US Mission Geneva

Like its response to political unrest in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, the Obama administration’s reaction to the violence in Syria has been based on opposition to regime violence, support for universal human rights and for reforms.

We’ve got some very significant threats to confront, and that’s why we developed this new defense strategy, which we think represents a very effective force for the future.

“Through its repeated violations of human rights, the regime has lost its legitimacy and its right to rule the country,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in prepared testimony for a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing March 7.

“We are going to be largely transitioning to a support role for the Afghan army as they take over these different areas in the future,” Panetta said.

The duty to rescue ships in distress has been common maritime practice for centuries. Its most current codification is in Article 98 of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The strategy outlined by President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta January 5 reaffirms the U.S. commitment to European security and ensures continued ability to meet NATO commitments.

A U.S. Navy ship has rescued 13 Iranians being held hostage by pirates in the Arabian Sea, days after Iran warned U.S. vessels not to return to the Persian Gulf.

More than 18,000 U.S. military personnel have delivered 240 tons of supplies to quake-stricken Japan, with 19 ships and more than 130 aircraft participating in an operation they’re calling Tomodachi, the Japanese word for “friend.”

Defense Department: Coalition members fired 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libya’s integrated air and missile defense system today as a precursor to setting up a no-fly zone over the country, Pentagon officials said.