Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 17 Oct 2012 [PDF]
• Statement by NSC Spokesman Tommy Vietor on Deputy National Security Advisor McDonough’s Travel to Iraq and Afghanistan The White House 17 Oct 2012
• Afghan-led Security Force Arrests Taliban Leader AFPS 17 Oct 2012 -- An Afghan-led security force, supported by coalition troops, arrested a Taliban senior leader in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province.
• Militants Attack Joint NATO-Afghan Base VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- A suicide bomber drove a vehicle packed with explosives into a joint NATO-Afghan army base in eastern Afghanistan, injuring at least 10 Afghan and coalition soldiers.
• Afghan Soldiers, Civilians Injured In Suicide Bombing RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- An Afghan regional official told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that 45 Afghan soldiers and eight civilians were wounded in a suicide bombing near an Afghan-NATO military compound in the east of the country.
• US Mulls Troop Presence in Afghanistan After 2014 RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- The United States plans in the near future to begin talks on the extension of its military contingent’s presence after 2014.
• Rakkasans strengthen relationship with steel Army News 17 Oct 2012 -- Soldiers with the Afghanistan National Army's 4th Kandak, 1st Infantry Brigade, 203rd Afghan Army Corps, demonstrated their ability to conduct an indirect-fire mission.
• Family Members welcome home 10th Sustainment Brigade Soldiers Army News 17 Oct 2012 -- A large, very excited crowd gathered Oct. 11 on Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield to welcome home 10th Sustainment Brigade Soldiers from a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan.
• Pakistani Girl's Shooting Galvanizes Push For Offensive On Taliban Stronghold RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- Pakistani politicians, media, and civil society are pushing for a robust offensive to finish off the Taliban in the aftermath of the militants' shooting of a girl peace campaigner.
• U.S. Imposes Sanctions On Three Pakistan-Based Men RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions against three men in Pakistan accused of supporting the activities of terrorist organizations.
• Possible US Attack in Libya Faces Opposition VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- The United States is said to be weighing the option of a military strike against those found responsible for the September 11 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Defense Policy / Programs

• 9/11 Defendant Condemns Military Tribunal Process AFPS 17 Oct 2012 -- The self-described mastermind in the 9/11 terrorist attacks condemned the military commissions process today for the second time since the pre-trial hearings for him and four other codefendants began this week.
• U.S. Partners With Israel for Exercise Austere Challenge AFPS 17 Oct 2012 -- More than 3,500 American service members will join with Israeli allies for Exercise Austere Challenge 2012 in Israel next week.
• Remarks by Deputy Secretary Carter at Ahmed al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait DoD 17 Oct 2012
• U.S. Must Stay Committed to Middle East, Carter Says AFPS 17 Oct 2012 -- It is important for the U.S. to maintain its commitments to the Middle East, even as the nation’s defense strategy starts to shift focus away from the region, the deputy defense secretary told troops.
• Carter Gives Thanks to U.S. Troops in Kuwait AFPS 17 Oct 2012 -- Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter thanked U.S. troops for their service here today and noted that they are not only serving their country, but they are doing a service to the whole world.
• Carter Arrives in Kuwait, Meets With U.S. Embassy Officials AFPS 17 Oct 2012 -- Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter arrived here yesterday and met with U.S. embassy officials to discuss current relations with the Middle Eastern nation, an embassy official said.
• Navy to Christen Amphibious Assault Ship America DoD 17 Oct 2012
• MCPON Visits Rota, Focuses on QOL and FDNF NNS 17 Oct 2012 -- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(AW/NAC) Mike D. Stevens visited Naval Station Rota, Spain, Oct. 15 - 17, to evaluate Rota's progress toward homeporting four destroyers here as part of Forward Deployed Naval Forces beginning in 2014.
• F-35A completes first in-flight JDAM release AFNS 17 Oct 2012 -- An F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft completed the first in-flight weapons release of a 2,000 pound GBU-31 BLU-109 Joint Direct Attack Munition from a 5th Generation fighter, Oct. 16.
• F-35 Makes Its Mark in Marine Corps, Air Force USMC News 17 Oct 2012 -- A basic maneuver for the test pilots, the possibilities for combat environments created by these elite aircraft working together are anything but mundane.
• Army fields next-generation Radar Army News 17 Oct 2012 -- The Army has begun fielding new radar systems to protect forward deployed forces.
• DOD Augments Stability Operations with Partners, Private Sector AFPS 17 Oct 2012 -- Conducting stability operations is a core mission for the U.S. military, but the Defense Strategic Guidance and 10 years of war make clear a continuing need to augment the range of such operations.
• DOD Develops Energy Strategy for Future Force AFPS 17 Oct 2012 -- The Defense Department is developing an energy strategy that will carry it forward for decades, Sharon E. Burke, assistant secretary of defense for operational energy plans and programs said today at the Naval Energy Forum.
• Pacific Thunder gets jump start at Osan AB AFNS 17 Oct 2012 -- For the fifth straight year, 31st and 33rd Rescue Squadron Airmen from Kadena Air Base, Japan, have teamed up with the 25th Fighter Squadron here to kick off Exercise Pacific Thunder 2012.
• 10th CAB aviators conduct high-altitude aerial training over Rocky Mountains Army News 17 Oct 2012 -- How is piloting a helicopter at high altitudes in places such as the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan different from flying one around Fort Drum?
• Team 58 Inactivates on Okinawa Army News 17 Oct 2012 -- This was the third inactivation ceremony for the unit since its establishment in 1941 at Camp Peay, Tennessee.
• Fentress Reopens After Yearlong Upgrade NNS 17 Oct 2012 -- Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress reopened with a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 16 in a ceremony attended by both the mayors of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach Va.
• Frequency management now administered by Network Enterprise Center Army News 17 Oct 2012 -- The Network Enterprise Center, or NEC, on Fort Huachuca is now responsible for the management of the electromagnetic spectrum on the installation.
• 2 US Sailors Arrested for Alleged Rape in Japan VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- The latest alleged crime committed by American servicemen in Japan threatens to ignite escalated protests on the southern island of Okinawa against the U.S. military presence there.
• Two US Navy Sailors Arrested in Japan on Rape Charges RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- Two US Navy sailors were arrested in Japan on Tuesday on suspicion of raping a woman in the country’s southern prefecture of Okinawa.
• Russia to Boost Defense Spending 59% by 2015 RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- Russia plans to boost annual defense spending by 59 percent to almost 3 trillion rubles ($97 billion) in 2015, up from $61 billion in 2012.
• Putin Signs 'DARPA' Future Research Fund Bill RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- Russia will go ahead with setting up a defense research agency analogous to America's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, after President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill on the new body.
• Russia 'Will Not Be Dictated To' On Arms Sales RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that only the United Nations Security Council can restrict Russian weapons sales abroad.
• Russia to Test Pantsyr Gun System Against Cruise Missiles RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- The Russian armed forces are to carry out live firing tests of the Army's Pantsyr short-range gun-missile air defense system against cruise missile targets for the first time at a range in northern Russia.
• Russian Gun-Makers Protest Low Wages RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- Workers at Russian small-arms maker Izhmash - home of the famous Kalashnikov assault rifle - gathered for a spontaneous rally to protest reduced wages.
• Lynx Flight honoured for Libya actions UK MOD 17 Oct 2012 -- Naval aviators from Lynx 217 Flight based on recently-retired HMS Liverpool have been awarded a prestigious Fleet Air Arm trophy for their part in the NATO-led Libya operation last year.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, October 17, 2012 US Dept. of State 17 Oct 2012

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 17, 2012

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 17 October 2012 United Nations 17 Oct 2012
• UN and International Criminal Court have joint roles in ending impunity, Ban says UN News Centre 17 Oct 2012 -- The United Nations Security Council has a vital role to play in assisting the International Criminal Court to ensure that war crimes and crimes against humanity around the world do not go unpunished.
• Syria Envoy Brahimi Warns Conflict Could Spread VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi says Syria's civil war could spread across Middle Eastern borders into an "all-consuming conflict" unless the violence is eventually contained.
• France Reiterates Syria Cluster Bomb Charge RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- Paris has evidence of Syrian government troops using cluster bombs, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.
• Taiwan keeping close tabs on military vessels near Diaoyutais CNA 17 Oct 2012 -- Taiwan is keeping a close eye on military vessels passing through waters near the Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea.
• Philippine President Sees Improved Ties With China After Power Transfer VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- Philippine President Benigno Aquino says he hopes to see progress in his country's lingering territorial dispute with China following Beijing's leadership transition next month.
• Timetable for Military Intervention in Northern Mali Uncertain VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- The international community meets Friday in Bamako to work on the strategy for military intervention in northern Mali.
• 420,000 People Are in Need of Assistance in Northern Mali VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- The humanitarian situation in northern Mali continues to deteriorate as some 420,000 people are in need of food assistance due to recent flooding.
• Eritrea Calls for Lifting of Sanctions VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- A political advisor to Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki says most permanent members of the U.N. Security Council want to lift sanctions against his country.
• KENYA: Refugee relocation order sparks concern IRIN 17 Oct 2012 -- Amid rising insecurity, a senior official in Kenya’s North Eastern Province has ordered all refugees and unregistered migrants from neighbouring Somalia to move to the under-resourced Dadaab refugee complex by 20 October or face forced relocation.
• Explosions, Gunfire Rock Northeastern Nigerian Town VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- Explosions and gunfire shook a city in northeastern Nigeria Wednesday, two days after violence in the region killed at least 24 people.
• Uganda Blasts New Allegations of Helping Congo Rebels VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- Uganda is denouncing a leaked United Nations report that says both Uganda and Rwanda are supporting rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo - a charge both countries have denied.
• Six UN peacekeepers and interpreter wounded in ambush in eastern DR Congo UN News Centre 17 Oct 2012 -- Six United Nations peacekeepers and a local interpreter were wounded in a “cowardly” overnight ambush in the strife-torn eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Ban welcomes parliamentary approval of recent agreements between Sudan and South Sudan UN News Centre 17 Oct 2012 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban congratulates the Parliaments of South Sudan and Sudan for ratifying the cooperation agreements.
• Sudan Approves Oil Deal with South Sudan VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- Sudan's parliament has voted to approve an agreement with South Sudan designed to end hostilities and restart southern oil exports through the north.
• New ambush in Darfur claims life of UN-African Union peacekeeper, injures three UN News Centre 17 Oct 2012 -- A South African peacekeeper serving with the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur was killed and three others wounded in an ambush in the west Sudanese region of Darfur.
• Colombian Government, FARC to Launch Peace Talks in Oslo VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- Representatives of the Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebels are meeting in Oslo for peace talks aimed at ending Latin America's oldest insurgency.
• HRW: Detained Gadhafi Fighters Beaten, Executed VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- Human Rights Watch says it has new evidence indicating that forces opposed to Moammar Gadhafi beat and executed dozens of his supporters after the ousted leader's capture and death last year.
• COTE D'IVOIRE: Facing insecurity with unreformed army IRIN 17 Oct 2012 -- Armed raids on military and police bases, a border post and other key installations in Côte d'Ivoire since August are deepening insecurity in a country struggling to forge a unified armed force to help restore stability after 2010-2011 electoral unrest.

News Reports

• China Denies Currency Manipulation Claims RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- China denied that Beijing has been manipulating its currency, rejecting an allegation by US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
• China Comes Under Scrutiny in US Presidential Debate VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- Chinese economic policies came under criticism during Tuesday’s U.S. presidential debate.
• Man Pleads Guilty in New York to Conspiring with Iranian Military Officials to Assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States US Dept. of Justice 17 Oct 2012
• Iranian-American Pleads Guilty In Plot To Kill Saudi Ambassador RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- An Iranian-American citizen has pleaded guilty to plotting with the Iranian military to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States.
• Guilty Plea in Plot to Kill Saudi Ambassador to US RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- An Iranian-American man pleaded guilty on Wednesday in a US federal court in New York City to plotting to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States.
• Iran’s Hero Pilot Says He's Being Forced Into Early Retirement RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- Houshang Shahbazi, the Iranian airline captain who saved the lives of more than 100 passengers and crew by making an emergency landing in Tehran, says he’s been forced into early retirement.
• Iraq's Central Bank Chief Suspended Over Corruption Probe RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- The Iraqi government has suspended the head of the Central Bank over an investigation into fraud in connection with alleged manipulation of currency values.
• Ivanishvili Says Georgia Must Take Part In Sochi Winter Olympics RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- Billionaire-turned-politician Bidzina Ivanishvili says his country "will for sure take part" in the 22nd Winter Olympics in the Russian city of Sochi in 2014.
• Georgian Election Winner Unveils Ministerial Candidates, Former Ruling Party Retrenches RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the Georgian Dream (KO) coalition that won the Georgian parliamentary elections on October 1, unveiled his proposed new cabinet on October 16.
• Georgia's Media Landscape Shifts In Wake Of Historic Election RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- Everyone expected changes to Georgia's media environment following the Georgian Dream coalition's election victory on October 1.
• Vietnam PM Keeps Post as Economic Struggles Continue VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- Vietnam's prime minister appears to have survived a leadership challenge this week over his handling of the poorly-performing economy.
• Hearings for Burkina Faso-Niger border case end at UN International Court of Justice UN News Centre 17 Oct 2012 -- The West African countries of Burkina Faso and Niger completed the presentation of their respective cases in a border dispute to the United Nations International Court of Justice.
• Somalia: UN envoy welcomes Parliament’s endorsement of new Prime Minister UN News Centre 17 Oct 2012 -- The United Nations top political official for Somalia welcomed the endorsement by the East African country’s Parliament of the new Prime Minister, Abdi Farah Shirdon.
• Somali Parliament Approves New PM VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- Somalia's parliament has officially approved Abdi Farah Shirdoon as the country's new prime minister.
• Former Cambodian King's Body Arrives in Phnom Penh VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- Tens of thousands of mourners packed the streets of Phnom Penh as the body of Cambodia's former king, Norodom Sihanouk, was flown home from China where he died Monday of cancer at age 89.
• Russian Opposition Leader Investigated VOA 17 Oct 2012 -- Russian authorities say they have launched a criminal case against opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov, accusing him of planning to ignite mass riots.
• Criminal Case Opened Against Russian Opposition Leaders RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- A criminal case has been opened against the leader of the Russian opposition's Left Front movement, Sergei Udaltsov, and several other opposition leaders.
• Russian Protest Leader Udaltsov Faces 10 Years in Jail RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- Russian anti-Putin protest leader Sergei Udaltsov faces up to 10 years behind bars after investigators brought charges of “organizing mass disorder” against him.
• With Pussy Riot Moving To Penal Colonies, Misery Of Russian Prison Camps Gains Fresh Focus RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- A judge said the "correction" of the women, who were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, was possible "only in isolation from society."
• Pussy Riot Seek Deferred Sentence RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- The defense team for the two jailed Pussy Riot members has asked the court to defer execution of their two-year prison sentences until their children reach age 14, lawyer Mark Feigin said.
• Ukraine's Penitentiary Service To Investigate Controversial Tymoshenko Video RFE/RL 17 Oct 2012 -- Ukraine's State Penitentiary Service has said that it will investigate a new video depicting a woman who looks like jailed former Prime Minster Yulia Tymoshenko.
• Arctic Sea Route to Open Year-Round in 2013 - Scientists RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2012 -- The record reduction in Arctic pack-ice this year has created favorable conditions for year-long navigation along the Northern Sea Route in 2013, offering major savings to shipping operators.