Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 19 Dec 2012 [PDF]
• Army to Seek Death Penalty for Soldier in Deadly Afghan Rampage VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- The U.S. Army is recommending the death penalty for an American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in a shooting rampage earlier this year.
• Prime Minister announces reduction in UK troop numbers in Afghanistan UK MOD 19 Dec 2012 -- UK force levels in Afghanistan are to reduce to around 5,200 by the end of 2013, the Prime Minister announced today.
• Afghan Factions Meeting In France RFE/RL 19 Dec 2012 -- Afghan officials, representatives from the Taliban militia, and other factions are expected to start gathering on December 19 at a secret location near Paris.
• Moscow Urges 'Risk Minimization' Ahead of Afghan Pullout RIA Novosti 19 Dec 2012 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday proposed an action program be worked out to minimize possible risks involved in the upcoming reduction of the international military presence in Afghanistan.
• Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police join forces to learn critical skill Army News 19 Dec 2012 -- After four long, grueling months, 33 Afghan National Army soldiers and Afghan National Civil Order Police graduated from basic mechanic training together at the 4th Regional Logistics Support Command here, Dec. 1.
• Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary George Little on Humanitarian Assistance for Typhoon Bopha in the Southern Philippines DoD 19 Dec 2012

Defense Policy / Programs

• AF Reservists deliver humanitarian supplies to the Caribbean AFNS 19 Dec 2012 -- Reservists from the 315th Airlift Wing delivered more than 38,000 pounds of humanitarian aid to the island nations of St. Lucia and Haiti Dec. 15 and 16.
• 5th AF intergrates with joint partners for exercise AFNS 19 Dec 2012 -- U.S. Army and Air Force service members united with Japan Ground and Air Self Defense Forces members here to bilaterally coordinate ground operations and control airspace in support of Exercise Yama Sakura 63 in Sendai Dec. 6-13.
• NWDC Releases TACMEMO Addressing Command and Control of Air Operations in Maritime Surface Warfare NNS 19 Dec 2012 -- The Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC) announced the release of a tactical memorandum (TACMEMO) Dec. 19 addressing 'Command and Control of Air Operations in Maritime Surface Warfare (C2-AOMSW).'
• Press Secretary Responds to Media Reports on DOD Undersecretary AFPS 19 Dec 2012 -- Media reports that a Pentagon investigation determined the Defense Department's top intelligence official leaked restricted information about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden to filmmakers are "unwarranted, unfounded, and unfair," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said yesterday.
• Official: DOD Aid to Congolese Army Bolsters U.S. Security AFPS 19 Dec 2012 -- The Defense Department plays a critical role in building security capacity in the central African Democratic Republic of the Congo, officials from the departments of Defense and State told the House Armed Services Committee today.
• Official: Asian Leaders Begin to Believe in U.S. Shift to Region AFPS 19 Dec 2012 -- Asian leaders are beginning to believe that the U.S. military's rebalancing toward the Asia-Pacific region is real, and they are welcoming the move, a senior defense official said here today.
• Robot to Serve as Future Military's 'Pack Mule' AFPS 19 Dec 2012 -- The warfighter who carries up to 100 pounds of equipment on his back is expected to get relief from the cumbersome weight, officials at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency say.
• MFE leads Joint service team to Norway, delivers sustainment gear to Marines in Republic of Georgia USMC News 19 Dec 2012 -- Marines and personnel from Marine Corps Forces, Europe, led a joint-service team to Norway to assemble, palletized and deliver equipment from Marine Corps Prepositioning Program - Norway to Marines training Georgian Armed Forces soldiers, December 10 – 14.
• Russian Military to Get 30 More Su-30SM Fighter Jets RIA Novosti 19 Dec 2012 -- The Russian Defense Ministry and the Irkut aircraft maker have signed a contract on the delivery of an additional 30 Su-30SM multirole fighter jets to the Russian Air Force by 2016.
• Russia to Float Out New Borey Class Sub on Dec. 30 RIA Novosti 19 Dec 2012 -- Russia's Sevmash shipyard will float out a third Borey class strategic nuclear submarine, the Vladimir Monomakh, on December 30, Navy Commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Wednesday.
• Uzbekistan Pulls out of Post-Soviet Security Treaty RIA Novosti 19 Dec 2012 -- Uzbekistan has officially suspended its membership in a Russian-led collective security organization, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Wednesday.
• Analysts: Chinese Drone Technology Advancing Rapidly VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- Analysts say China is using its rapidly expanding defense budget to make impressive advances in drone technology, prompting some to worry that the United States' global dominance in the market could soon be challenged.
• Navy commander: Iranian Navy controls any movement in Caspian Sea IRNA 19 Dec 2012 -- Powerful Iranian Navy is monitor any movement in the Caspian Sea, Navy Commander Rear-Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Wednesday.
• Military might increase quota for female volunteers: minister CNA 19 Dec 2012 -- National Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu said Wednesday that the ministry might relax the mechanism for recruiting female volunteers in the military in an effort to eradicate gender inequality.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 19, 2012

Other Conflicts

• 19 December 2012 - Press Conference by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at United Nations Headquarters United Nations 19 Dec 2012
• Syrian Scud Missiles Seen as Escalation of War VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- Syria's recent use of Scud missiles against rebel-held areas has alarmed the West and escalated fears that the Syrian government is inflicting a new stage of terror on its citizens.
• SYRIA: IDPs brace for winter in rebel-controlled camps IRIN 19 Dec 2012 -- Ragad, 10, uses crutches to gingerly make her way up a muddy hillside. On her right foot, she wears a bright blue rubber shoe. The other foot is missing, amputated below the knee.
• Syrian Militants Free to Target Russians – Opposition Leader RIA Novosti 19 Dec 2012 -- A prominent leader of the Syrian opposition abroad has called Russian and Iranian citizens "a legitimate target for opposition militants in Syria."
• UN and humanitarian partners seek $1.5 billion for ongoing Syria crisis UN News Centre 19 Dec 2012 -- The United Nations and its humanitarian partners today appealed for $1.5 billion to assist civilians affected by the ongoing conflict in Syria over the next six months, including those inside the country as well as those taking refuge beyond its borders.
• UN, EU, Russia Condemn Israeli Settlements VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- All members of the U.N. Security Council, with the lone exception of the United States, have publicly condemned Israel's recent settlement expansion activities and called for them to end. In a rare move, 14 of the council's 15 members read public statements of their views instead of seeking formal action by the council, since that likely would have been opposed by the United States.
• Israelis, Palestinians Face Sharp Challenges in 2013 VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- Analysts and policy makers say the recent conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza has sharpened the confrontation between Israel and Palestinians and is likely to present new challenges in the coming year.
• Israel Approves East Jerusalem Settlement Construction RFE/RL 19 Dec 2012 -- Israel is reportedly moving ahead with the construction of the first new settlement in East Jerusalem since 1997.
• China Says Geology Boosts Island Claims VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- In an attempt to bolster its claims to disputed islands in the East China Sea, China has presented the United Nations what it says is geological evidence proving the islands belong to Beijing.
• Actor, Experts Urge Action on Eastern Congo Security VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- Actor Ben Affleck has urged members of Congress to push for more U.S. leadership in efforts to bring peace to the Congo. At the same hearing, a top U.S. diplomat said President Barack Obama's administration considers security in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be a top priority.
• UN peacekeepers provide protection for thousands fleeing violence in South Sudanese town UN News Centre 19 Dec 2012 -- The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan is providing shelter to thousands of civilians, mainly women and children, who have sought protection in a base in the country's northwest today.
• Security Council urges implementation of UN strategy against Lord's Resistance Army UN News Centre 19 Dec 2012 -- The Security Council today strongly condemned the ongoing attacks and atrocities carried out by the armed group known as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and urged that the United Nations regional strategy designed to tackle the threat be carried out as soon as possible.
• Security Council extends UN peacekeeping force in Golan Heights UN News Centre 19 Dec 2012 -- The Security Council today extended until 30 June 2013 the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which monitors the ceasefire in the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria, and expressed grave concern at recent violations by the Syrian Armed Forces in the mission's area of operations.
• UN officials stress urgency of getting Israeli-Palestinian peace process back on track UN News Centre 19 Dec 2012 -- United Nations officials today underscored the urgency of getting the Middle East peace process back on track, noting that the momentum for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has slipped amid recent events and a resumption of meaningful talks is needed more than ever.
• UN, AU to Seek Increased Funds to Counter Ugandan Rebels VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- The United Nations and the African Union plan to seek increased funding early next year to implement a strategy to combat the rebel Lord's Resistance Army, which continues to carry out attacks in Central Africa.
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Hundreds flee as rebels advance IRIN 19 Dec 2012 -- A new alliance of three rebel groups in the Central African Republic (CAR), which has taken control of five towns in northern-central areas, could jeopardize a complex peace process that has been under way since 2007.
• DRC: Reactions to ICC acquittal of militia leader IRIN 19 Dec 2012 -- In its second-ever verdict, the International Criminal Court (ICC), on 18 December, acquitted former militia leader Mathieu Ngudjolo [Chui] of war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to a 2003 massacre in Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) northeastern Ituri District.

News Reports

• Briefing on the Accountability Review Board Report US Dept. of State 19 Dec 2012
• U.S. State Department Officials Reportedly Resign After Benghazi Report RFE/RL 19 Dec 2012 -- U.S. media are reporting that three U.S. State Department officials have resigned in the wake of a scathing report on the September attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya that blamed mismanagement at the department.
• Report: Inadequate Security at US Mission in Benghazi VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- An independent U.S. panel investigating the September 11 attack in Libya that resulted in the deaths of four Americans has concluded that security at the mission in Benghazi was 'grossly inadequate.'
• South Korea Elects First Female President VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- Conservative Saenuri [New Frontier] Party candidate Park Geun-hye has made history by winning South Korea's presidential election, becoming the country's first female president-elect after defeating liberal rival Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party by several percentage points.
• Two More Deaths In Attacks On Polio Workers In Pakistan RFE/RL 19 Dec 2012 -- United Nations agencies have suspended a campaign against polio in Pakistan after deadly attacks on vaccination teams.
• Spate Of Pakistani Killings Suggests 'Humanitarian Space' Ignored RFE/RL 19 Dec 2012 -- Aid workers have warned for years that they must operate independently from military forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan or risk being seen by locals - and by militants - as part of the counterinsurgency campaign.
• Iraq's Ailing President To Be Moved To Germany For Treatment RFE/RL 19 Dec 2012 -- Doctors treating Iraqi President Jalal Talabani at a Baghdad hospital say he will be flown to Germany for further treatment after suffering a reported stroke.
• Ethiopian Journalist Fights Terrorism Charges in Court VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega appeared in court on Wednesday as the prosecution had to re-explain the charges against the prominent blogger. Eskinder also got the chance to defend himself before the court.
• ZIMBABWE: Security forces deployed as historians IRIN 19 Dec 2012 -- Security forces are being deployed across Zimbabwe ostensibly to record accounts of the country's liberation struggle against white-minority rule, but both political parties and independent analysts view the tactic as a prelude to political violence ahead of next year's scheduled elections.
• Timor-Leste: Security Council commends country's progress towards democracy UN News Centre 19 Dec 2012 -- As the United Nations winds down its peacekeeping operation in Timor-Leste, the Security Council today applauded the "remarkable achievements" made by the small south-east Asian country as it transitioned over the past decade from a colonial enclave to an independent and democratic State.
• Defense minister: Iran to unveil new space achievements IRNA 19 Dec 2012 -- Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said Iran is to unveil new space achievements soon.
• New Crew Blasts Off to Space Station RIA Novosti 19 Dec 2012 -- International Space Station Expedition 34 blasted off from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
• ISS-Bound Crew Blasts Off from Baikonur Cosmodrome VOA 19 Dec 2012 -- A Russian-built Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft blasted off from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1212 UTC Wednesday, bound for the International Space Station.