• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Taliban Militants Attack US Consulate in Afghanistan VOA 13 Sep 2013 -- Taliban militants have attacked the U.S. consulate in the western Afghan city of Herat. NATO officials said international and Afghan security forces repelled the assault and the compound was secure.
• UK and Afghan soldiers' operation success UK MOD 13 Sep 2013 -- Soldiers from 4th Battalion The Rifles have assisted the Afghan National Army in a successful operation in Helmand's Nahr-e Saraj district.
• Militants torch convoy of NATO tankers in southwestern Pakistan Iran Press TV 13 Sep 2013 -- At least nine NATO supply tankers have been torched in a militant attack in the troubled southwestern Pakistan, security sources say.
• Carter Arrives in Afghanistan to Review Retrograde Progress AFPS 13 Sep 2013 -- Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived at the International Security Forces Joint Command Headquarters here today for meetings with senior U.S., NATO and Afghan officials to review the progress of the drawdown.
• Pentagon extends deployment of US warships near Syria Iran Press TV 13 Sep 2013 -- The Pentagon has announced that two US warships deployed in the coastal waters near Syria would stay there beyond their scheduled deployments as Washington continues to threaten Syria with the use of force.
• Guardsmen Mobilize to Assist With Colorado Flooding AFPS 13 Sep 2013 -- Nearly 100 Colorado National Guard soldiers and airmen, along with high-mobility vehicles and helicopters, have been mobilized to assist local authorities in search-and-rescue operations in the midst of historic flooding in the state.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Winnefeld: Uncertain Financial Times Require Leadership AFPS 13 Sep 2013 -- With the military's financial future unclear, officials must step to the fore and lead, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday.
• Journey home: Final C-17 leaves Boeing for Charleston AFNS 13 Sep 2013 -- As the sun rose above Long Beach, Calif., the last U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, P-223, rolled off the Boeing assembly onto the flight line where it was prepared for its inaugural flight to Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
• Unprecedented Budget Uncertainty Still Holds Sway, Little Says AFPS 13 Sep 2013 -- As the end of the fiscal year approaches Sept. 30, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters today, "this unprecedented period of budget uncertainty" continues to hamper Defense Department plans and operations.
• DOD, Manufacturer Address Issue with Antidote Autoinjector AFPS 13 Sep 2013 -- Defense Department and interagency officials are working closely with the Maryland-based manufacturer of an autoinjector for deployed troops that contains a two-drug antidote for some kinds of nerve agents, a military official said.
• Bold Quest Promotes Coalition Interoperability AFPS 13 Sep 2013 -- Representatives from every U.S. military service and 11 other nations are taking part in a coalition capability demonstration designed to increase combat effectiveness and interoperability while minimizing the risk of fratricide.
• Readout of Secretary Hagel's Call to U.K. Secretary of State for Defense Philip Hammond DoD 13 Sep 2013
• MWSS-172 refuels helicopters during Exercise Lejeune II USMC News 13 Sep 2013 -- Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 established forward arming and refueling points Sept. 10 at Landing Zone Phoenix at Camp Schwab to support operations conducted by three Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters during Exercise Lejeune II.
• MRF-D, MEU Marines partner with Aussies during Koolendong USMC News 13 Sep 2013 -- Marines moved through the extreme heat and arid terrain of the Australian outback to engage a simulated militia group of rebels armed with 82 mm mortars, vehicles and other weaponry.
• Carrier Air Wing 5 Welcomes HSM-77 NNS 13 Sep 2013 -- The "Saberhawks" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77 moved into the Carrier Air Wing 5 neighborhood, as the newest addition embarked on board USS George Washington prior to their 2013 patrol.
• HS-11 Arrives Aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) NNS 13 Sep 2013 -- Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron 11 (HS-11) from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, known as the Dragonslayers, arrived aboard aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) Sept. 11.
• USS George Washington Continues 2013 Patrol NNS 13 Sep 2013 -- The forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) departed Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, Sept. 13, to continue its 2013 patrol of the 7th Fleet area of operations.
• SECNAV Visits Marinette Marine, Highlights LCS NNS 13 Sep 2013 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus visited Marinette Marine Corporation Sept. 12 to tour the shipyard and receive an update on the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) and its manufacturing process.
• Navy, Warfare Centers Critical for Nation's Ballistic Missile Defense NNS 13 Sep 2013 -- The Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Corona delivered its first quick-look analysis Sept. 13 of the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) test earlier this week, kicking off the collaborative assessment process for the first operational test of the nation's Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS).
• Marine becomes first female to conquer grueling course USMC News 13 Sep 2013 -- History was made in the chilly, mountainous terrain of Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center Bridgeport when the first female Marine completed the Assault Climber’s Course.
• Senior military officer urges 'mass line' to lift combat preparedness People's Daily 13 Sep 2013 -- A senior People's Liberation Army (PLA) officer has called for better implementation of the 'mass line' campaign as part of efforts to build a strong military and boost the PLA combat preparedness.
• Chinese naval taskforce sails across equator People's Daily 13 Sep 2013 -- A taskforce of the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAN) which is to visit three South American countries, namely, Chile, Brazil and Argentina held an equator-crossing oath-taking and name-signing ceremony in the waters north of the Bismarck Archipelago at 08:30 on September 11, 2013, local time.
• Russian navy announces plan to boost eastern Mediterranean naval force Iran Press TV 13 Sep 2013 -- Russia's Navy Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov has announced plans to build up Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea near Syrian coastal waters to as many as ten battleships.
• Russian Navy Sending 3 More Ships to Mediterranean – Admiral RIA Novosti 13 Sep 2013 -- The Russian Navy is bolstering its strength in the Mediterranean Sea from seven to ten warships, its top commander told journalists on Friday.
• Military explains some changes to conscript system CNA 13 Sep 2013 -- The Ministry of National Defense said Friday that while it will continue a recruitment drive for volunteers to serve in the military, it will also be hanging on to the current conscript system for the time being.
• September 13, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 13 Sep 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 13, 2013

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 13 September 2013 United Nations 13 Sep 2013
• Overburdened truth commissions risk becoming 'victims of their own success'– UN expert UN News Centre 13 Sep 2013 -- While "truth commissions" – independent panels set up in the aftermath of conflict to resolve tensions and promote reconciliation – are vital to many countries trying to rebuild their societies, a United Nations independent expert today warned that the mechanisms risked falling short of expectations because the were burdened by overbroad mandates and unreliable funding.
• UN Central Emergency Relief Fund releases $50 million to assist Syrians UN News Centre 13 Sep 2013 -- The United Nations will allocate $50 million to bolster the efforts of agencies assisting the growing number of Syrians affected inside the country and throughout the region, the largest ever contribution to support coordinated response to a single country, according to the world body's humanitarian arm.
• Syria: UN humanitarian chief urges pause in fighting to allow access to trapped civilians UN News Centre 13 Sep 2013 -- As fighting between Syrian Government and opposition forces continue to intensify, the United Nations humanitarian chief today called on all sides to agree to a pause in the hostilities so that relief agencies could gain "immediate and unhindered access" to evacuate desperate civilians trapped in towns and cities increasingly under siege.
• US, Russia Closer to Agreement on Syrian Chemical Weapons VOA 13 Sep 2013 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet for a third day Saturday in Switzerland, where they are said to be making progress on a plan to dismantle Syria's chemical-weapons program.
• Obama: Syria Solution Must Be Verifiable, Enforceable VOA 13 Sep 2013 -- President Barack Obama has repeated that any diplomatic solution to the Syrian chemical weapons issue must be verifiable and enforceable. He spoke after talks Friday with the emir of Kuwait, Sheik al Ahmad Jaber al-Sabah, which also covered Egypt's political and economic crisis and other issues.
• Al-Qaeda militants declare offensive against fellow groups Iran Press TV 13 Sep 2013 -- Al Qaeda-linked militants in Syria have declared an offensive against two other militant groups amid growing infighting among foreign-backed militants operating in the country.
• U.S., Russia To Attempt To Revive Syria Peace Talks RFE/RL 13 Sep 2013 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have said they hope talks on dismantling Syria's chemical weapons would help revive plans for an international conference aimed to end the war in Syria.
• Russia, US, UN Envoy Discuss Syria Chemical Weapons RIA Novosti 13 Sep 2013 -- The US and Russian foreign ministers and a UN envoy met in Geneva on Friday to discuss Moscow's proposal for placing Syria's chemical weapons under international control – an idea meant to avert US airstrikes against the Middle Eastern country but yielding few tangible results beyond that for now.
• UN-Arab League joint envoy says US-Russia talks on Syria 'extremely important' UN News Centre 13 Sep 2013 -- Pressing ahead with his efforts secure a diplomatic solution that would end to more than two years of bloodshed in Syria, United Nations-Arab League Joint Representative Lakhdar Brahimi hosted a meeting between senior officials from Russia and the United States on devising a political path forward, in Geneva today.
• UN Chief Expects 'Overwhelming Report' on Syria Gas Attack VOA 13 Sep 2013 -- The U.N. secretary-general said Friday that he believes the findings his team of chemical weapons experts will present in the coming days will be "an overwhelming report" on last month's attack on Syrian civilians near Damascus.
• Kerry, Lavrov Say Geneva Meeting Could Help Revive Syria Peace Talks VOA 13 Sep 2013 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov say talks in Geneva on ending Syria's chemical weapons program could help revive efforts toward a political transition to end the civil war.
• Rights Group Details Syrian Massacre VOA 13 Sep 2013 -- Atrocities and massacres have been regular occurrences in Syria's two-and-half year civil war, but Human Rights Watch provided details Friday about one of the worst massacres carried out by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
• Philippines: senior UN official calls for end to violence, urges opening of humanitarian corridor UN News Centre 13 Sep 2013 -- A senior United Nations official in the Philippines, on behalf of the UN humanitarian team and its partners, today called for an immediate end to the latest violence and said the team is ready to support the Government in delivering humanitarian aid to people affected by the armed clashes.
• Evacuations ordered as Mindanao fighting continues IRIN 13 Sep 2013 -- Authorities in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga under siege from rogue Muslim rebels opposed to peace talks have ordered the 'forced evacuation' of thousands of villagers as negotiations to end the standoff falter.
• DRC, UN troops push M23 rebels away from Goma Iran Press TV 13 Sep 2013 -- Congolese troops along with UN peacekeeping forces have pushed the March 23 (M23) rebels away from Goma, the main city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Central African Republic president dissolves Seleka rebel coalition Iran Press TV 13 Sep 2013 -- The president of the Central African Republic (CAR), Michel Djotodia, has ordered the dissolution of the Seleka rebel coalition.

News Reports

• Iran has right to uranium enrichment: Putin Iran Press TV 13 Sep 2013 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed Iran's nuclear energy program, saying the Islamic Republic has the right to peaceful use of nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment.
• Iran N-rights must be guaranteed for P5+1 talks: Zarif Iran Press TV 13 Sep 2013 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has reiterated the Islamic Republic's readiness to enter into talks with the P5+1 group of world powers provided that its nuclear rights are "guaranteed."
• Iran to Take Control of Bushehr Nuclear Plant on Sept. 24 RIA Novosti 13 Sep 2013 -- Iran's nuclear chief confirmed on Friday that operational control of the Bushehr nuclear plant would be handed over from Russia to Iran on September 24, the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency reported.
• Iran Ready to Guarantee Its Nuclear Program Peaceful – Rouhani RIA Novosti 13 Sep 2013 -- Iran can provide guarantees in the near future that its nuclear program is peaceful, but only if its right to develop atomic energy is respected, President Hassan Rouhani said Friday.
• Russia Fumes Over Its Dismissed Additions to UN's Al-Qaida List RIA Novosti 13 Sep 2013 -- Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday criticized the UN Security Council's recent refusal to extend the Al-Qaida Sanctions List on Moscow's request.
• Egypt acquits suspected killers of 2011 revolution Iran Press TV 13 Sep 2013 -- A court in Egypt has cleared all 14 defendants, including security forces, of charges of killing protesters in Suez City during the 2011 revolution which toppled the former dictator Hosni Mubarak, a judicial source says.