Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 08 Aug 2012 [PDF]
• Combined Force Arrests Taliban Leader AFPS 08 Aug 2012 -- An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
• Marines Continue Pushing Enemy, Teaching Afghan Forces AFPS 08 Aug 2012 -- As Marines keep pushing insurgents out of Afghanistan’s Helmand and Nimruz provinces, Afghan soldiers and police are taking the reins and protecting the population.
• Suicide Bombers Kill 3 NATO Troops in Afghanistan VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- Three NATO troops have died in eastern Afghanistan in what local officials say was an attack by two suicide bombers.
• Three Killed In Afghan Suicide Attack RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- NATO says a suicide attack has killed three coalition troops in eastern Afghanistan.
• Providing canine heroes for the front line UK MOD 08 Aug 2012 -- Military working dogs provide valuable capability to British patrols on the front line.
• Top Afghan Peace Negotiator Cancels Visit To Pakistan RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- Top Afghan peace negotiator Salahuddin Rabbani has cancelled a visit to Pakistan.
• Despite drop in civilian casualties, Afghan conflict still takes devastating toll – UN UN News Centre 08 Aug 2012 -- Conflict-related violence in Afghanistan is still having devastating consequences for civilians despite the decrease in casualties this year.
• UN Reports Drop in Afghan Civilian Deaths VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- U.N. officials say civilian casualties in Afghanistan have declined by 15 percent in the first half of this year, the first time the number has fallen since 2007.
• UN Says Afghan Civilian Casualties Down By 15 Percent RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- The United Nations says Afghan civilian casualties have fallen by 15 percent during the first half of 2012 compared to the same period last year.
• Marne Division cases colors in preparation for Afghanistan Army News 08 Aug 2012 -- 3rd Infantry Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion casing colors, Aug. 8, during a ceremony as the unit prepares to deploy to Afghanistan.
• Controversial German Afghan war veteran to be named general IRNA 08 Aug 2012 -- A German colonel, who ordered the NATO bombing in north Afghanistan in 2009 during which more than 140 people were killed, is to be promoted to the ranks of general.
• USS James E. Williams Rescues Iranian Mariners NNS 08 Aug 2012 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) rescued 10 mariners from their burning vessel in the Gulf of Oman Aug 8.
• National Guard expands Midwest, Southwest wildfire support Army News 08 Aug 2012 -- The National Guard has expanded firefighting efforts in several states throughout the Midwest and Southwest.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Marines Conclude Testing of Navy-developed UGS NNS 08 Aug 2012 -- More than 150 U.S. Marines joined Navy civilian engineers to test and develop new methods of keeping warfighters away from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) while lightening their load.
• First flight test successful for Army's Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle air vehicle Army News 08 Aug 2012 -- For more than 90 minutes, Aug. 7, the hybrid air vehicle known as the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle stayed afloat above Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
• 2nd Bomb Wing delegation visits Russia AFNS 08 Aug 2012 -- A delegation of five people from the 2nd Bomb Wing visited Engels Air Base in Saratov, Russia, last month on a goodwill mission with a dual purpose.
• EOD prelim helps tech school attrition rate AFNS 08 Aug 2012 -- It's amazing what a difference a year can make in the technical training world.
• EOD Soldiers, law enforcement complete FBI post-blast course Army News 08 Aug 2012 -- Professionally constructed homemade ammonium nitrate bombs were detonated as part of the FBI course.
• Fort Hood chemical company display CBRN skills during homeland disaster training Army News 08 Aug 2012 -- In a simulated Vibrant Response 13 training venue, soldiers assigned to the 181st Chemical Company swiftly made their way to a derailed commercial train.
• Ground Control Tower Contract Awarded at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam NNS 08 Aug 2012 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Hawaii awarded a contract to build a new Ground Control Tower at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) to RORE-ITSI, JV LLC, San Diego, Calif., Aug. 8.
• Russia Plans ICBM Test Launch From New Submarine RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- Russian First Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Sukhorukov has said one of the country's new submarines will test launch one of Russia's newest intercontinental ballistic missiles.
• First Borey Class Subs to be Deployed in Pacific RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Russia’s first two Borey class strategic submarines will be ultimately deployed with the Pacific Fleet.
• Sukhoi Tests New Radar Array for 5th-Generation Fighter RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Russia’s Sukhoi aircraft maker has started tests of a new onboard radar system for its 5th generation T-50 fighter jet.
• Sukhoi Continues Tests of Su-35 Fighter Jet RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Russia’s Sukhoi aircraft company is carrying out state acceptance trials of its Su-35 advanced fighter jet at the Russian Air Force’s flight test center.
• Russian Military May Receive New Tank for Testing in 2013 RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- The Russian military may receive a prototype of a new main battle tank for field testing almost a year earlier than scheduled.
• Russia to Keep Arms Procurement Budget Intact RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- The Russian military has no plans to cut the financing of an ambitious arms procurement program until 2020.
• HMS Sutherland relieves Westminster east of Suez UK MOD 08 Aug 2012 -- HMS Sutherland has relieved her sister ship HMS Westminster in the Indian Ocean after some final boarding party training in Crete and passage through the Suez Canal.
• HMS Echo becomes first Royal Navy ship to visit post-Gaddafi Libya UK MOD 08 Aug 2012 -- Survey ship HMS Echo has become the first Royal Navy ship to visit Libya since the fall of Colonel Gaddafi.
• Taiwan DefMin apologizes for controversy over Navy blunder in drill CNA 08 Aug 2012 -- Defense Minister Kao apologized for the controversy that arose after a Navy fleet was found to have gone off course during a military exercise in late July.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, August 8, 2012 US Dept. of State 08 Aug 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 08, 2012

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 08 August 2012 United Nations 08 Aug 2012
• Syrian Government Assault Targets Rebels in Aleppo VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- Syrian government jets and helicopters bombed targets in the besieged northern city of Aleppo.
• Syrian Forces Launch Aleppo Assault RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Syrian government forces launched a ground assault on the northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday, amid fierce clashes with rebel fighters.
• Iran: Retired Revolutionary Guards Among Kidnapped in Syria VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- Iran's Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, says some of the 48 Iranians kidnapped by Syrian rebels are retired members of the Revolutionary Guards and the army and were in Damascus on a religious pilgrimage.
• Salehi Says Some Iranians Kidnapped In Syria Were Retired Guards RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has been quoted as saying that some of the 48 Iranians kidnapped by Syrian rebels are retired members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and military.
• Iran Says Retired Guards among Syria Captives RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- The Iranian foreign minister confirmed on Wednesday that former members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards were among the Iranians captured in Syria.
• Tehran Asks UN for Help in Freeing Iranian Hostages in Syria RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Tehran has asked the United Nations to free Iranians, who are kept hostage by armed opposition forces in Syria and Libya.
• Salehi visits Turkey to consult about kidnapped Iranians in Syria IRNA 08 Aug 2012 -- Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said his visit to Turkey aims to talk about kidnapped Iranian pilgrims as well as regional issues.
• Egypt Army to Continue Sinai Crackdown RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- The Egyptian army will continue the military operation against extremist groups in the Sinai Peninsula to restore regional stability.
• Egypt Launches Air Strikes On Suspected Militants In Sinai RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- Egyptian security officials say they used army attack helicopters to fire missiles at suspected Islamic militants in Sinai following simultaneous attacks by armed men on three security checkpoints.
• Egypt Launches Sinai Air Strikes RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Egypt fired missiles at suspected militants on the Sinai peninsula on Wednesday, following an attack on security checkpoints at the weekend.
• Egypt's President Fires Intelligence Chief RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi has fired the country's intelligence chief, Murad Muwafi, and the governor of Northern Sinai.
• Egyptian Officials Fired After Sinai Killings VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has fired his intelligence chief and the governor of North Sinai in a major reorganization that extends to the commander of the military police.
• UN Considers Mandate for Troops to Mali VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- The U.N. Security Council is discussing a proposal to deploy West African troops to Mali, where Islamist militants have seized control of the north.
• Mali Rebels Told to Cut Ties to 'Terrorists' VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- A West African mediator has told rebels in northern Mali they must distance themselves from "terrorists" before any peace talks can start.
• MALI: Some parties open to negotiations IRIN 08 Aug 2012 -- Iyad Ag Ghali, Secretary-General of the Al Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Dine, said he is open to engaging in mediation efforts to reunite the country.
• MALI: Not a fragile state, yet IRIN 08 Aug 2012 -- Conflict across the north has displaced some 70,000 Malians, who are now mainly living in Bamako and Mopti, an inland port on the Niger River in central Mali.
• Mali: at Security Council meeting, Ban urges more action, including targeted sanctions UN News Centre 08 Aug 2012 -- Addressing the “deeply troubling situation” in Mali, United Nations Secretary-General Ban encouraged the Security Council to consider taking more action.
• Nigerian Town Under Curfew After Deadly Mosque, Church Attacks VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- Residents in a south-central Nigeria town are under a dusk-to-dawn curfew after separate attacks at a church and mosque this week killed at least 22 people.
• African Summit Fails to Agree on DRC Force Details VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- The leaders of the African Great Lakes region announced Wednesday that they would deploy a neutral international force to expel rebel groups operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
• UN Humanitarian Chief Visits DRC VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- U.N. humanitarian chief Valarie Amos says many thousands of people in the eastern DRC are in urgent need of food, water and shelter.
• South Sudan Accuses Ugandans of Stealing Land VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- Tensions along the South Sudan-Uganda border are strained due to land disputes between border communities.
• Group Warns of Dire Situation in Sudan Refugee Camps VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- More than 100,000 people fleeing violence in Sudan have sought shelter in refugee camps in neighboring South Sudan’s Maban region.
• Abidjan Tense After Soldiers' Killings VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- There is new tension on the streets of Ivory Coast's commercial capital Abidjan. Armed men killed at least 11 soldiers in recent days, with a new attack occurring Tuesday night in the nearby city of Agboville.
• UN and Somalia sign action plan on ending killing and maiming of children UN News Centre 08 Aug 2012 -- The United Nations and Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government have signed an action plan on ending the killing and maiming children in the Horn of Africa country.
• Taiwan has tacit agreement with Japan over economic waters: MND CNA 08 Aug 2012 -- Taiwan has developed a tacit agreement with Japan on how to enforce their respective laws in their overlapping exclusive economic waters.
• Taiwan hopes to use peace plan to discuss Tiaoyutai issue with Japan CNA 08 Aug 2012 -- Taiwan will base its communications with Japan on the Tiaoyutai Islands issue on the spirit of a peace initiative for the East China Sea.
• China seeking to expedite trade, dispute resolution talks with Taiwan CNA 08 Aug 2012 -- China will seek to make quick progress this year and next year in its talks with Taiwan on trade in goods and services and the establishment of a dispute resolution mechanism.
• China's chief negotiator arrives in Taiwan CNA 08 Aug 2012 -- China's chief negotiator with Taiwan, Chen Yunlin, arrived for the eighth round of high-level cross-Taiwan Strait talks held since 2008.
• Pakistan Reinforcing Turbat After Bomb Kills 4 Police RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- Police reinforcements were being sent to Pakistan's troubled southwestern province of Baluchistan after an attack near the town of Turbat killed four.
• Car Bomb Kills At Least 11 In Iraq RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- Iraqi officials said a car bomb that exploded in a Shi'ite city south of Baghdad has killed at least 11 people.
• Medvedev Pledges Full Support to South Ossetia RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Russia will continue to fully support South Ossetia, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.
• Medvedev Defends His Georgia Attack Decision in 2008 RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that his decision to repel the Georgian attack on South Ossetia in August 2008 was timely and efficient.
• Russian Generals Accuse Medvedev Of Hesitation In Russian-Georgian War RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- Top current and former Russian military commanders have accused ex-President Dmitry Medvedev of hesitation in ordering military operations in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia in 2008.
• Controversy, Confusion on 4-Year Anniversary of Ossetia War RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Exactly four years on, a new documentary has revived the debate over the five-day war in 2008 between Russia and Georgia.
• Former Generals Slate Medvedev Over Ossetia War RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Former top-ranking generals in the Russian army have alleged Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s indecision while he was president during the 2008 war with Georgia resulted in unnecessary loss of life.

News Reports

• Egyptian Christians Face Worst Violence Since Revolution RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Against the backdrop of general political turmoil, what started out as a mundane customer service blunder has escalated into a full-blown conflict between Egypt’s Muslims and its Christian minority.
• US Official Defends American Strategy in Yemen VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- President Barack Obama's counterterrorism and homeland security adviser, John Brennan, on Wednesday defended the U.S. strategy in helping Yemen's government battle a major al-Qaida affiliate.
• UN official welcomes decree to restructure security sector in Yemen UN News Centre 08 Aug 2012 -- A senior United Nations official has welcomed the decrees adopted by Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour on Monday to restructure the country’s security sector.
• Analysis: Patronage stalls Yemen’s transition IRIN 08 Aug 2012 -- Nearly six months after his departure, Saleh continues to hold significant influence and control over military forces, leading to several clashes between factions vying for power.
• Oil Companies Weigh S. China Sea Exploration Risks VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- The disputed South China Sea is believed to hold huge reserves of hydrocarbon resources.
• Analysts Say Verdict in Gu Kailai Case a Foregone Conclusion VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- The murder trial for Gu Kailai, wife of disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai, is reportedly set to begin in the Chinese city of Heifei.
• Controversy Plagues China Trial Even Before It Starts VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- A day before China’s biggest political trial in decades is set to open, the lawyer for one of the co-defendants says he hasn’t even met his client.
• Disgraced Chinese Politician's Wife Expected in Court on Murder Charges VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- Gu Kailai, wife of ousted senior politician Bo Xilai, will face charges of intentional homicide.
• Bo Xilai's Son: 'Facts Will Speak for Themselves' VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- The son of disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai says he is confident the "facts will speak for themselves" when his mother stands trial for murder.
• Burma Acknowledges Democracy Uprising Anniversary VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- Authorities in Burma have for the first time acknowledged, and to some degree supported, the anniversary of the country’s 1988 pro-democracy uprising.
• Pakistan Supreme Court Summons Prime Minister RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered PM Ashraf to appear before it to explain why he has not taken action to reopen corruption investigations against the president.
• Truth about US, S. Korean Abduction and Terrorism Disclosed KCNA 08 Aug 2012 -- The National Reunification Institute released a statement telling before the world the whole story about the allurement, abduction, plots, attempted terrorism, subversive and sabotage activities of the U.S. and the south Korea.
• DPRK, Lao Sign Inter-Governmental Agreements KCNA 08 Aug 2012 -- Agreements between the governments of the DPRK and Laos were signed with due ceremonies at the Presidency.
• Talks Held between Kim Yong Nam and Lao President KCNA 08 Aug 2012 -- Talks between Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, and Lao President Choummaly Sayasone were held at the Presidency.
• Kim Yong Nam Meets Lao PM KCNA 08 Aug 2012 -- Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, met and had a talk with Thongsing Thammavong, prime minister of Laos.
• Secretary Clinton: The United States - South Africa Partnership: Going Global US Dept. of State 08 Aug 2012
• Clinton Urges S. Africa to Take Bigger Global Role VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrapped up her visit to South Africa with a speech to students at the University of the Western Cape, which she honored as a "vanguard" of the anti-apartheid movement.
• Swaziland King Open to Dialogue with Opposition, Says Adviser VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- An adviser to Swaziland’s King Mswati III has denied accusations the country’s leader has refused to meet with opposition groups demanding democratic forms.
• Belarus Expels Swedish Officials Over Bear Drop VOA 08 Aug 2012 -- Belarus is recalling its ambassador to Sweden and its entire embassy staff in the latest round of tense moves.
• Minsk Recalls Entire Staff From Sweden RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- European Union ambassadors will hold an emergency meeting on a row that has seen Belarus expel all Sweden's diplomats.
• Belarus Withdraws Embassy Staff From Sweden RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Belarus has asked Sweden to pull its diplomats out of Minsk after it said it is withdrawing all of its embassy staff from Stockholm.
• Tymoshenko Denied Registration for Parliamentary Polls RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2012 -- Ukraine’s Central Election Commission refused to register jailed ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former Interior Minister Yuri Lutsenko as candidates in the forthcoming parliamentary polls.
• Serbian President's Government Appointments Raise Eyebrows, Cause Alarm RFE/RL 08 Aug 2012 -- Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic has been in office for just over two months. But his rule is already raising alarm bells in Washington and Brussels over a number of issues.