Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 03 Oct 2012 [PDF]
• DOD News Briefing with Lt. Gen. Bradshaw from the Pentagon DoD 03 Oct 2012
• Joint Statement on the Inaugural Meeting of the U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Commission US Dept. of State 03 Oct 2012
• Secretary Clinton Hosts the U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Commission US Dept. of State 03 Oct 2012
• Combined Force Kills Taliban IED Cell Leader AFPS 03 Oct 2012 -- An Afghan and coalition security force killed the leader of a Taliban improvised explosive device cell in the Alisheng district of Afghanistan’s Laghman province.
• Northern Ireland Lessons Offered to Afghanistan VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- The New York Times reports U.S. officials now believe there will be no political settlement in Afghanistan before most foreign troops withdraw at the end of 2014.
• ISAF Troops Step Back as Afghans Become Face of Security AFPS 03 Oct 2012 -- The competence and capabilities of Afghan security forces continues to grow as troops of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force step back from key roles.
• ISAF Adds Precautions to Counter Insider Attack Risks AFPS 03 Oct 2012 -- International Security Assistance Force leadership continues to take steps to protect its forces as they advise Afghan security forces.
• Clinton: US Committed to Afghanistan Despite Deadly Attacks VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- The United States says it is committed to Afghanistan and that the security transition is on track, despite recent setbacks.
• Bayonet charge foils enemy ambush UK MOD 03 Oct 2012 -- A soldier who led a bayonet charge over 80 metres of open ground through enemy fire has been awarded the Military Cross.
• 5th AR trains Guard engineers for Afghanistan deployments Army News 03 Oct 2012 -- The 5th Armored Brigade's Task Force Redhawk conducted two culminating training events recently with horizontal engineer units that will conduct construction missions in Afghanistan.
• 10th Sustainment Soldiers redeploy to Fort Drum Army News 03 Oct 2012 -- Family Members, friends and fellow Soldiers welcome home 100 Soldiers from 10th Sustainment Brigade Troops Battalion from their yearlong deployment to Afghanistan.
• Afghan Students Protest Renaming Of Their University After Former President Rabbani RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- Public tributes to Afghanistan's fallen national heroes are readily apparent to any traveler driving through the country's capital.
• UN welcomes statement by Afghanistan confirming ‘running away’ is not a crime UN News Centre 03 Oct 2012 -- The United Nations welcomed a public statement by Afghan officials clarifying that it is not a criminal offence for women and girls to ?run away.’
• US Expands Military Operations in Africa VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- The United States is expanding its military presence in Africa to counter the growing influence of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and other militant groups throughout North and West Africa.
• US Targets Possible Suspects in Libya Attacks RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- The United States government is compiling preliminary information about possible militant targets in Libya suspected in the attack last month on the US consulate in Benghazi.
• US Congressmen: Requests For More Security in Libya Denied RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- In a letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, members of a US congressional committee asserted that American diplomats in Libya made repeated requests for increased security at the consulate in Benghazi before the deadly attack on Sept. 11, but were turned down by officials in Washington.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Remarks by Deputy Secretary of Defense Carter at the Woodrow Wilson Center DoD 03 Oct 2012
• Navy to Commission Guided-Missile Destroyer Michael Murphy DoD 03 Oct 2012
• KCNA Commentary Brands U.S. as Chieftain of Nuclear Threat, Arms Race in World KCNA 03 Oct 2012 -- Facts about the U.S. ceaseless secret tests of nuclear weapons were disclosed recently to stun the world people.
• Carter: Regional Prosperity at Heart of Asia-Pacific Strategy AFPS 03 Oct 2012 -- The rebalance of U.S. military focus toward the Asia-Pacific region has regional prosperity as its objective, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said.
• Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Pacific Established NNS 03 Oct 2012 -- The standup formalizes a direct administrative relationship between NECC and Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet - a linkage that hasn't existed since NECC's establishment in 2006.
• 13th Air Force inactivates, merges with PACAF AFNS 03 Oct 2012 -- The 13th Air Force, headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, inactivated on September 28, in a ceremony which celebrated its 70-year history of supporting the Pacific region.
• Airmen showcase C-17 to New Zealanders AFNS 03 Oct 2012 -- C-17 Globemaster III aircraft deployed to Christchurch from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Sep. 29 in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2012.
• State’s Carson Says U.S. Supports U.N. Efforts in Africa AFRICOM 03 Oct 2012 -- The U.S. government supports U.N. initiatives for Africa that were advanced during recent meetings at the United Nations in New York.
• U.S. Army Personnel Assist Ugandan Military AFRICOM 03 Oct 2012 -- Upon arrival to Uganda, the U.S. Embassy Kampala Office of Security Cooperation assisted the military-to-military contact team by getting them safely to the city of Jinja.
• Reagan Sailors Join Nimitz Sailors for COMPTUEX NNS 03 Oct 2012 -- USS Nimitz embarks on a six-week journey to complete Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX).
• ESG-2 and 2nd MEB Train to Maintain to Operate NNS 03 Oct 2012 -- The Navy and Marine Corps continue to strengthen their partnership and demonstrate the single naval battle concept through joint amphibious training at Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Atlantic, Oct. 1-4.
• Canadian Forces PMO visits Guardian Justice Army News 03 Oct 2012 -- Senior leadership from the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal visited with 200th Military Police Command Soldiers during Exercise Guardian Justice May 14-15 located in a remote training area of Fort Bliss, Texas.
• Military police soldiers train with "eye in the sky" Army News 03 Oct 2012 -- Soldier's safety in combat zones is a top priority for the Army, and state-of-the-art technology is often used to minimize the risk. One such technological aid is the small unmanned aerial vehicle known as the Raven.
• 36th ID assumes disaster-coordination mission in West Army News 03 Oct 2012 -- The Texas National Guard's 36th Infantry Division, headquartered at Camp Mabry, in Austin, Texas, assumed command and control of the National Guard's Domestic All-Hazards Response Mission-West this week.
• NAVMISSA Provided Valuable Technical Support for Recently Completed Pacific Partnership 2012 NNS 03 Oct 2012 -- During Pacific Partnership 2012, Navy Medicine Information Systems Support Activity provided vital technical support before, during and after the four and half month deployment from May to the middle of September.
• Official Describes Joint Information Environment AFPS 03 Oct 2012 -- The Defense Department is working to improve its ability to share information, not just between the services, but also with its industry partners and other government agencies, the Pentagon’s deputy chief information officer for information enterprise said.
• Army successfully demonstrates tactical operations smart grid Army News 03 Oct 2012 -- The U.S. Army demonstrated a proof of concept for a smart grid that could support tactical operations, this summer at its integrated capabilities testbed at Fort Dix, N.J.
• NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic Awards Barracks Repair Contract for Submarine School NNS 03 Oct 2012 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic awarded a $13.3 million contract for repairs to a barracks at the Naval Submarine School at Naval Submarine Base New London to Nutmeg Industries, Sept. 27.
• Walter Reed Joins National Kidney Exchange Pool AFPS 03 Oct 2012 -- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is the first military hospital to join and participate in a national network of civilian centers for a kidney transplant exchange, the chief of the center’s Army-Navy Transplant Program said.
• Retroactive Stop Loss application deadline nears AFNS 03 Oct 2012 -- Airmen eligible for the Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay Program have until Oct. 21 to apply, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.
• Statement by NSC Spokesperson Tommy Vietor on Extension of NATO Secretary General Rasmussen's Tenure The White House 03 Oct 2012
• NATO Extends Rasmussen’s Term as Secretary General AFPS 03 Oct 2012 -- The North Atlantic Council has extended Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s four-year term as NATO secretary general for another year, until July 31, 2014.
• Rasmussen's NATO Term Extended By One Year RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- NATO allies have agreed to extend Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen's term as head of that military alliance by a year, to the end of July 2014.
• Rasmussen to Remain NATO Chief for Another Year RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- The North Atlantic Council agreed on Wednesday to extend NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s term in office until the end of July 2014.
• NATO supports Smart Defence in South-Eastern Europe NATO 03 Oct 2012 -- The NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency will support efforts to sustain the multinational South-Eastern Europe Brigade in carrying out a wide range of missions.
• First Royal Navy crew join HMS Queen Elizabeth UK MOD 03 Oct 2012 -- The first sailors to join the Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth have arrived in Rosyth to become the key members of the team building the UK's most powerful warship.
• Science and Technology showcased for the Army UK MOD 03 Oct 2012 -- The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory demonstrated its land environment Science and Technology capability to Army Headquarters in a one-day showcase on Monday 1 October.
• Green light for £37m Viking regeneration UK MOD 03 Oct 2012 -- The Royal Navy's fleet of Viking amphibious all-terrain vehicles is to be regenerated under a new £37m contract with BAE Systems the MOD has announced.
• Development of Iran-Iraq defense ties will contribute to regional peace, stability: Iraqi premier IRNA 03 Oct 2012 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said that expansion of Tehran-Baghdad defense cooperation is the main contributor to peace and stability of the entire region.
• Iran, Iraq call for enhanced defense cooperation IRNA 03 Oct 2012 -- Iranian Minister of Defense and Logistics of Armed Forces Brigadier-General Ahmad Vahidi and Iraqi Defense Minister Sadun ad-Dulaimi called for enhanced defense cooperation.
• Iran, Iraq to review defense ties IRNA 03 Oct 2012 -- Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said Wednesday that he is to exchange views with the Iraqi officials on avenues to bolster bilateral defense cooperation.
• Rodong Sinmun on S. Korean Defence Budget KCNA 03 Oct 2012 -- Shortly ago, the south Korean "Ministry of Defense" announced that it would submit to the "National Assembly" a "proposal on defense budget," 5.1 percent increase over this year.
• Taiwanese pilot dies in air crash in France CNA 03 Oct 2012 -- A Taiwanese military pilot died in a crash during a flight training in France, Taiwan's Air Force confirmed late that day.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, October 3, 2012 US Dept. of State 03 Oct 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 03, 2012

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 03 October 2012 United Nations 03 Oct 2012
• Stronger political will worldwide crucial to tackle growing refugee crisis, UN warns UN News Centre 03 Oct 2012 -- A senior United Nations official appealed for strengthened political will to help the world’s more than 42 million refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced and stateless people.
• Ban encourages Turkey to keep open communication channels with Syria UN News Centre 03 Oct 2012 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban expresses his deepest concern at the incident in the town of Akcakale near the Syrian border.
• North Atlantic Council statement on developments on the Turkish-Syrian border NATO 03 Oct 2012 -- As stated on 26 June 2012, the Alliance continues to closely follow the situation in Syria.
• Turkey Says Attacks Syria Targets After Deadly Mortar Attack RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- Turkey says its military has attacked targets inside neighboring Syria after mortar fire from Syria struck inside Turkey and killed five Turkish civilians and wounded about a dozen more.
• Turkey Strikes Syria VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- Turkey says its armed forces have fired on targets inside Syria in retaliation for a Syrian mortar attack that killed five Turkish civilians in a Turkish border town.
• At Least 40 Killed as Car Bombs Strike Syria VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- Four massive explosions ripped through a government-controlled section of Syria's largest city, Aleppo, killing at least 40 people and wounding nearly 100 others.
• At Least 40 Reportedly Killed By Triple Bombing In Aleppo RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- Reports from Syria's northern city of Aleppo say some 40 people have been killed and 90 injured by three car bombs that exploded in a government-controlled district.
• Blasts Rock Syrian City of Aleppo RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- Dozens of people died in two explosions on Wednesday morning in Syria's northern city Aleppo, the London-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims.
• No U.S. Intervention in Syria - State Department RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- The United States does not plan to use military force in Syria, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
• Moscow Cautions Against 'Pretext' To Intervene In Syria RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- Moscow has warned NATO and other powers not to seek a "pretext" to intervene militarily in Syria's bloody conflict.
• Pro-Assad Media Gives Government View of Syrian Conflict VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- For much of the world, the war in Syria is seen through videos and voices of activists and citizens who tell of government attacks on residential areas and the crushing of a defiant opposition trying to oust an autocratic leader.
• China Vows to Continue Patrols Near Disputed Islands VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- The Japanese Coast Guard says three Chinese government ships have entered the waters near a hotly disputed island chain in the East China Sea.
• Tokyo Protests Trespassing Chinese Ships RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- Tokyo has lodged an official protest with Beijing after Chinese ships entered the territorial waters of disputed islands in the East China Sea.
• New Taiwan FM hopeful on resuming fishing talks with Japan CNA 03 Oct 2012 -- Foreign Minister David Lin, appearing at his first press conference since assuming his post, praised the state of communications between Taiwan and Japan.
• Vietnam's Trade With China Flourishes Despite South China Sea Tensions VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- Tensions between Vietnam and China resurfaced in July over disputed territory in the South China Sea.
• Amid Maritime Disputes, ASEAN Officials Meet in Manila VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- Against a backdrop of tense territorial disputes, top government officials and security experts gathered Wednesday in Manila for the opening of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' annual maritime conference.
• Malians Continue to Flee Instability in the North VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- Clashes between government forces and Tuareg separatists in northern Mali have caused over 300,000 people to flee their homes for safety since the beginning of this year.
• Mali Islamists Execute Man in Timbuktu VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- Islamist militants who control northern Mali have publicly executed a man accused of murder.
• BURKINA FASO-MALI: “We cannot live under the law of strangers” IRIN 03 Oct 2012 -- The UN Refugee Agency estimates some 107,000 Malians, most of them Arabs and Tuaregs, fled across the border to Burkina Faso.
• Capture of Kismayo From Al-Shabaab US Dept. of State 03 Oct 2012
• Thousands Displaced Over Threat of Fighting in Kismayo VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- The United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said thousands of residents of the Somali port city of Kismayo have fled into neighboring areas.
• Amnesty: S. Sudan Army Committing 'Shocking' Rights Abuses VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- A new report from Amnesty International accuses government forces in South Sudan's Jonglei state of raping and killing civilians during a disarmament campaign this year.
• Rights Group Alleges Violations by S. Sudan Forces VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- Amnesty International says South Sudanese security forces have committed "shocking" human rights violations, while carrying out a campaign to disarm civilians in Jonglei state.
• Secretary-General appalled by deadly attack on UN-African Union peacekeepers in Darfur UN News Centre 03 Oct 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban is appalled and deeply saddened by a deadly attack on United Nations peacekeepers in the west Sudanese region of Darfur.
• UN Peacekeepers Killed in West Darfur Ambush VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- Unknown gunmen have killed four U.N. peacekeepers and wounded eight others during an ambush in Sudan's Darfur region.
• HRW Report Details Gaza Prison Abuse, Torture VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- The criminal justice system in the Gaza Strip is riddled with problems including arbitrary arrests, torture and unfair trials, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.

News Reports

• Secretary Clinton Remarks With Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Yerlan Idrisov After Their Meeting US Dept. of State 03 Oct 2012
• Tehran Clashes Reported As Iran Rounds Up Moneychangers RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- Tehran's Grand Bazaar has been closed down as the authorities cracked down on what they say are black-market currency traders in the Iranian capital.
• Iranian Police, Protesters Clash Over Currency Plunge VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- Witnesses in Iran's capital say police have clashed with protesters who were speaking out against a plunge in the nation's currency.
• Woman Seeks Chairmanship of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- Sabah al-Sakkari, a female activist of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing Freedom and Justice Party, is running to replace outgoing party chairman Mohammed Morsi.
• Egypt’s Christians Fear Violence, Flee RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- Fearing sectarian violence at hands of the Muslim extremists, Christian Copts in the Egypt’s North Sinai town of Rafah are being forced to flee their homes.
• Thai Monks Rally Against Muslim Violence VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- Buddhist monks are protesting a wave of violence targeting the Buddhist community in Bangladesh.
• Is Georgia's Outgoing Leadership Planning To Play Spoiler? RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- Statements by both Saakashvili and his closest entourage suggest that they will continue to snipe at and seek to undercut Georgian Dream at every possible opportunity.
• What Is Cohabitation? And How Will It Work In Georgia? RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has conceded victory to rival Bidzina Ivanishvili in parliamentary elections on October 1.
• Ivanishvili Backtracks on Call for Georgian President's Resignation VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- The head of Georgia's opposition coalition, Bidzina Ivanishvili, is backtracking on his call for President Mikheil Saakashvili to resign.
• Ivanishvili Says Call For Saakashvili's Early Exit Not An Ultimatum RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire whose opposition coalition won Georgia's parliamentary elections this week, says his quick call for President Mikheil Saakashvili to resign was not an "ultimatum."
• Georgian Dream Denies Call for President to Quit RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- Georgian opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose Georgian Dream party won the parliamentary elections there on Monday, denied he had demanded early presidential elections.
• Russia Hopes to Improve Ties with Georgia After Vote RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the opposition victory in recent parliamentary elections in Georgia would help Tbilisi improve relations with its neighbors.
• Georgian Dream Wins Elections RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- Georgia’s opposition coalition Georgian Dream was set to win a solid majority in Georgia's 150-seat parliament as the count of the October 1 voting neared completion.
• Suu Kyi: Burma Must Develop Its Own Democracy VOA 03 Oct 2012 -- On the final leg of a whirlwind U.S. tour, Aung San Suu Kyi says democracy is an evolutionary process.
• China not in on decision on Taiwan's visa-waiver status: U.S. official CNA 03 Oct 2012 -- The United States did not consult with China prior to deciding to grant eligible Taiwanese passport holders visa-free status, a senior U.S. State Department official said Tuesday.
• China’s Ralls Corp. Sues Obama over Wind Farms RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- China’s Ralls Corporation has sued U.S. President Barack Obama for blocking its wind farm deal.
• GHANA-LIBERIA: Limbo for ex-Liberian refugees IRIN 03 Oct 2012 -- President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told global leaders at the UN General Assembly last week that “Liberia has turned the corner,” noting that with 10 years of sustained peace it is no longer a nation of war, fear, destruction and conflict.
• EU Report Reveals Hundreds Of Problems With European Nuclear Reactors RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- A report by the European Commission shows there are hundreds of security and safety problems in Europe's nuclear power plants.
• Haiti must strengthen rule of law institutions to consolidate progress – UN UN News Centre 03 Oct 2012 -- Haiti must focus on strengthening its rule of law institutions, including its national police and electoral council, to consolidate the gains it has achieved in recent years.
• Lavrov Says Russia-U.S. 'Reset' Can't Last Forever RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that Russia and the United States should do more to strengthen mutual economic ties because the "reset" in relations cannot go on indefinitely.
• Russia Says Won’t Treat European Foundations as it did USAID RIA Novosti 03 Oct 2012 -- Russia will not treat European foundations like it did the United States Agency for International Development.
• Belarus Prison-Abuse Reports Spark Concerns About Jailed Dissidents RFE/RL 03 Oct 2012 -- Concern is mounting over the well-being of jailed opposition figures in Belarus amid reports of prison abuse, including threats of torture, rape, and murder.