Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 17 Sep 2012 [PDF]
• Joint Team Assesses Eastern Afghanistan Airstrike AFPS 17 Sep 2012 -- The International Security Assistance Force has sent a joint incident assessment team to gather facts about a coalition forces airstrike in Afghanistan’s Laghman province.
• ISAF Sends Team To Investigate Afghan Casualties In Laghman RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- The International Security Assistance Force sending a team to Afghanistan's Laghman Province to investigate civilian casualties as a result of a NATO air strike.
• U.S. Commander Urges Kabul To Take Insider Attacks Seriously RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- The U.S. military's top officer has called the problem of rogue Afghan soldiers and police turning their guns on allied troops "a very serious threat" to the war effort in Afghanistan.
• Afghan Protest Against Anti-Islam Film Turns Violent RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Police say hundreds of people held a violent protest in Kabul against a film insulting to Islam that has caused an uproar across the Muslim world.
• 50 Police Injured in Kabul Protests RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- About 50 police were injured in violent demonstrations in Kabul over a recent U.S.-made film considered anti-Islamic.
• Afghan army's 7th Kandak stands as 'the way ahead' Army News 17 Sep 2012 -- American forces continue to transition security responsibilities to Afghan National Security Forces.
• Afghan Pathfinders mostly teaching own Army News 17 Sep 2012 -- Eight Afghan Soldiers of the Pathfinder Platoon, 4th Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 205th Corps graduated from the 3rd Afghanistan Pathfinder Partnership Academy.
• Students Left Behind In Pakistan's Tribal Regions RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- As the fight against terrorism in Pakistan's restive northwest rages on, one casualty has been left on the battlefield: youth education.
• Libyans Revise Down Arrest Figure From Benghazi Attack RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Libya's interior minister, Fawzi Abdel A'al, has clarified the number of arrests so far in connection with a deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi last week.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Joint Press Conference with Secretary Panetta and Japanese Minister of Defense Morimoto from Tokyo, Japan DoD 17 Sep 2012
• Town Hall Meeting with Secretary Panetta at Yakota Airbase, Japan DoD 17 Sep 2012
• Panetta Arrives in China for Three-day Visit AFPS 17 Sep 2012 -- Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta arrived here today for a three-day visit after wrapping up a trip to Japan earlier in the day.
• Panetta Addresses Osprey, Territory Disputes in Japan Visit AFPS 17 Sep 2012 -- Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta responded to questions on the U.S. deployment of V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft to Okinawa and the ongoing dispute between China and Japan over the Senkaku Islands.
• US Defense Chief in Talks Over China-Japan Tensions VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- As anti-Japan protests continued since last week in China, officials in Tokyo told the visiting U.S. defense secretary they are attempting to prevent ties with Beijing over disputed islands from further fraying.
• U.S., Japan Agree to Add Second Radar Installation AFPS 17 Sep 2012 -- The United States and Japan have agreed to add a second U.S. anti-ballistic missile radar installation in Japan, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced here today.
• U.S., Japan Agree On Antimissile System RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says that U.S. and Japanese officials have agreed to put a missile-defense system in Japan.
• Japan to Install New U.S. Missile Radar RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- Washington and Tokyo agreed to install a second radar-based defense system in Japan aimed at countering the potential missile threat from North Korea.
• Russia Revamps Missile Defenses Around Moscow RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- Russia will reactivate mothballed ballistic missile silos around Moscow as part of deep modernization of a missile defense network protecting the Russian capital.
• Washington Fully Declassifies Cold War Nuclear Plan RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- The U.S. National Security Archive has fully declassified the most controversial nuclear policy document of the Cold War.
• U.S., Allies Begin Gulf Military Exercises RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Naval exercises involving vessels from 30 nations, including the United States, are under way in the Persian Gulf.
• Dempsey, Turks Discuss Regional Issues AFPS 17 Sep 2012 -- The paving stones on the Road of Lions leading to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s mausoleum are purposely placed about three inches apart so those who approach it have to think about where they are.
• Air Force Secretary Calls Airmen Service’s ‘Living Engine’ AFPS 17 Sep 2012 -- The nation’s youngest force enjoys an unbreakable connection to state-of-the-art technology, Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley said at the Air Force Association’s annual meeting today.
• Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Anchorage Navy NewsStand 17 Sep 2012 -- The Navy accepted delivery of its newest amphibious transport dock ship, the future USS Anchorage, from Huntington Ingalls Industries in Avondale, La., Sept. 17.
• Networked vehicles readied for delivery to 10th Mountain Division Army News 17 Sep 2012 -- The Army is ramping up limited production on a new fleet of networked vehicles as part of a sweeping effort to transform its tactical communications network.
• Army gears up for next Network Integration Evaluation Army News 17 Sep 2012 -- Preparations for the Army's Network Integration Evaluation 13.1 kick into high gear at Fort Bliss, Texas, and White Sands Missile Range.
• Deploying Soldiers Test New Female Body Armor Prototype AFPS 17 Sep 2012 -- Female soldiers at Fort Campbell, Ky., preparing for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan are getting a chance to weigh in on the latest innovation in personal protective equipment: body armor designed specifically to fit them.
• Active Army's only petroleum and water group brings end to storied past Army News 17 Sep 2012 -- Fort Lee's only U.S. Army Forces Command unit ends a 19-year run of operations here, during an inactivation ceremony at Seay Field.
• UNITAS Atlantic Phase to Kickoff in Key West Navy NewsStand 17 Sep 2012 -- Naval forces from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States will kick off the Atlantic Phase of UNITAS, an annual multi-national exercise.
• Forest Service deactivates C-130 firefighting operations AFNS 17 Sep 2012 -- The U.S. Forest Service has deactivated the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped military C-130 Hercules as fire conditions in the West have improved.
• USS Ashland Assists Distressed Vessel Navy NewsStand 17 Sep 2012 -- Amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) discovered and rendered aid to a distressed sailing vessel while operating in the Virginia Capes, Sept. 12.
• DoD Approves $25 Million Grant to the State of Texas and a $7.3 Million Grant to the State of Maryland. For Transportation Improvements, and a $37,134,368 Grant to Lawton Public Schools to Replace Schools on Fort Sill, Okla. DoD 17 Sep 2012
• Public Trust Requires Apolitical Military, Dempsey Says AFPS 17 Sep 2012 -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wants service members and veterans to consider what using the uniform for partisan politics does to the trust Americans have in their military.
• Shinseki: VA Honors ‘Exceptional’ Americans AFPS 17 Sep 2012 -- The Department of Veterans Affairs exists to honor such exceptional Americans.
• DoD finds answers in osmotic dehydration process Army News 17 Sep 2012 - U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate is in a constant search of ways to improve military rations.
• Russia's Rogozin Hails Efforts To Boost Defense Industry RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin: Defense spending should hold steady at about 3.5 percent of gross domestic production.
• India's Russian Carrier on Rocks Again After Sea Trial Snags RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- Malfunctions during sea trials of the Indian Navy aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, refitted by a Russian shipyard, will delay the vessel’s handover to India yet again.
• Russia, S. Africa in Talks on Joint Weapons Development RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- Russia and South Africa are discussing the possibility of joint development of defense-related products, Russia’s state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said.
• Russian President Oversees Military Drills in N. Caucasus RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived on Monday at a military training range in southern Russia to oversee the Caucasus-2012 strategic command-and-staff exercises.
• Kavkaz-2012 Military Drills to Begin in South Russia RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- The Kavkaz-2012 strategic command post exercises will begin in southern Russia.
• NATO Transformation Chief Encourages ‘Smart Defense’ Strategy AFPS 17 Sep 2012 -- Despite fiscal challenges, NATO members should work together to develop the right capabilities to adapt to future challenges, NATO’s top transformation officer said here today.
• Joint flight supports UK-French co-operation UK MOD 17 Sep 2012 -- Senior officers in the Royal Air Force and French Air Force traded places on 14 September to fly in Typhoon and Rafale fighter jets in a demonstration of the strong ties which exist between the two air arms.
• CSTO Joint Military Maneuvers Continue In Armenia RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Joint military exercises of the Collective Security Treaty Organization are under way at Armenia's Marshal Baghramian training ground.
• Pakistan tests nuclear-capable Cruise missile IRNA 17 Sep 2012 -- Pakistan on Monday conducted a successful test fire of an indigenously developed multi tube Cruise Missile.
• Pakistan Tests Nuclear-Capable Cruise Missile RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- The Pakistan Army carried out a successful test-firing of a Hatf-7 (Babur) nuclear-capable cruise missile.
• Pakistan Tests New Missile Capable Of Carrying Nuclear Weapons RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Pakistan says it has successfully test-fired a new cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 17 Sep 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 17, 2012

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 17 September 2012 United Nations 17 Sep 2012
• Anti-Japan Protesters Arrested in Beijing RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- More than ten people were arrested in China according to local media reports, after police used tear gas and water cannons to break up anti-Japanese riots which began late last week over Japan’s nationalization of the disputed Diaoyu Islands.
• Beijing Moves To Calm Anti-Japanese Protests Over Territorial Dispute RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Chinese authorities have moved to quell anti-Japanese protests as Japanese firms suspended work at factories in China over a territorial dispute.
• Anti-Japan Demonstrations Prompt Chinese Discussions of Protests, Patriotism VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- As anti-Japanese protests spread in China and in some cases turn violent, Chinese Web users are questioning when the actions of protesters go too far.
• ROC, PRC flags fly at anti-Japan protest in New York CNA 17 Sep 2012 -- More than 1,000 people of Chinese descent rallied in front of the Consulate-General of Japan in New York City Sunday to protest the Japanese government's unilateral nationalization of the disputed Diaoyutai Islands.
• Magnitude of human rights violations in Syria increased – UN UN News Centre 17 Sep 2012 -- The scale and frequency of gross human rights violations in Syria has significantly increased in recent weeks.
• UN Rights Panel: Violations in Syria Growing VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- United Nations investigators say civilians are increasingly coming under attack by both Syrian government forces and rebels.
• UN Investigators Draw Up New List Of Syria War-Crimes Suspects RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- United Nations human rights investigators have drawn up a new list of individuals and units suspected of committing war crimes in Syria.
• West African Ministers Mull Mali Troop Request VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- West African defense and foreign ministers met Monday on when and how to deploy troops to quell the unrest in Mali, where Islamist militants control the northern part of the country.
• Algeria's Stance on Northern Mali Remains Ambiguous VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Algeria is a key military power in the Sahel region and could play a decisive role in the outcome of the crisis in Mali, where al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants control the northern half of the country.
• Top UN official condemns amputations, human rights violations in northern Mali UN News Centre 17 Sep 2012 -- The United Nations human rights chief condemned the ongoing human rights violations in northern Mali.
• UN official urges support for Saehl strategy UN News Centre 17 Sep 2012 -- The top United Nations political official called on the Security Council and the wider international community to support efforts to develop an integrated strategy to tackle the challenges in the Sahel region of West Africa.
• Life Returns to Somali Coastal Town after Al-Shabab Exit VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Since African Union forces took control of the Somali port town of Marka three weeks ago, life is beginning to return to normal
• Boko Haram Spokesman Reported Killed in Nigeria VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Nigerian soldiers say troops have killed a man suspected of being a spokesman for the Islamist sect Boko Haram and arrested two of its field commanders.
• DRC Wants Lumbala Extradited from France VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Democratic Republic of Congo Information Minister Lambert Mende said the government of President Joseph Kabila will pay any price for the security of the country.
• Kenyan Troops Try to Keep Peace in Tana River VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Thousands have fled violence that claimed more than 100 lives in August and September in Kenya’s Tana River District.
• Turkey Says 500 Rebels Killed, Captured In Past Month RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erodgan says Turkish security forces have killed or captured some 500 Kurdish rebels over the past month.
• Citing lack of progress, UN envoy urges Israelis and Palestinians to step up peace efforts UN News Centre 17 Sep 2012 -- The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process said that the lack of progress between Israelis and Palestinians on the political track and the continuing conflict and occupation put at risk the viability of the two-State solution.
• Three Palestinian detainees on hunger strike risk death: ICRC IRNA 17 Sep 2012 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is extremely concerned about the deteriorating health of three Palestinian detainees who are on long-term hunger strike.
• Suicide Bombing Kills 7 Near Baghdad's Green Zone VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- A suicide bomber in Iraq has set off a car packed with explosives near the capital's heavily fortified Green Zone, killing at least seven people.
• Blast Near Baghdad's Green Zone Kills At Least 7 RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Officials in Baghdad say a suicide car-bomb attack near the city's heavily secured Green Zone has left at least seven Iraqis dead and about 20 wounded.
• Security Council extends UN mission in Liberia, authorizes troop reduction UN News Centre 17 Sep 2012 -- The Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia for another year.
• Libya must implement transitional justice strategy – UN UN News Centre 17 Sep 2012 -- A new United Nations report calls on the Libyan authorities to implement a transitional justice strategy that will help the North African country kick-start a reconciliation process.

News Reports

• Clinton to Defend US Funding for New Democracies Amid Anti-American Protests VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton goes to Capitol Hill this week to defend continuing U.S. support for new democracies in North Africa and the Middle East at a time of anti-American protests.
• Protests Spread Over Anti-Islam Film VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Hundreds of protesters rioting against an anti-Islam film torched a press club and a government building Monday in northwest Pakistan, sparking clashes with police that left at least one person dead.
• Protests Grow Against Anti-Muslim Film RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Protests against a privately-made film that ridicules the Prophet Muhammad have continued to rock the Islamic world.
• Hizballah Protests Anti-Islam Video, U.S. Free-Speech 'Pretext' RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Supporters of the Shi'ite militant group Hizballah planned to protest in Beirut on September 17 against an Internet video insulting to Islam.
• Nasrallah: Anti-Islam film scenarists should be prosecuted IRNA 17 Sep 2012 -- Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah called for prosecuting all forms of raids against Islam and other religions.
• Hezbollah Urges New Lebanon Protests over Anti-Islam Movie RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has called for new protests in Lebanon over a movie thought to be offensive to Muslims.
• Pakistan blocks over 700 anti-Islam You Tube links IRNA 17 Sep 2012 -- Pakistan blocked nearly 753 links to a recently released anti-Islam film on YouTube that has sparked anti-US protests across the Muslim world.
• Supreme Leader renews censure of blaspheming Holy Prophet of Islam IRNA 17 Sep 2012 -- Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei renewed censure of blaspheming Holy Prophet of Islam.
• Anti-US protests force US Consulate in Chennai to shut down for 2 days IRNA 17 Sep 2012 -- Faced with protests over the anti-Islam film for the third day, the US consulate in Chennai, capital city of India’s Tamil Nadu state, has shut down its visa section for two days.
• Russian Prosecutors Seek ‘Innocence of Muslims’ Ban RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- The Prosecutor General’s Office has declared the film “Innocence of Muslims” extremist and will seek a court ruling to ban the controversial video in Russia.
• Germany mulls ban of public screening of anti-Islam film IRNA 17 Sep 2012 -- German authorities are contemplating a ban on the public screening of an anti-Islam video, Chancellor Angela Merkel told Berlin based media representatives.
• Iran, DPR Korea and Syria failing obligations to UN nuclear agency UN News Centre 17 Sep 2012 -- The head of the United Nations atomic watchdog reported that Iran, the DPRK, and Syria have not sufficiently cooperated in resolving outstanding issues regarding their nuclear activities.
• Iran Claims Terror Blasts Cut Power to Nuclear Site VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Iran says power lines to its primary underground nuclear facility at Fordo were cut last month by explosive blasts set off by "terrorists and saboteurs."
• Iranian Atomic Chief Claims Nuclear Sites 'Sabotaged' RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Iran's nuclear chief has said that "terrorists and saboteurs" may have infiltrated the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in an effort to derail Tehran's nuclear program.
• Iran Tensions Loom Over Israelis on Jewish New Year VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Jews around the world are observing Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. In Israel, the mood is sober.
• Amano: IAEA willing to sign agreement with Iran to resolve outstanding issues IRNA 17 Sep 2012 -- Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano said that the IAEA is willing to reach agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran on a framework to resolve the outstanding issues.
• UN Nuclear Watchdog to Hold More Talks with Iran RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency will hold further talks with Iran to allay international concern over its disputed nuclear program.
• Iran displays its nuclear achievements on sidelines of IAEA meeting in Vienna IRNA 17 Sep 2012 -- Iran exhibited its nuclear achievements on the sidelines of the 56th annual meeting of International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
• China Opens Trial of Controversial Ex-Police Chief VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- China has started the trial, in secret, of the controversial former police chief at the center of the country's worst political crisis in decades.
• Obama Challenges China Auto Subsidies VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- The Obama administration is complaining to the World Trade Organization, or WTO, that China is illegally subsidizing exports from its automobile and auto-parts industries.
• US-China Trade Disagreement Gains Momentum VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Trade disputes between the United States and China are heating up, as Washington complains about Chinese auto parts and Beijing files a complaint about a new U.S. tariff law.
• DPRK-Japan Relations Hinge on Japan's Attitude: KCNA Commentary KCNA 17 Sep 2012 -- 10 years have passed since the DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration was adopted.
• Aung San Suu Kyi Visit Indicates Progress in US-Burma Relationship VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Burma democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrives in the United States this week, only her second trip overseas after spending most of the past two decades in detention.
• Aung San Suu Kyi Starts Three-Week U.S. Visit RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has arrived in Washington for a three-week tour of the United States.
• Burma Pardons More Than 500 Prisoners VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Burma's government on Monday pardoned more than 500 prisoners, among them political detainees and some foreigners.
• Kenya Electoral Body Prepares for Elections Next Year VOA 17 Sep 2012 -- Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has begun preparations for a general election March 4th of next year.
• Zionist regime's nuclear case on IAEA's table IRNA 17 Sep 2012 -- The 56th annual meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency is to begin while the case of the Zionist regime's atomic program is among the major topics on its agenda.
• IAEA to Convene 56th General Conference RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency will convene its General Conference on September 17-21.
• Belarus Opposition Urges Election Boycott RFE/RL 17 Sep 2012 -- Two main opposition parties in Belarus are calling for a boycott of upcoming parliamentary elections on September 23, denouncing the vote as a farce.
• Monument to Waffen SS Legionnaires Unveiled in Latvia RIA Novosti 17 Sep 2012 -- A monument to members of Latvia’s Waffen SS legion was unveiled in a Latvian town, the country’s media reported on Monday.