Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 27 Aug 2012 [PDF]
• Coalition Forces Capture Key Taliban Leader AFPS 27 Aug 2012 -- The National Directorate of Security and coalition forces has confirmed that the mid-level Taliban leader, Haji Padcha, was one of several insurgents detained during an operation in Kandahar province.
• Allen: Insider Attack Controversy Misses Larger Point AFPS 27 Aug 2012 -- Stories focusing on attacks against coalition forces by Afghan security forces miss the larger point, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force wrote in an op-ed article.
• Investigation Finds No Malicious Intent in Quran Case AFPS 27 Aug 2012 -- While U.S. service members in Afghanistan made mistakes in handling Qurans in February, there was no intent “to disrespect the Quran or defame Islam,” the general investigating the incident wrote in his report.
• Marines Disciplined for Taliban Desecration AFPS 27 Aug 2012 -- Three Marines received nonjudicial punishment for their roles in the desecration of enemy corpses in Afghanistan, the Marine Corps Combat Development Command announced.
• Afghans Say Top Haqqani Leader Killed In U.S. Drone Strike RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- Afghanistan says it believes that a top commander of the militant Haqqani insurgent network was killed last week in a U.S. drone strike.
• Reported beheadings prompt UN call for greater protection of Afghan civilians UN News Centre 27 Aug 2012 -- The United Nations has strongly condemned the “gruesome” murder of 17 Afghan civilians, some of whom were reportedly beheaded, and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
• Taliban Beheads 17 Afghan Civilians VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- Officials in southern Afghanistan say Taliban insurgents have beheaded 17 Afghan civilians, including two women.
• 17 Afghans Beheaded In Helmand; Afghan And ISAF Troops Also Killed RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- Officials in Afghanistan say that 17 civilians, including two women, have been beheaded in the southern Helmand Province’s Kajaki district.
• Taliban Behead 17 Civilians in Afghanistan RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- Seventeen civilians were beheaded by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province on Sunday for attending a party in defiance of the Islamist group.
• Deadly Car Bomb Rocks Kandahar VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- A car bomb has exploded in Afghanistan's second-largest city, Kandahar, killing at least one person and wounding at least 14 others.
• Stavridis Expects Busy Autumn for NATO, Eucom AFPS 27 Aug 2012 -- Emphasizing that the mission in Afghanistan remains “job one,” NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe said a busy autumn season lies ahead as the transition there continues.
• 95th Engineer Company (Clearance) redeploys after year in Afghanistan Army News 27 Aug 2012 -- The company, part of 65th Engineer Battalion, 130th Eng. Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, redeployed to Schofield Barracks after a successful one-year tour in Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• George Washington Gears Up for CART II NNS 27 Aug 2012 -- Sailors aboard the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) began command assessment of readiness and training II Aug. 26.
• Buffalo Visits Yokosuka during Western Pacific Deployment NNS 27 Aug 2012 -- The USS Buffalo arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Aug. 27 for a visit as part of its deployment to the Western Pacific.
• Center Strives to Build Humanitarian Assistance Preparedness AFPS 27 Aug 2012 -- A unique organization within U.S. Pacific Command is gathering lessons in natural disaster response from around the world and applying them to help nations improve disaster preparedness and resilience.
• Device Boosts Navy's Ability to Inspect and Repair Aircraft Engines NNS 27 Aug 2012 -- The Naval Air Systems Command announced Aug. 27 that it has developed a device that is doing for aircraft inspections what colonoscopies have done for cancer detection.
• Idea brings $10,000 for McConnell AFB civilian AFNS 27 Aug 2012 -- A civilian member of the 22nd Operations Group was presented a check for $10,000 from the Air Force at the 22nd Air Refueling Wing staff meeting Aug. 27, here.
• Swift Crew Meets with Cameroon Military and Civilian Leadership at Start of APS Visit NNS 27 Aug 2012 -- The leadership of High Speed Vessel Swift began a week of Africa Partnership Station West 2012 engagements in Port of Douala Aug. 27 with several office visits with the military and political leaders in the region.
• Russian Air Force to Take Part in Antiterror Drills in U.S. RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- Russia’s servicemen will join efforts with their U.S. and Canadian colleagues during the Vigilant Eagle 2012 military drills to repel a hypothetical terrorist attack on a passenger airliner.
• Fighter jets protect skies during republican convention AFNS 27 Aug 2012 -- Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region fighters are protecting the skies during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.
• Thousands of Guardsmen Available to Governors in Isaac’s Path AFPS 27 Aug 2012 -- More than 33,500 National Guard personnel and nearly 100 aircraft are available to the governors of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, as Tropical Storm Isaac threatens states along the Gulf of Mexico.
• National Guard units in Southeast on alert for Isaac's impact Army News 27 Aug 2012 -- Army and Air National Guard elements throughout the southeastern United States are preparing for Tropical Storm Isaac, which made its way past the Florida Keys and is now in the Gulf of Mexico.
• AFPC temporarily stops PCS to Keesler AFNS 27 Aug 2012 -- Air Force Personnel Center officials have temporarily halted permanent change of station moves and most temporary duty assignments to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., based on the projected arrival of Hurricane Isaac this week.
• Deputy PM Repeats Call For Hypersonic Bomber RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin repeated his appeal for Russia to develop a hypersonic aircraft for its PAK-DA long-range bomber requirement.
• DPRK Servicepersons in Full Combat Readiness KCNA 27 Aug 2012 -- The men and officers of the Korean People's Army are taking a combat posture as remarked by Marshal Kim Jong Un, KPA supreme commander.
• Servicepersons Sure of Victory in War for National Reunification KCNA 27 Aug 2012 -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un, in a banquet arranged in celebration of the anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il's start of Songun revolutionary leadership, said he signed an all-out counter-offensive plan for accomplishing the great cause of national reunification.
• Kim Jong Un Inspects Command of KPA Large Combined Unit and Unit under It KCNA 27 Aug 2012 -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un inspected the command of KPA large combined unit 313 and a unit under it standing guard over the eastern sector of the front.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, August 27, 2012 US Dept. of State 27 Aug 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 27, 2012
• Russian Helicopter Sets Altitude Record RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- A Russian Mi-38 helicopter set a new world altitude record on the final day of the 14th FAI World Helicopter Championships near Moscow.

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 27 August 2012 United Nations 27 Aug 2012
• Press Conference to Launch Small Arms Survey 2012, ‘Moving Targets’, 27 August 2012 United Nations 27 Aug 2012
• At UN review meeting, Ban urges sustained efforts to tackle illegal small arms trade UN News Centre 27 Aug 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban urged sustained efforts to tackle the illegal trade in small arms and light weapons.
• Yemen’s Peaceful Change Won’t Work in Syria VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- Journalists reported that the Syrian FM hinted that President Bashar al-Assad might be willing to discuss a negotiated departure.
• France Warns Assad Against Chemical Weapons Use RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- French President Francois Hollande has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that any use of the country's chemical weapons would be "a legitimate reason for direct intervention."
• France Ready to Recognize Syrian Opposition Govt. RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- French President Francois Hollande called on the Syrian opposition to establish a provisional government and said that France was ready to recognize it.
• Syrian Helicopter Downed in Damascus VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- Syrian rebels say they shot down a military helicopter during heavy fighting with government forces in Damascus.
• Syrian Helicopter Crashes In Damascus RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- A Syrian military helicopter has crashed after it was apparently hit during fighting between government forces and rebels in the capital, Damascus.
• Rebels Shoot Down Syrian Helicopter RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- The Free Syrian Army rebel group claimed it had shot down a Syrian government-operated military helicopter near Damascus, and posted a video on YouTube of the machine going down in flames.
• Damascus Fighting Moves to Eastern Parts of City RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- The Syrian military has pushed militants with the rebel Free Syrian Army out of the southern Damascus’ region of Daraya.
• Syria: Ban condemns killing of hundreds of civilians in Daraya UN News Centre 27 Aug 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the killing of hundreds of civilians in the Syrian town of Daraya, and called for an immediate investigation into the incident.
• UN Chief Condemns Daraya Killings RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the mass killing of civilians in the Damascus suburb of Daraya.
• Palestinians from Syria Twice Displaced VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- A half million Palestinian refugees are registered in Syria and slightly fewer in Lebanon.
• Taiwan: Nationalism unwelcome over Tiaoyutais dispute CNA 23 Aug 2012 -- Taiwan hopes the tension in the East China Sea will not continue to grow as a result of nationalism amid the dispute over the Tiaoyutai Islands.
• Chinese Arms Flowing Into Sudan VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- A new report shows China is a major player in supplying cheap weapons to Sub-Saharan Africa, including conflict zones like the Darfur region of Sudan, a practice that is in violation of United Nations sanctions.
• South Sudan: UN envoy condemns latest outbreak of violence UN News Centre 27 Aug 2012 -- The top United Nations official in South Sudan condemned an attack by armed insurgents in the country’s eastern Jonglei state.
• Somali, AU Troops Oust al-Shabab from Port Town VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- Somali government and African Union troops have seized a critical port town from al-Shabab, dealing another blow to the Islamist militant group.
• Alleged Al-Shabab Backer Killed in Kenya VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- Unidentified gunmen have killed a Kenyan Muslim cleric who was accused of supporting Somali militant group al-Shabab.
• Gunmen Kill Iraq Army General Outside Baghdad RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- Iraqi officials have said gunmen shot dead an army general outside Baghdad.
• Burma Sentences UN Staff to Prison for Rakhine Violence VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- Burma has sentenced two United Nations staff members and one U.N. partner, detained since June, to prison terms for alleged involvement in communal violence in western Rakhine state.
• Chechen Leader Seeks 'Clear Border' With Ingushetia RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- Chechnya's Kremlin-backed leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has accused neighboring Ingushetia of "encroaching on Chechen territory."
• Interview With Kosovar President: 'We Will Never Negotiate For Our Sovereignty' RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- Serbia and Kosovo have committed to resume European Union-sponsored talks that were suspended during Serbia's recent election season.
• Ban reiterates UN commitment to solve Western Sahara dispute UN News Centre 27 Aug 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to the negotiation process aimed at reaching a settlement in the Western Sahara dispute.

News Reports

• Tehran Might Allow Diplomats To Visit Suspected Nuclear Site RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- Iran has hinted it might allow diplomats visiting Tehran for this week's Non-Aligned Movement summit to visit a military installation that UN inspectors suspect has been used for nuclear military experiments.
• Experts: Tightening Iran Sanctions Hurts Ordinary Iranians VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- Iran is hosting a summit for dozens of nations in the Non-Aligned Movement, while some of those countries are complying with sanctions against Tehran.
• Khatibi: Crude customers can ship Iranian oil by tankers enjoying insurance services IRNA 27 Aug 2012 -- Mohammad-Ali Khatibi, director of National Iranian Oil Company for international affairs, said that customers of Iranian crude can ship their consignments by oil tanker enjoying full insurance services.
• DPRK Delegate Calls for Adhering to Principle of Equality KCNA 27 Aug 2012 -- The principle of equality is the basic one to be strictly abided by in relations among countries.
• Kenya Government Urged to Calm Tensions VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- The chairman of Kenya’s National Cohesion and Integration Commission has called on the government to step up efforts to reduce religious, political and ethnic tensions in the run up to next year’s election.
• UN employees sentenced by Myanmar court for Rakhine violence UN News Centre 27 Aug 2012 -- Two United Nations employees have been sentenced by a Myanmar court in connection with the violent unrest that recently gripped the country’s Rakhine state in June.
• More Tibetan Protesters Set Themselves on Fire VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- Two more Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest China's policies in Tibet.
• Egypt Sentences 76 for Attacks on Israeli, Saudi Embassies RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- A man has been sentenced to five years in prison and another 75 people received one-year suspended sentences in Egypt for attacks on the Israeli and Saudi embassies in the capital Cairo last year.
• Iraqi Communication Minister Resigns Over 'Political Interference' RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- Iraq's communications minister has resigned to protest interference by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in the work of his ministry.
• Pakistani PM Given More Time to Comply with Graft Order VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- Pakistan's Supreme Court has given PM Ashraf three more weeks to comply with its order to reopen corruption cases against the country's president.
• Supreme Court Extends Deadline For Pakistan PM RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- The Pakistani Supreme Court has again ordered PM Ashraf to comply with an order to contact Swiss authorities to ask them to reopen a multimillion-dollar corruption probes into the activities of Pakistan's head of state.
• Malawi's Ruling Party Endorses Joyce Banda as President VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- Delegates to the convention of Malawi's ruling People's Party, or P.P., endorsed President Joyce Banda and her vice president for operations, Khumbo Kachale.
• Gambia Confirms 9 Death Row Executions VOA 27 Aug 2012 -- Gambian officials said nine death row prisoners have been executed by firing squad, after President Yahya Jammeh said all death sentences would be carried out by mid-September.
• Kyrgyz President Asks Social Democrats To Form Coalition RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has given the Social Democratic Party that he formerly led the mandate to start negotiations on forming a new ruling coalition following last week's collapse of the government.
• Georgia Weighs Asylum for Putin Death Plot Suspect RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- Georgia may soon take a decision on granting refugee status to Adam Osmayev, one of the suspects in an alleged plot to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Police Interrogate Putin Death-Plot Suspect RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- Investigators will begin interrogating Ilya Pyanzin, one of the two suspects in a foiled plot to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Pussy Riot Appeals Verdict RIA Novosti 27 Aug 2012 -- Defense lawyers for the all-female punk band Pussy Riot appealed the court verdict under which three members of the band were jailed for two years for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.
• Ukraine Court To Rule On Tymoshenko Appeal This Week RFE/RL 27 Aug 2012 -- A high court in Ukraine will rule on August 29 on former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's appeal against her abuse-of-office conviction and seven-year prison sentence.