Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Karzai Cites Pakistan Link In Attack On Afghan Spy Chief RFE/RL 08 Dec 2012 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai says that a suicide bombing attack that wounded his country's intelligence chief was planned in the Pakistani city of Quetta.
• Al-Qaida Leader Killed in Pakistan Drone Strike VOA 08 Dec 2012 -- A suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan has killed a senior al-Qaida leader who was considered one of the group's most powerful figures in the region.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Karzai Hints at Conditional Immunity for US Personnel VOA 08 Dec 2012 -- As international forces prepare to leave Afghanistan, Washington and Kabul have been working towards a security agreement that would allow some U.S. personnel to stay on in Afghanistan. Now, one of the sticking points in that agreement appears to have been resolved.
• Statement on Department of Defense Support to the Government of the Philippines DoD 08 Dec 2012
• North Korea Reconsidering Launch Date for Rocket VOA 08 Dec 2012 -- North Korea says it is considering readjusting the timing of the launch of a long-range rocket originally scheduled to take off between December 10 and 22.
• Japan Deploys Anti-Missile Shield Against North Korea Rocket RIA Novosti 08 Dec 2012 -- Japan has deployed anti-missile defense systems in anticipation of an imminent North Korean rocket launch, Japanese Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto told a press conference Saturday.
• KCST Spokesman on Launching Time of Satellite KCNA 08 Dec 2012 -- The spokesman for the Korean Committee of Space Technology Saturday gave the following answer to the question raised by KCNA as regards the launch of the second version of Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite:
• S.Korea Deploys Warships to Track N.Korea Rocket Launch RIA Novosti 08 Dec 2012 -- South Korea has deployed two King Sejong the Great class Aegis destroyers in the Yellow Sea with one more to be sent there shortly in anticipation of an imminent North Korean rocket launch, the Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday.
• Lawmaker: US nuclear test undermines world peace IRNA 08 Dec 2012 -- Deputy Head of Majlis Commission on National Security and Foreign Policy Mohammad Hassan Asafari on Saturday said the US nuclear test in Nevada desert would endanger world peace.
• International bodies must condemn US nuclear test IRNA 08 Dec 2012 -- Member of Majlis Commission on National Security and Foreign Policy Mansour Haqiqatpour said on Saturday International communities which claim to be advocates of human rights must condemn US nuclear test in Nevada.
• Iran Condemns US Nuclear Test RIA Novosti 08 Dec 2012 -- Tehran has condemned the United States over a recent subcritical nuclear test as a threat to peace and stability, the Irna news agency reported on Saturday.
• Netherlands to Send 2 Patriot Batteries to Turkey RIA Novosti 08 Dec 2012 -- The Dutch government has approved the delivery of two Patriot missile batteries to Turkey to boost its air defenses along the border with Syria, Dutch news agency ANP reported.
• Iranian flotilla anchors in Port Sudan IRNA 08 Dec 2012 -- Iran Navy's 23rd flotilla comprising domestically-made Jamaran destroyer and Boushehr helicopter carrier anchored in Port Sudan on Saturday.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Hamas Marks 25th Anniversary with Mass Rally in Gaza VOA 08 Dec 2012 -- Tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered for a rally in Gaza to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas. They sang nationalist songs, flashed the victory sign and waved green Hamas flags.
• UN Official: Refugee Camps in Western Burma 'Shocking' VOA 08 Dec 2012 -- The United Nations humanitarian affairs chief says a Rohingya Muslim refugee camp in Burma for victims of recent inter-communal violence is 'shockingly overcrowded.' Valerie Amos, head of humanitarian affairs for the United Nations, has called on the international community to press Burma to address issues of citizenship for the stateless Rohingya and move forward on reconciliation efforts within the community.
• Insecurity in Puntland Underscores Somali Militants' Staying-Power VOA 08 Dec 2012 -- NAIROBI - utonomous Puntland region after being driven out of their strongholds in the south. Politicians from Puntland blame the region's government for creating conditions for insecurity.

News Reports

• Egypt's Morsi Expected to Impose Martial Law VOA 08 Dec 2012 -- Egypt's top opposition leaders are boycotting a national dialogue meeting at the presidential palace Saturday, despite appeals by the country's military to resolve the current political standoff at the negotiating table. Meanwhile, Egyptian media warned that President Morsi would soon re-impose martial law.
• Morsi Presses Ahead Despite Opposition's Talks Boycott RFE/RL 08 Dec 2012 -- President Muhammad Morsi is expected to press ahead with weekend talks on ways to end Egypt's current crisis despite vows by the country's main opposition leaders to stay away.
• MP: US drones capture proves Iran's capabilities IRNA 08 Dec 2012 -- Member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Hasan Asafari said on Saturday that capturing of US Scan Eagle drone by IRGC forces proved the high capabilities of Iranian forces in thwarting plots of enemies.
• Tehran: Azeri Drones on 'Spy Missions' along Iran Border RIA Novosti 08 Dec 2012 -- Azerbaijan is using drones to carry out spying missions along its border with Iran and Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan's ethnic Armenian breakaway republic, Iran's Press TV reported on Saturday.
• Russia Launches Gazprom Telecoms Satellite RIA Novosti 08 Dec 2012 -- A Proton-M carrier rocket blasted off on Saturday to orbit a Yamal-class telecoms satellite for Gazprom Space Systems (GSS), a telecommunications arm of Russia's energy giant Gazprom.