Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 20 Sep 2012 [PDF]
• Statement from Secretary Panetta on Recovery of Surge Forces in Afghanistan DoD 20 Sep 2012
• Combined Force Kills Armed Insurgents in Balkh Province AFPS 20 Sep 2012 -- An Afghan and coalition security force killed two armed insurgents during an operation to arrest a senior Taliban leader in the Balkh district of Afghanistan’s Balkh province.
• Obama, Karzai Discuss 'Insider' Attacks RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- U.S. President Barack Obama has held a video conference with his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, focusing partly on efforts to stem insider attacks on U.S., coalition, and Afghan forces.
• Afghan transition moving forward but facing numerous challenges – UN envoy UN News Centre 20 Sep 2012 -- Afghanistan is moving forward in the transition to greater ownership and responsibility for its affairs but faces a number of challenges.
• 164th TAOG Soldiers deploy Army News 20 Sep 2012 -- Soldiers of the 164th Theater Airfield Operations Group deployed to Afghanistan and Kuwait Sept. 15 to provide additional airfield oversight for an earlier deployed unit.
• 75th FiB Soldiers return from deployment Army News 20 Sep 2012 -- Soldiers of A Battery, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery returned from their six-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Sept. 7.
• Kyrgyz President Calls Cooperation With Russia Crucial RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambaev near Bishkek on September 20 to discuss issues including the future of a Russian military base in Kyrgyzstan.
• Karzai Dismisses Five Provincial Governors RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has dismissed five provincial governors as part of a government-declared effort to fight correction and spur reforms.
• British Soldier Gives Birth In Afghanistan RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- A British servicewoman has given birth to a baby boy in Afghanistan.
• Blast leaves 10 dead in NW Pakistan IRNA 20 Sep 2012 -- At least ten people were killed while 22 others injured including women and children in a blast in the North Western Pakistan.
• U.S. Official Calls Consulate Attack Opportunistic 'Terrorism' RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- A senior U.S. counterterrorism official has said that the September 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was "a terrorist attack" but was most likely not planned in advance.
• US Envoy Visits Libya Following Ambassador's Death VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns is in Libya for meetings with top officials about last week's deadly attack at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Panetta Calls Beijing Meetings ‘Substantive, Productive’ AFPS 20 Sep 2012 -- Visiting China at what he called a “very important moment” for the U.S.-China relationship, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said yesterday his meetings with key Chinese leaders here have been both substantive and productive.
• Panetta Visits Chinese Navy Fleet, Tours Vessels AFPS 20 Sep 2012 -- Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta visited the headquarters of one of China’s three naval fleets on his final stop in China today before heading to New Zealand.
• Panetta Gets Rare Tour of Chinese Naval Base VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was allowed a rare look inside a Chinese naval base, as he finished up his three-day visit to China.
• Panetta Takes Questions From Chinese Cadets AFPS 20 Sep 2012 -- Two very different military traditions briefly converged when Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, following a speech at the People’s Liberation Army’s Armored Forces Engineering Academy, opened the floor to questions from cadets and officers in the audience.
• Spokesman for DPRK FM on New Radar Base in Japan KCNA 20 Sep 2012 -- A spokesman for the DPRK foreign ministry gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA as regards the US announcement of a plan to build a new radar base in Japan.
• Panetta Arrives in New Zealand, Final Stop on Asia-Pacific Tour AFPS 20 Sep 2012 -- Defense Secretary Leon E Panetta arrived in Auckland, New Zealand for the last leg of his third Asia-Pacific tour as secretary.
• Remarks by Deputy Secretary of Defense Carter at the Politico Pro Defense Forum, Washington, DC DoD 20 Sep 2012
• Sequestration Would Devastate Defense Spending AFPS 20 Sep 2012 -- Sequestration will devastate every aspect of Defense Department spending, from fighting the war in Afghanistan and supporting troop health and morale to training, maintenance and modernization, and carrying out the defense strategic guidance.
• Carter: Sequestration Would Have Effect of ‘Hidden Tax’ AFPS 20 Sep 2012 -- Because it would lead to inefficiencies, the sequestration mechanism built into the Budget Control Act would amount to a hidden tax, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said.
• Dempsey Discusses Importance of Embracing, Managing Military Change AFPS 20 Sep 2012 -- Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey thinks one of the most important questions military leaders need to answer is how to best adapt changes to strategy to match changes in the world.
• ANG director discusses way forward AFNS 20 Sep 2012 -- Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III, the director of the Air National Guard, spoke about mission readiness and other challenges facing the ANG in future years.
• USS Ashland Achieves First-Time Quality, Successful Sea Trials with EPCPs NNS 20 Sep 2012 -- Expanded Process Control Procedures support USS Ashland in achieving first-time quality work during sea trials Sept. 16 in Norfolk, Va.
• Navy C-2As Turn Another Chapter NNS 20 Sep 2012 -- The "Providers" of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 ended another phase in Naval Aviation history with the final flight of the last four-bladed propeller C-2A Greyhound aboard Naval Air Station North Island, Sept. 18.
• 3-6 FA fires Excalibur round for first time ever at NTC Army News 20 Sep 2012 -- The Excalibur projectile is a 155 mm, GPS-guided round that uses free-spinning fins, with other systems set in place, to guide it to its target with significantly more accurate results than other 155 mm rounds.
• Robots in the house Army News 20 Sep 2012 -- Robots on the modern battlefield can do a multitude of tasks that help keep Soldiers safe and help them be more productive -- and in some cases, those robots can do too many tasks.
• Swift Departs Togo, Embarked Medical Team's Mission Concludes NNS 20 Sep 2012 -- High-Speed Vessel Swift departed Lome, Sept. 19, wrapping up a four-day port visit and marking the conclusion to the embarked team of medical professionals' mission with Swift for Africa Partnership Station West 2012.
• USS Vandegrift Arrives in Vladivostok RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2012 -- TheUSS Vandegrift has arrived in the Russian Far Eastern port of Vladivostok.
• U.S. Navy Ships Depart For Joint Warrior Exercise 12-2 NNS 20 Sep 2012 -- Two U.S. Navy ships, led by Commander, Destroyer Squadron 26, departed from the U.S. for Scotland, Sept. 17.
• Eastern Accord 2012 wraps up Army News 20 Sep 2012 -- Eastern Accord 2012 wrapped up the academic portion and begins the Table Top Exercise, or TTX, which is the culminating event for the Countering Violent Extremism Exercise.
• Army engineers survey 'Last Frontier,' keep Air Force fighters flying safely Army News 20 Sep 2012 -- Surveyors from the 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, recently traveled to Alaska to help keep multimillion-dollar Air Force fighter jets and cargo planes based, here, flying safely.
• NAVFAC Southwest Completes Weapons, Field Training Battalion Support Facilities NNS 20 Sep 2012 -- A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Sept. 12, to recognize the completion of three support facilities for Weapons & Field Training Battalion.
• Contract for Hurricane Isaac Repairs Awarded NNS 20 Sep 2012 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast awarded a $7.4 million contract for repairs at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, La. after damages sustained from Hurricane Isaac.
• MCRD San Diego Celebrates Completion of Renewable Energy Photovoltaic Array NNS 20 Sep 2012 -- Ribbon cutting ceremony, Aug. 29, marking the completion of a 1.76 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) array that supplies 13 percent of MCRD's electricity with renewable energy.
• Statement by the President on the One Year Anniversary of the Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell The White House 20 Sep 2012
• Battaglia Cites Resilience as Key to Solving Suicide Issue AFPS 20 Sep 2012 -- Resilience is the key to solving the military’s suicide problem, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
• VA Fills First Phase of Veteran Retraining Program AFPS 20 Sep 2012 -- The Veterans Affairs Department has approved applications for all 45,000 slots available in fiscal 2012 under the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program.
• Teikovo Division Gets Full Arsenal of New Missile Systems RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2012 -- The Teikovo missile division of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces has been fully equipped with advanced Topol-M and Yars ballistic missile systems.
• Russian Warship Tests Missile Defense Capability RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2012 -- The flagship of Russia’s Northern Fleet, nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, has carried out missile defense drills.
• NATO and the Republic of Korea sign new partnership programme NATO 20 Sep 2012 -- NATO and the Republic of Korea signed a new partnership programme on 20 September 2012 that sets the framework for cooperation and political dialogue.
• Royal Navy unveils carrier training facility UK MOD 20 Sep 2012 -- A training facility has been opened to prepare Royal Navy sailors to man the first of the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers, due in 2016.
• RAF's Quick Reaction Alert revealed UK MOD 20 Sep 2012 -- RAF's Quick Reaction Alert continues to defend British airspace seamlessly, night and day, in a way that has changed little in more than 70 years.
• Scots Dragoon Guards take on Exercise Mongol Eagle UK MOD 20 Sep 2012 -- A group of soldiers from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (SCOTS DG) have successfully completed the demanding and challenging Mongol Rally.
• IR Iran fully monitors foreign maneuvers in PG IRNA 20 Sep 2012 -- Islamic Republic of Iran fully monitors the movements in a joint military maneuver between US and some other countries in the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Strait of Hormuz.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, September 20, 2012 US Dept. of State 20 Sep 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 20, 2012

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 20 September 2012 United Nations 20 Sep 2012
• US, Allies Slam Iran Over Military Aid to Syria VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- The United States, Britain and France said that Iran’s supply of weapons to the Assad regime in Syria is unacceptable and must stop.
• Clinton to Push Tougher Syria Policy at UN VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton trying to rally international support for tougher action against embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
• Blast Kills at Least 30 in Syria's North VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- A Syrian rights group says a blast in northeast Syria has killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens of others.
• Dozens Killed, Wounded in Syrian Blast VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- A Syrian rights group says a blast in northeast Syria has killed at least 30 people and wounded dozens of others.
• UN Chief Says No Military Solution to Syrian Crisis RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2012 -- The solution to the Syrian crisis should not be military, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.
• Syrian Military Helicopter Reported Down Near Damascus RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- Syria's Information Ministry says a Syrian military helicopter that crashed near Damascus hit the tail of a passenger plane with 200 people on board.
• Helicopter Crashes in Damascus Suburb RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2012 -- A helicopter crashed near the Syrian capital of Damascus.
• Belarus Denies U.S. Charges over Syria Arms Supplies RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2012 -- The Belarusian Foreign Ministry refuted U.S accusations against a Belarus state-owned arms firm suspected of trying to supply munitions to the Syrian government.
• China-Japan Dispute Tests China’s Ties With the US VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- China's territorial dispute with Japan over a group of islands in the East China Sea is also testing the country's relations with the U.S.
• Taiwanese fishing boats to approach Diaoyutais in Japan protest CNA 20 Sep 2012 -- At least 50 Taiwanese fishing boats are expected to approach the disputed Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea.
• Eighteen Detained in Anti-Japan Protests in Southern China RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2012 -- Eighteen people allegedly involved in violent acts during anti-Japan protests in China have been detained in the country's southern city of Guangzhou.
• US Says Fight for Kismayo Could be Decisive Blow Against al-Shabab VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- The U.S. State Department says East African troops advancing on the Somali port of Kismayo could deliver a decisive blow to Islamic extremists who oppose Somalia's new government.
• Somalia: UN envoy condemns deadly suicide attacks in capital UN News Centre 20 Sep 2012 -- The top United Nations political official for Somalia condemned suicide attacks in the Horn of Africa nation’s capital, and called for the country’s progress towards stability to remain on course.
• Suicide Bombers Kill at Least 15 at Mogadishu Restaurant VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- At least 15 people were killed and many more wounded in a suicide bomb attack on a restaurant in the Somali capital.
• Sudans Hoping to Finalize Border Talks Sunday VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan will meet for a summit in Ethiopia Sunday to finalize the negotiations between the two countries.

News Reports

• Protests In Tehran, Kabul Against Film, French Cartoons RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- Hundreds of Afghans have protested in Kabul against depictions of the Prophet Muhammad in the Western media.
• Pakistan Urges Calm in Protests Against Video VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- Dozens of people have been injured in Pakistan during violent demonstrations protesting an Internet video that insults the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.
• Pakistani Government Calls for Peaceful Protest Against Video VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- Protests against the depiction of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad continue, with demonstrators objecting to both an anti-Islam film made in the United States and caricatures published in a French satirical magazine.
• Students protesting anti-Islam film enter Islamabad's security zone IRNA 20 Sep 2012 -- Thousands of Pakistani students protesting against the U.S.-made anti-Islam film crossed police barriers and tried to enter the US Embassy in the high security zone in the Pakistan capital.
• Tunisia Braces for Protests Over French Cartoons VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- A week after Muslims worldwide vented their anger at an anti-Islam film made in the United States, authorities in Tunisia are bracing for more unrest this Friday.
• Angry protestors set ablaze US, Zionist flags outside French embassy IRNA 20 Sep 2012 -- Angry protestors who staged a protest gathering in front of French embassy in Tehran set fire to US and Zionist regime flags.
• Sudan Blocks YouTube Over Anti-Islam Film VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- The government of Sudan has blocked access to YouTube because of the anti-Islam film that has sparked violent protests in many Muslim countries.
• Russian Prosecutors Demand Anti-Islamic Film Ban RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2012 -- Prosecutors in several Russian regions have asked internet service providers to block access to an anti-Islamic film that has sparked riots across the Islamic world.
• China Investigates Demonstration Around US Ambassador's Car VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- The U.S. has expressed concern at an incident in which dozens of Chinese protesters surrounded the car of U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke, pelted it with objects, and blocked its entry to the American Embassy in Beijing.
• Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Natalegawa Remarks at the Third Annual U.S.-Indonesian Joint Commission Meeting US Dept. of State 20 Sep 2012
• Secretary Clinton Remarks With Indonesian Foreign Minister Raden Mohammad Marty Muliana Natalegawa After Their Meeting US Dept. of State 20 Sep 2012
• Joint Statement of the United States of America and the Republic of Indonesia on the Occasion of the Third Annual Joint Commission Meeting US Dept. of State 20 Sep 2012
• Indonesia-U.S. Third Joint Commission Meeting US Dept. of State 20 Sep 2012
• Top Burmese Official to VOA: 'Future Will Be More Peaceful' VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- A high-ranking Burmese official says the government will do more to end fighting with ethnic groups and help refugees return to their lands.
• Aung San Suu Kyi Seeks Support for Political Prisoners VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi is urging human rights activists to work to end the plight of political prisoners.
• UN expert welcomes release of prisoners of conscience in Myanmar UN News Centre 20 Sep 2012 -- A United Nations independent expert welcomed the latest presidential amnesty releasing a number of prisoners of conscience in Myanmar.
• Aung San Suu Kyi Meets American Burmese VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- Burmese Democracy Activist Aung San Suu Kyi is promoting a message of cautious compromise on the third day of her U.S. visit.
• UN experts voice concern over situation of religious minorities in Iran UN News Centre 20 Sep 2012 -- Two independent United Nations human rights experts have welcomed the release of a pastor in Iran who was charged with apostasy.
• India to ask IAEA to review its regulatory nuclear process IRNA 20 Sep 2012 -- India is planning to approach the UN atomic watchdog, IAEA, for a review of its regulatory nuclear process.
• India Hit by Nationwide Strike Over Economic Reforms VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- In India, a day-long nationwide strike called by political parties from both the left and right to protest a fuel price hike and other economic reforms has disrupted life.
• Serious challenges remain to stop enforced disappearances in Pakistan – UN experts UN News Centre 20 Sep 2012 -- A group of United Nations independent experts stressed that the country still faces serious challenges in addressing the problem.
• Analysis: Towards more coordination of aid in the Gulf IRIN 20 Sep 2012 -- When Khalid Al-Yahya set out to track how much money Gulf countries have given in aid, he knew it would not be easy.
• GAMBIA: Stepping up pressure on human rights IRIN 20 Sep 2012 -- Public, forceful international pressure on Gambian President Yahya Jammeh to halt ongoing executions of death row prisoners was successful - at least temporarily.
• U.S. 'Not Satisfied' With Baku, Budapest Over Safarov Case RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- The United States is "not satisfied" with explanations from Baku and Budapest concerning the case of an Azerbaijani officer who brutally murdered an Armenian soldier at a NATO seminar in Hungary eight years ago.
• Russia: USAID Expulsion Should Not Be Surprise RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- Russia has said that the expulsion of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) should not come as a surprise to the United States.
• No USAID Interference with Elections in Russia - State Dept. RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2012 -- The operations of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) were not aimed at influencing the results of Russian elections, the U.S. State Department said.
• U.S. Says Ukraine Relations 'On Hold' Due To Prosecutions Of Opposition RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- Washington says relations with Ukraine are "on hold" due to Kyiv's prosecution of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and other leaders of the Orange Revolution.
• British Court to Investigate Former Russian Agent's Poisoning VOA 20 Sep 2012 -- A senior judge says an inquest will take place early next year into the death of a former Russian FSB security services officer who was poisoned in Britain in 2006.
• British Judge Orders Inquest Into Litvinenko Poisoning RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- British judge Robert Owen has ordered that an inquest into the 2006 fatal poisoning of a former officer from Russia's Federal Security Service, Aleksandr Litvinenko, be held in early 2013.
• Serbian Court Clears Suspect Of U.S. Embassy Arson, Convicts Him Of Theft RFE/RL 20 Sep 2012 -- A Serbian court has cleared a man of charges that he'd set fire to the U.S. Embassy during anti-Western riots in Belgrade in 2008.