security Council today demanded the immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities by rebel groups in the country's north and indicated its willingness to consider the deployment of a stabilization force in the troubled West African country.
• UN Security Council Delays Decision on Mali Force VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- NEW YORK — The United Nations Security Council has endorsed mediation efforts in Mali by ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States. But it has postponed consideration of an ECOWAS intervention force.
• Malian Army Says Mission is to Fight Northern Rebels VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- Following demonstrations in Bamako demanding the government forces to recapture rebel-held territory in the north; a military spokesperson said the army plans to eventually launch an operation to liberate the region.
• UN Concerned About Rising Terror Threat in Mali VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- The United Nations has expressed concern about the growing terror threat in northern Mali and has asked member states to help identify terrorist suspects.
• AU Forces Push al-Shabab Further from Mogadishu VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- BALAD, SOMALIA — African Union forces in Somalia have pushed al-Shabab militants to the outskirts of Mogadishu, retaking several key areas in the past few weeks.
• SOMALIA: Fighting displaces thousands in Middle Shabelle IRIN 05 Jul 2012 -- Hundreds of families from villages in Somalia's Bal'ad District, in Middle Shabelle Region, have been displaced following recent fighting between African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces and Al-Shabab insurgents, say officials.
• Security Council extends UN mission in South Sudan for another year UN News Centre 05 Jul 2012 -- The Security Council today extended for 12 months the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), while focusing its mandate on civilian protection and the improvement of security in the African country.
• TIMOR-LESTE: Peacekeeping drawdown begins IRIN 05 Jul 2012 -- The UN peacekeeping force will continue withdrawing from Timor-Leste in October 2012 after a 'remarkably peaceful' parliamentary election campaign concluded on 4 July, ahead of the election on 7 July. The United Nations Integrated Mission (UNMIT) in Timor-Leste began in 2006 after a mutiny by soldiers and a breakdown of order led the government to request international support.
• NIGERIA: Violence, curfews and border closures hurt livelihoods IRIN 05 Jul 2012 -- More than 1,000 people are estimated to have died in bombings and shootings by Islamist extremists in northern Nigeria since 2009, but an additional casualty has been the jobs and opportunities lost in an already deprived region.
• Analysis: Between security reform and occupation in the West Bank IRIN 05 Jul 2012
• On One Year Anniversary, Analyst says South Sudan Can Do Better VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- An American researcher on South Sudan says the country has faced countless difficulties during its first year as an independent country. Eric Reeves described the performance of the new government as 'very disappointing,' and called official corruption in South Sudan 'alarming.'

News Reports

• Amnesty: Chinese Crackdown on Uighurs Continues VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- Amnesty International says China continues to silence ethnic Uighurs who speak out about human rights abuses allegedly committed three years ago, during deadly riots in the western province of Xinjiang.
• Panel: Fukushima Nuclear Disaster 'Man-Made' VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- TOKYO — A parliamentary report in Japan concludes the meltdowns last year at the Fukushima nuclear power plant were clearly a man-made disaster, and that the facility was vulnerable to earthquakes.
• Sanctions not to force Iran to step back from legitimate nuclear rights: Abbasi IRNA 05 Jul 2012 -- Iran would never step back from its legitimate nuclear rights and its right for making peaceful use of nuclear energy as a signatory to the Non-Proliferations Treaty, Head of Iran Atomic Energy Organization Fereydoun Abbasi said Wednesday.
• Secretary-General salutes Libyans ahead of first free elections in decades UN News Centre 05 Jul 2012 -- Ahead of Libya's first free elections in decades this weekend, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today saluted its people, and reaffirmed the support of the United Nations as the North African country progresses along the 'road to democracy.'
• Romanian Parliament Moves To Impeach President RFE/RL 05 Jul 2012 -- Romania's ruling majority is opening procedures to suspend President Traian Basescu after parliament speakers were sacked and the powers of top judges were curbed.
• Six Arrested Over London Olympic Terror Plot RIA Novosti 05 Jul 2012 -- Five men and a woman were arrested on Thursday in London on suspicion of taking part in terrorist activity in an on-going Scotland Yard operation in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games, the British police said.
• British Police Nab Six in Anti-Terror Raids VOA 05 Jul 2012 -- LONDON -- Police arrested five men and one woman on suspicion of preparation, instigation, or commission of acts of terrorism in the east, west, and north parts of the city early Thursday.