Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 31 Aug 2012 [PDF]
• Combined Force Detains Several Suspected Insurgents AFPS 31 Aug 2012 -- An Afghan and coalition force detained several suspected insurgents during an operation to arrest a Haqqani bomb maker in the Pul-e ?Alam district of Afghanistan’s Logar province.
• QRL soldiers poised to strike at Afghan insurgency UK MOD 31 Aug 2012 -- The soldiers of B Squadron of the Queen's Royal Lancers will provide the potent Brigade Reconnaissance Force of 4th Mechanized Brigade during Op HERRICK 17.
• Obama Pledges Responsible Drawdown in Afghanistan AFPS 31 Aug 2012 -- The United States will remain focused on the mission in Afghanistan while working toward ending the war in a responsible way that protects everything its military members have sacrificed for there, President Barack Obama said.
• 2 Children Beheaded in Afghanistan VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- Officials say two children have been beheaded in separate incidents in Afghanistan.
• Two Afghan Children Beheaded In Separate Incidents RFE/RL 31 Aug 2012 -- Officials say a 12-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl have been beheaded in two separate incidents in Afghanistan.
• USACE in Afghanistan meets construction goals for July and August Army News 31 Aug 2012 -- The US Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineering District-South came within three percent of its construction goals set for July and August, bringing the district within reach of its fiscal year 2012 goals.
• Pakistani Taliban Claims It Beheaded 12 Soldiers VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- The Pakistani Taliban has released video of what it says are the severed heads of 12 soldiers.

Defense Policy / Programs

• No U.S. Criminal Charges Over Deaths Of CIA Detainees RFE/RL 31 Aug 2012 -- US authorities have declined to file criminal charges against CIA interrogators in connection with two detainees who died.
• Pentagon Censures Ex-Navy Seal Following Non-disclosure Breach AFPS 31 Aug 2012 -- The Defense Department has sent an advisory letter of material breach and non-disclosure violation to a former Navy Seal who authored a book about his participation in the Osama bin Laden raid.
• Secretary Clinton Remarks Commemorating U.S. Peace and Security Partnerships in the Pacific US Dept. of State 31 Aug 2012
• U.S.-Japan Joint Statement on Aid Coordination in the Pacific Region US Dept. of State 31 Aug 2012
• Secretary Clinton Remarks With New Zealand Prime Minister Key US Dept. of State 31 Aug 2012
• Trilateral Joint Press Statement Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America Rarotonga, Cook Islands, August 31, 2012 US Dept. of State 31 Aug 2012
• The Pacific Maritime Surveillance Partnership US Dept. of State 31 Aug 2012
• U.S. Engagement in the Pacific US Dept. of State 31 Aug 2012
• Secretary Clinton Remarks at the Pacific Islands Forum Post-Forum Dialogue US Dept. of State 31 Aug 2012
• Pacific Partnership Crew Monitors Philippine Earthquake Situation AFPS 31 Aug 2012 -- Steaming toward its home port of San Diego after the four-month Pacific Partnership 2012 mission, the crew aboard USNS Mercy is watching the situation in the Philippines, where a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck.
• Remarks by the President to the Troops at Fort Bliss, TX The White House 31 Aug 2012
• Kosovo Force Rotation Prepares for Peacekeeping Mission AFPS 31 Aug 2012 -- As the next rotation to serve in the NATO Kosovo Force completes its final training, its members are looking beyond the warfighter skills they’ve refined during combat deployments to focus on the distinctly different challenges of peacekeeping.
• Operational F-22's employ small diameter bombs during WSEP AFNS 31 Aug 2012 -- During a Combat Hammer exercise Alaska F-22 Raptors became the first operational F-22 unit to drop GBU-39 small diameter bombs.
• NPS Researchers Evaluate Biofuels for Powering the Fleet NNS 31 Aug 2012 -- Researchers at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) are applying their experience in combustion to help the Navy meet one of Secretary of of the Navy's goals for the future.
• Non-standard rotary wing office supports security assistance, responsible for almost $1B in Foreign Army News 31 Aug 2012 -- The Army's Non-Standard Rotary Wing Aircraft project management office has grown in its scope of responsibilities and number of non-standard platforms that it manages.
• 10th Mountain Division (LI) mortar crews test new equipment Army News 31 Aug 2012 -- Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team participated in testing of the new One Tactical Engagement Simulation System, in the Fort Drum training area.
• George Washington Successfully Concludes CART II NNS 31 Aug 2012 -- The U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington successfully completed its command assessment of readiness and training Aug. 31.
• USS La Jolla Departs for Western Pacific Deployment NNS 31 Aug 2012 -- USS La Jolla departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Aug. 30, for a scheduled six-month deployment in the Western Pacific region.
• USS Fort McHenry Visits Dublin NNS 31 Aug 2012 -- USS Fort McHenry arrived in Dublin, Ireland, to begin a port visit, Aug. 30.
• 414th CSB deploys to support Southern Accord 2012 Army News 31 Aug 2012 -- As training for Southern Accord 2012 commenced, members of the 414th Contracting Support Brigade deployed and provided contracting support and more in support of the U.S. Africa Command joint exercise.
• Fighter Jets to Protect Skies During Democratic Convention AFPS 31 Aug 2012 -- Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region fighters will protect the skies during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.
• 18th MP Brigade Soldiers increase professional law enforcement capabilities Army News 31 Aug 2012 -- According to the Department of Homeland Security, the course takes active- shooter- threat- tactics training to the next level.
• Soldiers continue support to hurricane damaged Southern U.S. Army News 31 Aug 2012 -- Service members with National Guard units in both Louisiana and Mississippi continue to provide aid to civilians and communities that suffered from the effects of Hurricane Isaac.
• VR-57 Conquistadors Provide Support for Hurricane Isaac Relief Efforts NNS 31 Aug 2012 -- Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 57 at Naval Air Station Oceana provided support for Hurricane Isaac relief efforts, Aug. 29.
• National Guardsmen Serve ‘Admirably’ During Isaac AFPS 31 Aug 2012 -- As Tropical Depression Isaac bounds northward into the Mississippi River valley, National Guardsmen continue to provide critical support to local emergency officials and citizens throughout the Gulf states.
• Mississippi National Guard Special Forces boat teams rescue residents post-Hurricane Isaac Army News 31 Aug 2012 -- Special Forces Soldiers with 2/20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) responded to Hurricane Isaac making landfall on the Mississippi gulf coast beginning Wednesday morning.
• DOD Partners with Cities, Countries on Biosurveillance AFPS 31 Aug 2012 -- The Defense Department is working with U.S. cities and countries around the world to enhance capabilities needed to detect and track a range of natural or intentional global disease outbreaks.
• Executive Order - Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families The White House 31 Aug 2012
• Fact Sheet: President Obama Signs Executive Order to Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families The White House 31 Aug 2012
• Statement by Secretary Panetta on Mental Health Executive Order DoD 31 Aug 2012
• Obama: Improve Mental Health Access, Care for Military, Vets AFPS 31 Aug 2012 -- President Barack Obama signed an executive order that provides increased access to mental health services for service members, military families and veterans.
• Suicide Prevention: A Healthy Force is a Ready Force Army News 31 Aug 2012 -- The Army has designated September as Suicide Prevention Month and joins our Nation in observing National Suicide Prevention Week September 10-14 and World Suicide Prevention Day September 10.
• Military Leads in Treating Traumatic Brain Injury, Expert Says AFPS 31 Aug 2012 -- The proper management of traumatic brain injuries has become a military medical standard of care that’s returning 95 percent of service members with mild TBI back to the field within five days.
• Army must do better at keeping hazing in check Army News 31 Aug 2012 -- While hazing can be confused with a rite of passage into an organization, especially one as large as and with as much history as the military, it is something the Army does not tolerate.
• Borey Class Subs to be Deployed in Russian North, Pacific Fleets RIA Novosti 31 Aug 2012 -- Two Borey class strategic nuclear-powered submarines, the Yuri Dolgoruky and the Alexander Nevsky, will enter service with the Russian Navy.
• Russia to Develop Naval Equivalent of U.S. Aegis Defense System RIA Novosti 31 Aug 2012 -- Russia is set to develop a sea-based missile defense program similar to the US Aegis system.
• Royal Navy minehunters return from the Gulf UK MOD 31 Aug 2012 -- HMS Middleton and HMS Pembroke have both experienced emotional homecomings today after each spending three challenging years on deployment.
• Kim Jong Un Looks Round E-Library at KPA Exhibition of Arms and Equipment KCNA 31 Aug 2012 -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission, looked round the newly built e-library at the Exhibition of Arms and Equipment of the KPA.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 31, 2012

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 31 August 2012 United Nations 31 Aug 2012
• Syrian Rebels Attack Aleppo Security Compounds VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- Activists say Syrian rebel fighters have attacked several security compounds in the northern city of Aleppo as clashes continued in other areas of the war-torn country.
• Syrian Rebels Threaten Attacks on Airports RIA Novosti 31 Aug 2012 -- The Free Syria Army has warned airlines to suspend service to Damascus and Aleppo, saying rebel forces could begin attacking airports in the two cities as early as next Tuesday.
• SYRIA: Politics trumps humanitarianism IRIN 31 Aug 2012 -- This week’s media headlines about the Syrian crisis have focused on a walk-out by the Syrian delegation at the Non-Aligned Movement summit.
• Moscow Calls on U.S., EU to Lift Sanctions against Syria RIA Novosti 31 Aug 2012 -- Russia has called on the United States and the European Union to immediately lift all unilateral sanctions their imposed in regard to Syria.
• UN refugee agency reports increase in number of Syrians crossing into Lebanon UN News Centre 31 Aug 2012 -- The United Nations refugee agency is seeing an increase in the number of Syrian refugees arriving in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
• Aid Agencies Scrambling to Relocate Refugees from Syrian Schools VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- Aid agencies in Syria and neighboring countries are scrambling to relocate refugees sheltered in education facilities before school resumes in mid-September.
• Supreme Leader: Money, arms shipment to opposition in Europe will result in Syria-like situation IRNA 31 Aug 2012 -- Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said that transfer of money and arms to opponents of policies of European governments would result in conditions similar to that of Syria.
• DPRK: US Policy Main Obstacle in Resolving Nuclear Issue KCNA 31 Aug 2012 -- The Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea released a memorandum, terming US policy towards DPRK the main obstacle in resolving the nuclear issue.
• Senior Taiwan officials visit Taiping Island to assert sovereignty CNA 31 Aug 2012 -- A group of senior officials, including National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-chen, visited Taiping Island in the South China Sea.
• Latest violence in South Sudan’s Jonglei state threatens recent gains, UN warns UN News Centre 31 Aug 2012 -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan said it is increasingly concerned by recent violence in Jonglei state that threatens the important gains made this year in restoring peace and security.
• Thousands Of South Sudanese Returnees Arrive In Juba VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- The International Organization for Migration reports the last of eight barges transporting more than 2,700 South Sudanese returnees and their luggage will dock at Juba Port.
• Press Conference by Foreign Minister of Democratic Republic of Congo, 31 August 2012 United Nations 31 Aug 2012
• Kenya Tensions Ease Following Riots Over Cleric Assassination VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- Security has been restored in the Kenyan city of Mombasa after heavy rioting early this week.
• MYANMAR: Kachin refugees feel Chinese heat IRIN 31 Aug 2012 -- China is forcing back thousands of Kachin refugees fleeing ethnic violence in northern Myanmar, activists and aid workers say.
• Statement by NSC Spokesman Tommy Vietor on Azerbaijan’s Decision to Pardon Ramil Safarov The White House 31 Aug 2012
• Pardon of Azerbaijani Soldier US Dept. of State 31 Aug 2012
• Armenia Cuts Ties With Hungary in Soldier Dispute VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- Armenia says it is cutting all ties with Hungary for allowing an Azerbaijani soldier who killed an Armenian officer to return home.
• Row Erupts After Azerbaijan Pardons Armenian Officer's Repatriated Killer RFE/RL 31 Aug 2012 -- The quick pardon by Azerbaijan's president of the repatriated killer of an Armenian army officer has sparked a diplomatic maelstrom involving arch foe Armenia and European Union and NATO member Hungary.

News Reports

• Putin’s Spokesman Criticizes Romney for Toughness on Russia RIA Novosti 31 Aug 2012 -- It is inadmissible for US-Russian relations to fall hostage to US election debates, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said.
• Romney Talks Tough on Russia in Acceptance Speech RIA Novosti 31 Aug 2012 -- Mitt Romney accepted the US Republican party’s nomination for president, vowing to toughen Washington’s dealings with Russia and President Vladimir Putin should he win the White House.
• Russian NGOs 'Not U.S. Agents' - Clinton RIA Novosti 31 Aug 2012 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said Washington does not direct the actions of Russian non-governmental organizations that receive U.S. assistance.
• Romney Accepts Republican Party Nomination RFE/RL 31 Aug 2012 -- Mitt Romney has formally accepted the Republican Party's nomination to run in this November's presidential election against Barack Obama.
• Americans Remain Divided on China Trade Issue VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- In this election year, both U.S. presidential candidates are making China, and trade, an issue.
• Iranian Hopes Dashed at Non-Aligned Summit VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- Iran hosted a summit of the 120-nation Non-Aligned movement this week. But the conference did not go exactly as Iranian leaders had hoped.
• Iran Rejects IAEA Report On Its Nuclear Program RFE/RL 31 Aug 2012 -- Iranian officials have denounced a report by the UN's nuclear watchdog accusing Tehran of intensifying its uranium-enrichment activities.
• U.S. Studying New UN Iran Nuclear Report RFE/RL 31 Aug 2012 -- The White House says it is closely studying a new UN report on Iran's nuclear program.
• Rosatom Says First Unit At Iran's Bushehr Now Operating At Full Capacity RFE/RL 31 Aug 2012 -- Russia's state nuclear agency, Rosatom, has announced that the first reactor at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran is now functioning at full capacity.
• Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant at 'Full Capacity' RIA Novosti 31 Aug 2012 -- Iran's first nuclear power station has begun operating at full capacity.
• Egyptian nuclear energy sector calls for using Iran's experiences IRNA 31 Aug 2012 -- Coordinating committee of Egyptian nuclear energy bodies called for using Iran's experiences in nuclear technology.
• In Iran, Ban holds range of meetings with leaders of Non-Aligned Movement countries UN News Centre 31 Aug 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban met with several leaders of the group’s members, discussing issues ranging from nuclear power and security to human rights and the humanitarian situation in Syria.
• Pakistani Court Extends Detention of Girl Accused of Blasphemy VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- A Pakistani judge has extended the detention of a Christian girl accused of blasphemy, a charge punishable by death in Pakistan.
• Pakistani Extremist Leader Held in Jail VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- A Pakistani court has ordered a two-week detention for a prominent Islamist militant.
• Leader Of Banned Pakistani Extremist Group Arrested RFE/RL 31 Aug 2012 -- Police in Pakistan say the leader of a banned Sunni extremist group has been arrested.
• Burma Reveals Names Removed from Blacklist VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- Burma this week said it would remove more than 2,000 people from a controversial government blacklist long used by the country's former military rulers to keep out critics, activists, and others deemed a threat.
• Ivory Coast Violence Stokes Political Tensions VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- Ivory Coast's military prosecutor Ange B. Kessi Kouame has charged 73 people — 19 of them soldiers — in connection with deadly raids against seven military and police installations in the past month.
• Ex-Somali PM Ordered to Pay Plaintiffs in War Crimes Case VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- A U.S. court has ordered a former Somali prime minister to pay $21 million to victims of torture and human rights abuses while he was in office.
• Guinea: UN rights office voices concern at excessive use of force by security forces UN News Centre 31 Aug 2012 -- The United Nations human rights office voiced concern about the excessive use of force by security forces in Guinea in a number of incidents over the past few weeks.
• Zimbabwe Surveys Show President Mugabe's Party Gaining Ground VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- In Zimbabwe, two new surveys show the popularity of President Robert Mugabe’s party is surging while that of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change is going down.
• Angola's Polls Close Amid Claims of Irregularities VOA 31 Aug 2012 -- Polls have closed in Angola in parliamentary elections that are expected to return the ruling party and President Jose Eduardo dos Santos to power.
• Kyrgyz Ex-President Akaev Apologizes For Mistakes RFE/RL 31 Aug 2012 -- Former President Askar Akaev has apologized for what he describes as the country's economic and political problems and his own "personal mistakes" during his tenure as independent Kyrgyzstan’s first president between 1990 and 2005.
• Soviet Marshal Fired Over Red Square Landing Dies At 101 RFE/RL 31 Aug 2012 -- Reports from Russia say Marshal Sergei Sokolov, the Soviet defense minister fired by the Politburo after a German teenager landed his plane on Moscow's Red Square, has died at the age of 101.
• Soviet Defense Chief Fired over Red Square Landing Dies at 101 RIA Novosti 31 Aug 2012 -- Sergei Sokolov, the man who was dismissed from the post of defense minister after an amateur German pilot landed his plane on Moscow's Red Square in the 1980s, died in Moscow on Friday aged 101.