Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Report: Afghanistan Headed For Crisis RFE/RL 08 Oct 2012 -- A new report is warning that Afghanistan is moving toward a potentially devastating political crisis as NATO-led combat forces withdraw and the Afghan government prepares to take control of security responsibilities in 2014.
• Afghanistan's Transition Meltdown International Crisis Group 08 Oct 2012-- Afghanistan is hurtling toward a devastating political crisis as the government prepares to take full control of security in 2014.
• Report: Afghanistan 'Far From Ready' for 2014 Transition VOA 08 Oct 2012 -- The International Crisis Group says the Afghan government is 'far from ready' to assume security responsibility when U.S. and NATO forces withdraw in 2014.
• Task Force Hurricane makes a dent in Afghanistan Army News 08 Oct 2012 -- Camp John Pratt construction reached another milestone this week as the 875th Engineer Company (Horizontal) completed the large earthen dining facility pad and started excavation of the storm water retention pond.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Foreign Policy Address To The Virginia Military Institute Romney for President 08 Oct 2012
• Romney Criticizes Obama Middle East Policy VOA 08 Oct 2012 -- U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Monday that he would be a strong president internationally if elected next month. He used a speech at the Virginia Military Institute in the southeastern state of Virginia to accuse his Democratic rival President Barack Obama of weakness in foreign affairs.
• Romney Says U.S. Should Be More Assertive On World Stage RFE/RL 08 Oct 2012 -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said the risk of conflict in the Middle East has grown under President Barack Obama's leadership.
• Romney Attacks Obama's Middle East Policy VOA 08 Oct 2012 -- Mitt Romney delivered a speech Monday attacking President Barack Obama for failing to exercise American global leadership -- which, he said, has heightened the risk of conflict, particularly in the Middle East.
• Panetta: Western Hemisphere Nations Face Threats in Common AFPS 08 Oct 2012 -- Nations of the Western Hemisphere are a family sharing many of the same threats that confront them across borders and oceans, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.
• Convoy live fire prepares engineer Soldiers for deployment Army News 08 Oct 2012 -- As the forceful winds blew dense dust across the desolate Idaho plains, shell casings spouted from the light machine gun, forming copper pools on the roof of the up-armor Humvee. The convoy continued to move forward as the rookie machine gunner scanned his sector and rotated his turret aiming at various targets throughout the area.
• George Washington Makes First Visit to Malaysia NNS 08 Oct 2012 -- The U.S. Navy's full-time forward-deployed aircraft carrier and its crew of more than 5,000 Sailors arrived in Malaysia for a routine, five-day port visit, Oct. 7.
• TACRON 11 Detachment Vital for Peleliu Varied Squadrons NNS 08 Oct 2012 -- Hidden away in a dark room with nothing more than an ominous blue light upon their faces, the men and women of Tactical Air Control Squadron (TACRON) 11 work vigorously to control the coordination and direction of USS Peleliu's (LHA 5) aircraft, both fixed and rotary winged.
• MV-22 Osprey Flight Operations Tested Aboard USS Nimitz NNS 08 Oct 2012 -- The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) received and refueled an MV-22 Osprey, a potential replacement for the C-2 Greyhound, for the first time Oct. 6.
• Hue City Ends FY12 With Nearly $600,000 in Repair Cost Savings NNS 08 Oct 2012 -- Guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66) concluded Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) with a repair cost savings of nearly $600,000 as a result of the ship's management of the Navy's Miniature/Micro-Miniature (2M) program, Sept. 30.
• Philippine, American forces meet up to kick off PHIBLEX 2013 USMC News 08 Oct 2012 -- The opening ceremony of the Amphibious Landing Exercise 2013 took place Oct. 8, 2012 aboard USS Bonhomme Richard. More than 300 U.S. Marines, sailors and service members from the Armed Forces of the Philippines gathered here to commemorate the 29th iteration of the bilateral and interagency training exercise that gives these militaries a chance to train together on a wide range of capabilities focused on humanitarian assistance disaster relief.
• Missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Allied defence capabilities top NATO Defence Ministerial agenda NATO 08 Oct 2012 -- Missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and improving defence capabilities top the agenda of a two-day NATO defence ministerial meeting which starts on Tuesday (9 October) at Alliance headquarters.
• British Inspectors to Make Surveillance Flight over Russia RIA Novosti 08 Oct 2012 -- Inspectors from Britain will conduct an inspection flight over Russia under the Open Skies Treaty, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said.
• Iran ready to be present in Atlantic, Pacific Oceans, South Pole- Navy commander IRNA 08 Oct 2012 -- Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari on Monday expressed the Iranian Navy's readiness to be present in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans as well as the South Pole.
• Iraqi PM Floats Defense-tech Deal with Russia RIA Novosti 08 Oct 2012 -- Iraq needs Russian assistance in its military and defense sectors, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stressed on Monday.
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney en route Bakersfield, CA, 10/8/12 The White House 08 Oct 2012

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• 08 October 2012 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 08 Oct 2012
• Turkish President Urges International Action On Syria RFE/RL 08 Oct 2012 -- Turkish President Abdullah Gul has said that the "worst-case scenario" is unfurling in Syria and urged the international community to act.
• Could Turkey Go To War With Syria? RFE/RL 08 Oct 2012 -- The Turkish government has been given the green light to send troops into Syria if it decides such action is needed.
• Citing Syria, Ban tells forum that governments around the world must heed demands of their people UN News Centre 08 Oct 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged governments – in particular those undergoing transitions in North Africa and the Middle East – to meet the demands of their people and promote economic and social development.
• UN and Lebanon review winter needs of growing number of Syrian refugees UN News Centre 08 Oct 2012 -- With rising numbers of Syrian refugees pouring into Lebanon as winter approaches, a senior United Nations official today reviewed with the country's premier the need for international financial aid and humanitarian arrangements to tackle the influx.
• Syria's Internally Displaced On the Rise VOA 08 Oct 2012 -- Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled their nation's civil war and their numbers keep growing. Many are in the camps of neighboring countries
• Turkey Again Returns Fire After Syrian Mortar Attack VOA 08 Oct 2012 -- Turkey launched a new retaliatory strike Monday after a mortar bomb fired from Syria hit the Turkish countryside as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned of 'extremely dangerous' fallout from the escalating border conflict.
• Taiwan shows propriety in protest over disputed islands: president CNA 08 Oct 2012 -- President Ma Ying-jeou said Monday that both the private and government sectors have shown propriety in the recent protest against Japan over disputed Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea.
• Taiwan hopes to resume fishery talks with Japan in November: official CNA 08 Oct 2012 -- Taiwan is hoping to resume its long-stalled fishery talks with Japan around November, despite their current territorial dispute over the Diaoyutai Islands, a high-level Taiwanese official said Monday.
• Ban pledges UN support to implement Government-rebel accord in Philippines UN News Centre 08 Oct 2012 -- Welcoming the announcement of a peace agreement to end decades of fighting between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the island of Mindanao in the country's south, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today pledged full United Nations assistance in helping the parties implement the accord, according to his spokesperson.
• PHILIPPINES: Peace pact brings hope for Mindanao IRIN 08 Oct 2012 -- A recently announced agreement between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels waging a decades-old insurgency in the southern island of Mindanao paves the way for the establishment of a new autonomous region, more access for humanitarians to conflict-affected areas and an end to the cycle of failed peace deals and displacements.
• In report on Nepal conflict, UN human rights chief voices concern over pace and extent of justice efforts UN News Centre 08 Oct 2012 -- With the release of a landmark report on breaches of international law committed in the ten years before the 2006 peace deal between the Nepali Government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the United Nations human rights chief today highlighted her concern over the failure to create promised transitional justice mechanisms to address past human rights violations.
• At meeting, heads of UN peace operations stress key role of cooperation in resolving West Africa crises UN News Centre 08 Oct 2012 -- The critical role of cooperation at local, regional and international levels in addressing the numerous peace and security problems in West Africa was highlighted today at a meeting of the heads of United Nations peace missions in the region.
• MALI: Children take up guns IRIN 08 Oct 2012 -- Children as young as 14 are joining military training camps run by militias in southern Mali preparing to fight Islamist groups in the north. At the same time, Islamist groups in the north are recruiting children as young as 11 to man checkpoints, gather intelligence, search vehicles and patrol the streets in Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal, according to aid agencies and human rights groups.

News Reports

• Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Ruppersberger Warn American Companies Doing Business with Huawei and ZTE to 'use another vendor' US House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 08 Oct 2012 -- The Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Rogers (R-MI) and C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), today released a report recommending to U.S. companies considering doing business with Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE to find another vendor.
• US Warns Two Chinese Companies Pose Security Risk VOA 08 Oct 2012 -- U.S. companies considering doing business with Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE are being warned to find another vendor. A U.S. House of Representatives report said the companies pose a long-term corporate and national security threat.
• China Rejects US Charges Telecoms Pose Security Threat VOA 08 Oct 2012 -- China has rejected a U.S. Congressional report accusing two major Chinese telecommunications companies of posing a security threat to the United States.
• Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Wins Re-Election Bid VOA 08 Oct 2012 -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won his re-election bid Sunday with 54 percent of the vote, defeating former state governor Henrique Capriles.
• Venezuela's President Chavez Aims for 20 Years in Office VOA 08 Oct 2012 -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez emerged victorious Sunday from the presidential election. If he completes his six-year term, the South American leader will have held the reins of power in the oil-rich country for 20 years.
• Chavez Declared Winner Of Venezuelan Vote RFE/RL 08 Oct 2012 -- Election authorities in Venezuela have declared incumbent Hugo Chavez the winner of the presidential election.
• Study: Iran Could Produce Enough Uranium for Bomb in 2 Months VOA 08 Oct 2012 -- A U.S. security institute that advises Washington policy makers says Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a nuclear bomb in as little as two months from now, but would need additional time to make the device itself.
• Georgian Election Winner Names Cabinet Picks RFE/RL 08 Oct 2012 -- Georgian Dream coalition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili has named candidates for his prospective cabinet, one week after voters in the fractious and strategically significant Transcaucasus state dealt a blow to President Mikheil Saakashvili and his ruling party.
• Ivanishvili Names New Georgian Cabinet RIA Novosti 08 Oct 2012 -- Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the Georgian Dream coalition that won October 1 parliamentary elections, named his candidates to the key posts in a new Georgian government on Monday.
• Mau Mau Ruling Sets Legal Precedent VOA 08 Oct 2012 -- A British High Court ruling that colonial atrocities in Kenya are not bound by a time limit has a legal precedent.
• Dragon Lifts Off for First Commercial Resupply Mission RIA Novosti 08 Oct 2012 -- The Falcon 9 carrier rocket with the Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft has lifted off from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, NASA reported.
• China visit boosts Hsieh's confidence in Taiwan CNA 08 Oct 2012 -- Frank Hsieh, a senior figure in the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said Monday after returning from a five-day trip to China that his contacts with senior Chinese officials have boosted his confidence in Taiwan.
• EASTERN AFRICA: Floods affect tens of thousands IRIN 08 Oct 2012 -- Above-average seasonal rains in parts of the East and Horn of Africa have affected tens of thousands of people, displacing families and restricting access to many in need, say humanitarian officials. The rains, coming ahead of a possible El Niño event, have prompted fears of further flooding.