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Pakistani Taliban Call For Ceasefire In Video Statement -- The GuardianExperts dismiss statements from group as 'posturing', amid evidence Taliban's hold on border communities has weakenedThe Taliban in Pakistan have said they want to negotiate a ceasefire in a video statement by their leader, Hakemullah Mehsud.The video, delivered to the Reuters news...

U.S. Drone Strikes In Yemen Increase -- McClatchy NewsSANAA, Yemen — In the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden, Yemen – home to al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula – has come close to eclipsing Pakistan as a key focus of American counter-terrorism efforts.In 2011, then-CIA director...

U.S. Navy Seaman Kenia Palacio signals to the aircrew of an EA-18G Growler as it taxis off the flightline on Naval Air Facility Misawa, Japan, Dec. 28, 2012. Palacio is an aviation machinist's mate airman assigned tthe line division of Electronic Attack Squadron 132, which is on...

Which Is Better, The Starship Enterprise Or The USS Enterprise? -- Stars and StripesCORVALLIS, Ore. — This has been an eventful month for the most famous ship name in the world — the USS Enterprise. On December 1, the U.S. Navy retired the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65)...

Afghan Air Force C-27A. WikipediaUS Scraps Entire Fleet Of Afghan Cargo Planes -- Stars and StripesKABUL — The U.S. military is scrapping the Afghan air force’s entire fleet of Italian-made cargo planes, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.U.S. and Afghan officials told the paper...

The Perils Of The Frontlines Of War -- Christopher Dickey, Daily BeastAfter decades in the trenches, a Newsweek correspondent reflects on the perils of war. By Christopher DickeyDo you want to know what it’s like to stare in horror, and fascination, at a human head so thoroughly...

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan travels through the Pacific Ocean with other ships assigned to the Rim of the Pacific 2010 exercise, north of Hawaii, July 24, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan McCord America's Superpower Status Goes Over the Fiscal Cliff...

This picture received from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on December 12, 2012 shows the rocket Unha-3, carrying the satellite Kwangmyongsong-3, being monitored on a large screen at a satellite control center in North Korea.U.S. Official: North Korea Likely...

Apocalypse Not Quite Yet -- Christopher Dickey, Daily BeastThe Middle East and North Africa are teetering on the brink. Notwithstanding sundry doomsday predictions—from the Mayans to Nostradamus and the ever-impending threat of Armageddon—we can now say with some assurance that the...

Russia Calls For Meeting With Syrian Opposition -- New York TimesMOSCOW — Russia has shown a burst of diplomatic energy before talks here on Saturday with the United Nations envoy on Syria, perhaps seeing a chance for a breakthrough that would temper the criticism it has drawn in the West and the Arab world during the course of the nearly two-year-old...

Artist's rendering of the new Zumwalt-class destroyer. US Navy 'Back To The Future' Warships Take Shape -- UT San DiegoA futuristic class of destroyers that will be homeported in San Diego reached a key development milestone earlier this month at a shipyard in Maine, where the 900-ton...

Oliver Stone To RT: ‘US Has Become An Orwellian State’ -- RTAmericans are living in an Orwellian state argue Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick, as they sit down with RT to discuss US foreign policy and the Obama administration’s disregard for the rule of law.­Both argue that Obama is a wolf in sheep’s clothing...

Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan wash down the flight deck to remove potential radiation contamination while operating off the coast of Japan providing humanitarian assistance in support of Operation Tomodachi on March 22, 2011. Nicholas A. Groesch / Reuters...

US Soldier Suicides Outnumber Combat Deaths In 2012 -- CBSWASHINGTON (CBS DC) – American soldier suicides continue to outnumber combat-related deaths in 2012, and the trajectory for soldier suicides continues to get worse.Statistics released by the Department of the Army show that...

Iraqi Sunnis Hold Protest Against Shi'ite-Led Government -- Voice of Americaens of thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets in a Sunni-dominated western province, the latest in a series of demonstrations against the country's Shi'ite-led government.The protesters blockaded a main highway Friday in Anbar province west of the capital, Baghdad, holding...

Navy Chief Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari orders the commencement of the exercises. PayvandIran Starts Six-Day Hormuz Strait Drill to Show ‘Readiness’ -- Bloomberg BusinessweekIran’s naval forces started a six- day military exercise around the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for...

10 Conflicts To Watch In 2013 -- Foreign PolicyFrom Turkey to Congo, next year's wars threaten global stability.Every year, around the world, old conflicts worsen, new ones emerge and, occasionally, some situations improve. There is no shortage of storm clouds looming over 2013: Once again, hotspots old and new will present a challenge to the security...

Central African Republic To Hold Talks With Rebels -- BBCThe government of the Central African Republic and rebels have agreed to hold talks after weeks of clashes.A regional delegation said no pre-conditions had been set for the talks which will be held in Libreville, capital of...

Spending the day with friends who are visiting from out of town (i.e. shopping, eating, drinking, the usual Holiday cheer). Regular blogging will return early this eveni...

2013: Time For US Strategy To Get Real -- Aol DefenseAs the old year dies, AOL Defense has asked its expert Board of Contributors to look ahead at the next (click here for the whole 2013 forecast series). Today we hear from Col. (retired) Douglas Macgregor, a decorated combat veteran...