Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Combined Force Arrests Haqqani Leader in Ghazni AFPS 15 Oct 2012 -- A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Haqqani network leader in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province.
• UN Organizing Informal Talks With All Afghan Factions RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- The head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, Jan Kubis, has said the United Nations is organizing informal talks that it hopes will attract "all relevant forces and people" in Afghanistan.
• U.S. Presidential Race: Don't Mention The War RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- There are many issues dominating the U.S. presidential campaign - unemployment, taxes, the economy, Iran - but the place where America has been at war for more than 11 years is not one of them.
• Saffron Walden welcomes home EOD and Search Task Force UK MOD 15 Oct 2012 -- Saffron Walden town square was bursting with pride as the community came together to welcome home around 300 soldiers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search Task Force.
• USACE builds another facility for Afghan National Security Forces Army News 15 Oct 2012 -- Afghan National Civil Order Police took possession of a new Service Support Battalion compound near Kandahar Oct. 10.
• Attacks in Pakistan Prompt Questions of Military Offensive VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- Dozens of Taliban insurgents attacked a security post on the outskirts of Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least six security personnel.
• Six Pakistani Officers Killed At Checkpoint RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- Pakistani police officials said militants attacked a checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan overnight, killing at least six police officers and wounding several others.
• 6 Pakistani policemen die in Taliban attack IRNA 15 Oct 2012 -- A senior police officer was among six security personnel who have been killed in a Taliban attack on a check post in outskirts of Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pretrial Hearings Kick Off for 9/11 Defendants AFPS 15 Oct 2012 -- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and four co-defendants charged with planning and carrying out the attacks have the right to skip court proceedings regarding their case, Army Col. James Pohl, the judge, ruled.
• Guantanamo Hearing Set for 9/11 ‘Mastermind’ RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- The US government will try again to move forward in its case against the accused mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four co-defendants.
• Pretrial Hearings Begin In 9/11 Military Trial RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- Pretrial hearings for five suspects in the 9/11 terror attacks against the United States have begun at a U.S. military courtroom in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• Pacom Chief Encourages Closer U.S.-India Security Ties AFPS 15 Oct 2012 -- In his first visit to India as commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III encouraged a closer defense relationship between the United States and India.
• Investigating Officers Named by US Fleet Forces Command NNS 15 Oct 2012 -- U.S. Fleet Forces Command assigned a flag officer to lead an administrative investigation and established a safety board to review the facts and circumstances Oct. 15 that led to the collision off the coast of Florida Oct. 13.
• Enterprise Transits the Suez Canal for the Final Time NNS 15 Oct 2012 -- USS Enterprise has been the first to do a lot of things. The "Big E" was the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the first carrier to respond to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
• Predators, Reapers break flying record AFNS 15 Oct 2012 -- The 29th Attack Squadron, 9th Attack Squadron, and the 6th Reconnaissance Squadron set a non-combat record October 2, by flying six MQ-9 Reapers and four MQ-1 Predators simultaneously during a training mission at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.
• Army completes first pilot Stryker exchange vehicle Army News 15 Oct 2012 -- Last week, the Army completed the first vehicle in their ground-breaking Stryker Double V-Hull, or DVH, exchange program. The program exchanges flat-bottom Stryker hulls for the newer DVH design.
• New munitions, good workload on tap for AO Army News 15 Oct 2012 -- Pine Bluff Arsenal's Directorate of Ammunition Operations is keeping busy lately with new munition work, as well as looking down the road at a robust workload for fiscal year 2013.
• U.S. Army begins fielding of first networked capability set Army News 15 Oct 2012 -- The U.S. Army, through its System of Systems Integration Directorate, announced that the first fielding of Capability Set 13 has begun new equipment training with two brigade combat teams of the 10th Mountain Division.
• Army receives go-ahead on Manpack radio production Army News 15 Oct 2012 -- The Army has received authorization to continue production of an advanced radio that will link Soldiers at the company level and below with real-time information passed on its holistic tactical communications network.
• Army delivers new tactical network to 10th Mountain Division Army News 15 Oct 2012 -- Soldiers will soon be able to cover greater distances, make quicker decisions and share more information using the Army's new tactical communications network, according to leaders of the first unit to receive the equipment.
• Engineers assess new weapons system Army News 15 Oct 2012 -- The M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System is a 12-gauge shotgun with ambidextrous firing capabilities, either mounted to an M4 carbine or used as a stand-alone device capable of lethal and nonlethal use.
• 'Saber Junction' tests U.S., partners' interoperability Army News 15 Oct 2012 -- At the Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels training areas, and on more than 1,300 square miles in between them, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment is engaging a complex enemy in the exercise dubbed Saber Junction.
• India Co. BLT 3/5 trains along-side with Timor-Leste Defense Force USMC News 15 Oct 2012 -- The amphibious, mechanized rifle company of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s ground combat element conducted a raid with the Timor-Leste Defense Force, as part of Exercise Crocodilo 2012, Oct. 13.
• PAX River Aviation Survival Training Center Installs $1.1 Million Lifesaving System NNS 15 Oct 2012 -- One of the U.S. Navy's eight training centers dedicated to aircrew water survival finalized the $1.1 million installation of equipment Oct. 12.
• Activation of new unit improves emphasis on contracting oversight Army News 15 Oct 2012 -- On Oct. 12, the 414th Contracting Support Brigade was activated as part of the Army's continued initiatives to support every Army Service Component Command with a Contracting Support Brigade.
• Silver Star represents 44-year closure for KIA Airman's family AFNS 15 Oct 2012 -- On March 11, 1968, Lillian was told by her daughter-in-law, June Calfee, that her son, Master Sgt. James Calfee was missing in action.
• France to Make Surveillance Flights over Russia, Belarus RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- French observers will conduct inspection flights over Russia and Belarus under the Open Skies Treaty, while Russian inspectors will do the same over the territory of Norway.
• Russia to Protect South Borders With S-400 Air Defense Systems RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- The air defense units of Russia’s Southern Military District will be rearmed with advanced S-400 Triumf air defense systems by the end of 2012.
• Russian Navy Tests Modified Anti-Sub Helicopter RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- The Russian Navy's Northern Fleet is carrying out flight tests and warfare trials of its modified Kamov Ka-27M anti-submarine helicopter from large destroyers.
• Video tele-conference message by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen for the NATO Industry Day 2012, Riga, Latvia NATO 15 Oct 2012
• Midlands reservists train for new role alongside Danish Army UK MOD 15 Oct 2012 -- Soldiers from 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment will be deploying to Uganda at the end of the month to train the Ugandan Army who are due to undertake a UN tour of Somalia.
• DIO and Inland Homes working on plan for Beaconsfield site UK MOD 15 Oct 2012 -- Whilst the future location of the Defence School of Languages has not been decided, it will not be at Wilton Park – making the site surplus to Defence requirements and available for development.
• 3 Indian naval personnel killed in chopper crash IRNA 15 Oct 2012 -- Three Indian naval personnel, including two officers, were killed on Monday when their Chetak helicopter crashed while landing at a naval base.
• Late Air Force pilot honored with citation at memorial service CNA 15 Oct 2012 -- President Ma Ying-jeou issued a citation in honor of Air Force jet fighter pilot Col. Wang Tung-yi who died in a recent crash in France.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, October 15, 2012 US Dept. of State 15 Oct 2012
• Secretary Clinton Interview With Wendell Goler of FOX News US Dept. of State 15 Oct 2012
• Secretary Clinton Interview With Reena Ninan of ABC News US Dept. of State 15 Oct 2012
• Secretary Clinton Interview With Margaret Brennan of CBS US Dept. of State 15 Oct 2012
• Secretary Clinton Interview With Elise Labott of CNN US Dept. of State 15 Oct 2012
• Secretary Clinton Interview With Catherine Chomiak of NBC News US Dept. of State 15 Oct 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 15, 2012

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 15 October 2012 United Nations 15 Oct 2012
• U.S. Continues to Send Nonlethal Aid to Syrian Opposition AFPS 15 Oct 2012 -- The United States will continue to funnel nonlethal aid to the Syrian opposition, and urges the international community to unite against Bashar Assad’s regime.
• Syria: UN-Arab League envoy calls for ceasefire during upcoming Islamic holiday UN News Centre 15 Oct 2012 -- The Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab States on the Syrian crisis, Lakhdar Brahimi, appealed to Iranian authorities to assist in achieving a ceasefire in Syria during the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
• UN Envoy Asks Iran for Help with Syrian Cease-Fire VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- The United Nations-Arab League envoy for Syria has called for Iran's help in establishing a cease-fire during the upcoming Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha.
• UN Envoy Urges Syrian Truce For Muslim Holiday RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi has called for a temporary cease-fire in Syria during the four-day Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday later this month.
• FM: IR Iran provided Brahimi with plan for resolving Syria’s crisis IRNA 15 Oct 2012 -- Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said that he has provided the UN and Arab League joint envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey with a written unofficial plan for resolving the Syrian crisis.
• Armenian Plane Landing in Turkey Planned, Minister Says RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- A landing in Turkey by an Armenian An-12 cargo aircraft carrying humanitarian aid to Syria was planned.
• Syria Denies Cluster Bomb Allegations VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- The Syrian army slammed Human Rights Watch allegations that in recent days it has begun widespread attacks using Russian-made, banned cluster bombs.
• FM Lavrov Denies Use of Russian-made Cluster Bombs in Syria RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- Russian FM Lavrov denied information from the leading human rights organization that Syrian authorities used Russian-made cluster bombs against rebels.
• Statement by the Press Secretary on the Agreement Between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front The White House 15 Oct 2012
• Philippines, Muslim Rebels Sign Preliminary Accord VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- The Philippine government and the country’s largest Muslim rebel group have signed an initial peace agreement that they hope will end a 40-year insurgency that has left more than 120,000 people dead.
• Philippines Signs Peace Deal with Muslim Rebels RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- The Philippine government signed a historic peace accord with Muslim rebels waging a four-decade insurgency.
• Joint UN-African Union envoy urges greater efforts to advance Darfur peace plan UN News Centre 15 Oct 2012 -- Slow progress in implementing an agreement between the Sudanese Government and one of the rebel groups in the country’s Darfur region.
• New Sudan Clashes Claim 16 Lives RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- Clashes between Sudan’s army and rebels in the state of South Kordofan, bordering South Sudan, erupted after a week of relative calm in the oil-rich region which has been torn by violence since June last year.
• At Security Council, UN political chief urges renewed focus on overcoming Israeli-Palestinian stalemate UN News Centre 15 Oct 2012 -- The world cannot afford to be complacent to the ongoing deadlock in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, a top United Nations official said.
• Top Daghestani Investigator Survives Attack RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- Authorities in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Daghestan said that the republic’s top investigator has survived an apparent assassination attempt.

News Reports

• EU Strengthens Sanctions On Iran, Syria RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- European Union foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg have adopted new economic sanctions against Iran and Syria and maintained existing measures against Belarus.
• Hague Says U.K. Not Seeking Regime Change In Iran RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- British Foreign Secretary William Hague has dismissed the notion that Britain is trying to force regime change in Iran.
• British Doctors Predict 'Good Recovery' for Pakistani Teen VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- British doctors treating the 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl shot last week by the Taliban say she has a chance of making a "good recovery."
• Pakistani Teenager Shot by Taliban Arrives in Britain For Medical Treatment VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head last week by the Taliban, has arrived in Britain, where she was evacuated to receive further medical treatments.
• Wounded Pakistan Schoolgirl Activist Flying To Britain For Treatment RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- Pakistan’s military says the government has sent a 14-year-old schoolgirl activist who was shot and seriously wounded by the Taliban to Britain for treatment.
• Schoolgirl Shot by Taliban Moved to UK for Treatment RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- Doctors have sent 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, shot in the head by Taliban gunmen last week, to the UK for treatment.
• Satellite phone recovered from CIA’s doctor in Pakistani prison IRNA 15 Oct 2012 -- Pakistani authorities recovered a satellite phone from the prison cell of a doctor, who has been jailed for helping the US intelligence to trace Osama bin Laden.
• Analysis: “Deradicalization” - Is Indonesia’s approach working? IRIN 15 Oct 2012 -- Ideology that fuels violent acts in the name of Islam remains potent in Indonesia despite government efforts to “deradicalize” militants and prevent the spread of religious extremism.
• Egyptian Rights Group: No End to Police Abuses VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- A human rights group in Egypt says it has documented dozens of cases of torture, rape and wrongful deaths at the hands of security forces since President Mohamed Morsi's rise to power.
• Egyptians Bitter over Morsi’s 'Broken' Promises RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- A million-strong protest organized by Egypt's secularists, political forces, and revolutionary youth-activists turned violent on Friday October 12.
• Russia Seeks to Rebuild Influence in Iraq VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- Almost one decade after American troops overthrew Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the Kremlin is seeking to regain some of the influence it enjoyed in the country during the near quarter century of Saddam Hussein’s rule.
• New Interim PM Selected in Libya VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- Libyan lawmakers have selected a new interim prime minister, a week after giving a vote of no confidence to their former pick for failing to present an acceptable Cabinet.
• U.S. welcomes widening exchanges between DPP and China CNA 15 Oct 2012 -- The United States supports engagement across the Taiwan Strait at all levels, including interaction between China and Taiwan's major opposition Democratic Progressive Party.
• Taiwan's new negotiator with China set for first mainland visit CNA 15 Oct 2012 -- Lin Join-sane, chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation, will set off on his first visit to China, hoping to beef up his credentials in an area where he lacks experience.
• Secessionist Leader Arrest Raises Tensions in Kenya VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- Tension is high in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa, after police arrested the leader of a secessionist group - the Mombasa Republic Council.
• DRC Official Lauds Outcome of Francophone Summit VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- Democratic Republic of Congo Information Minister Lambert Mende said his government is pleased with the outcome of the just-concluded summit of French-speaking nations in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.
• BURUNDI-TANZANIA: A troubled homecoming IRIN 15 Oct 2012 -- The imminent return of more than 35,000 Burundians from Tanzania poses major logistical challenges to aid agencies and the densely populated country they fled amid civil war almost 20 years ago.
• Dlamini-Zuma Becomes First Female AU Commission Chair VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- The African Union executive committee has a female chairperson for the first time.
• Ghana Opposition Not ‘Mortal Enemy’ of Ruling Party, Says Leader VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- The chairman of Ghana’s opposition National Democratic Party has denied reports that the party was formed solely to bring about the defeat of the ruling National Democratic Congress in the December 7 election.
• Former Kyrgyz President's Son Released On Bail In London RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry officials say that former President Kurmanbek Bakiev's son, who was arrested in London on October 12, has been released on bail.
• Extradition Hearing Set for Ex-Kyrgyz President's Son RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- The extradition hearing for Maxim Bakiyev, son of Kyrgyzstan's ex-president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, has been set for December 7.
• Cambodia's Former King Leaves Mixed Legacy VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- The passing of Cambodia's former King Norodom Sihanouk has ended an ambitious and controversial era for an influential monarch.
• China Considered Cambodian King Key Ally VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- The death of Cambodia’s former king, Norodom Sihanouk, has drawn high-profile condolences and memorials from top Chinese officials.
• Cambodia Mourns Former King Who Shaped Decades of History VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- Cambodians awoke Monday to the news that their country’s revered former king, Norodom Sihanouk, died overnight in Beijing.
• Cambodia's Former King Dies Aged 89 RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- The ex-king of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk has died, local media reported on Monday.
• EU Ministers Opt To Keep Sanctions On Belarus RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- European Union foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg have resolved to keep sanctions in place against Belarus, but they are continuing to hold out the prospect of lifting sanctions if Minsk improves its human rights record.
• EU Extends Belarus Sanctions RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- The EU Foreign Affairs Council extended sanctions on Belarus by one year over continuing human rights abuses, lack of legitimacy and failure to respect democratic principles in the country.
• Vote In Key Moscow Suburb Highlights Electoral Fraud Claims RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- Pro-Kremlin and opposition supporters are trading barbs and blows following local polls around Russia that handed the ruling party an easy victory in most races.
• Opposition Sees Fraud In Russia Voting RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- Russia’s opposition is alleging that nationwide local elections have been marred by widespread violations, including multiple voting and stuffing of ballot boxes.
• Rampant Vote Rigging in Russian Elections – Report RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- About 850 violations were reported by vote monitors at the regional polls that took place in 77 of 83 Russian regions on Sunday, electoral watchdog Golos said.
• Ruling Party Victorious in Russian Election VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- Russia's ruling party is the big winner in Sunday's elections.
• Pussy Riot Denied Request to Serve Sentence in Moscow RIA Novosti 15 Oct 2012 -- The two remaining Pussy Riot members are to serve their prison terms in a colony outside Moscow.
• Tymoshenko's Tax-Evasion Trial Postponed Again RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- A court in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine has again postponed the tax-evasion trial of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
• Lithuania's Opposition to form New Government VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- Leaders of Lithuania's three opposition parties met to craft an agreement that could lead to a new government coalition, following Sunday's vote that rejected the austerity-minded government.
• OSCE Cautiously Praises Montenegrin Elections RFE/RL 15 Oct 2012 -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has praised the October 14 Montenegro elections as “pluralistic with respect for fundamental rights.”
• British, Scottish Leaders Strike Referendum Deal VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- British and Scottish leaders have signed a deal on a referendum that could lead to Scotland's independence.
• Chinese Group Buys Huge Farm in Australia VOA 15 Oct 2012 -- A Chinese-led consortium has bought one of the biggest farms in the world in outback Australia, prompting concerns about key assets being sold to foreigners.