Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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Current Operations

• Karzai Blames Foreigners For Corruption RFE/RL 22 Dec 2012 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai says foreign governments are to blame for widespread corruption in Afghanistan and are undermining his efforts to establish the rule of law.

Defense Policy / Programs

• COMMEX preps 31st MEU communications for upcoming deployment USMC News 22 Dec 2012 -- Surrounded by concertina wire and humming with continual activity, tan and olive-drab tents contain the integral workings of a deployed Marine Expeditionary Unit - all within Camp Hansen's backyard.
• NATO Missile Plan 'Bad for Turkey' - Iran RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2012 -- Tehran warned on Saturday that the deployment of NATO's advanced surface-to-air Patriot missiles along the Turkish border with Syria would be detrimental to Turkey.
• Russian Military District Tests New Air Defense Systems RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2012 -- Russia's Southern Military District has moved a step closer to adopting the new S-400 Triumf air defense systems, the district's press service confirmed on Saturday.
• India testfires Astra missile IRNA 22 Dec 2012 -- India on Friday testfired its indigenously developed air-to-air missile 'Astra' at Chandipur, 15 km from Balasore in the state of Odihsa.
• Strict Changes Announced for China Military Brass VOA 22 Dec 2012 -- China's military commission has initiated strict changes for high-ranking military officers in an effort to curb a stream of corruption scandals.
• N.Korea to Launch More Rockets - Kim Jong-un RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2012 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for further development of space technology and the launching of more rockets following the successful launch of one earlier this month, Kyodo reported on Saturday.
• North Korean Leader Calls for More Powerful Rockets VOA 22 Dec 2012 -- North Korea's leader has called for the development of more powerful rockets, following last week's successful launch of a long-range rocket.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Syria's Chemical Weapons 'Safe for Now' - Moscow RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2012 -- Chemical weapons are under the control of the Syrian government, which has consolidated them in one or two locations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday.
• Moscow Urges Full Probe into UN Helicopter Downing RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2012 -- Russia has urged the South Sudanese authorities to conduct a full investigation into the UN helicopter accident in which four Russians were killed.
• S. Sudan Army Says Mistook UN Chopper for Rebel Aircraft RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2012 -- South Sudan's army apologized for downing a UN helicopter as soldiers mistook it for an aircraft that was supplying arms to rebel forces, Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the military, said on Saturday.
• Ban urges all actors in Mali to finalize transitional roadmap to end crisis UN News Centre 22 Dec 2012 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged all actors in Mali to swiftly finalize and implement a transitional roadmap leading to elections in order to bring the crisis in the country, and the suffering of its people, to an end.

News Reports

• Egyptians Voting In Second Round Of Referendum On Constitution RFE/RL 22 Dec 2012 -- Voting is under way for the second and final round of Egypt's referendum on a new constitution.
• Dozens Injured as Egypt Set for Referendum's 2nd Round RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2012 -- At least 68 people were injured on Friday in Egypt's second largest city of Alexandria on the eve of the second round of the referendum on the new Constitution, Al Arabiya reported on Saturday.
• Egyptians Vote on Final Day of Referendum VOA 22 Dec 2012 -- Egyptians in 17 provinces went to the polls Saturday in the second and final round of a referendum over the country's controversial new constitution. Turnout appeared light in some places and heavy in others.
• Pakistan Says Ties With US Improving VOA 22 Dec 2012 -- Pakistan says its political and military ties with the United States are on the upswing after nearly two years of setbacks and crises. The country's defense minister tells VOA that bilateral understanding has also improved on how to counter terrorism in Pakistani border regions and promote political reconciliation in neighboring Afghanistan.
• Top Pakistani Official, Seven Others, Killed In Suicide Attack RFE/RL 22 Dec 2012 -- At least eight people, including a top provincial official, have been killed in a suicide bomb attack on a political gathering in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
• Suicide Blast in Pakistan Kills Provincial Minister VOA 22 Dec 2012 -- Pakistani officials say a suicide blast has killed nine people, including a top provincial minister, at a political rally held by a party that opposes the Taliban.
• Ukrainian Prosecutors Say Ex-PM Tymoshenko Financed Murder RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2012 -- The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has witnesses' testimonies that former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko ordered and financed the killing of prominent politician Yevhen Shcherban, First Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin said on Friday.
• New Expedition Arrives at International Space Station RIA Novosti 22 Dec 2012 -- Participants of the International Space Station's Expedition 34 began their work on the station after their Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft docked with the ISS on Friday night.