British Prime Minister Gordon Brown At Shawqat Forward Operating Base Near Lashkar Gah In Afghanistan....NSI News Source Info # 526

A British flag flies above British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as he greets soldiers at Shawqat Forward Operating Base near Lashkar Gah in Afghanistan's Helmand province March 6, 2010. Brown flew in to Afghanistan on Saturday to tour a recently captured Taliban stronghold as controversy grew in Britain over whether he had starved British forces of funding. Picture taken March 6, 2010.

ISAF Belgian Armed Forces Soldiers With Counterpart From Afghan National Army (ANA) In Operation near Kunduz, Afghanistan..NSI News Source Info # 525

Soldiers from the Belgian armed forces belonging to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) conduct a mine sweeping operation in Chahar Dara in the outskirts of Kunduz. The person in the center is an Afghan translator. German Bundeswehr armed forces, Belgian soldiers and soldiers from the Afghan National Army (ANA) came under fire by insurgents during the mission

Philippine Army Scout Rangers At Ceremony Parade In Manila....NSI News Source Info # 524

Philippine Army Scout Rangers march to honor the new army chief during a change-of-command ceremony Friday, March 12, 2010 at Fort Bonifacio Army parade grounds in Manila, Philippines. Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu assumed command of the biggest branch of the Philippine armed forces from Gen. Delfin Bangit, who was appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Colombian Soldiers In FARC Infested Territory....NSI News Source Info # 523

Colombian army soldiers unload supplies from a helicopter during an operation to relieve troops in Alto Guaduas, Caqueta state, in southern Colombia, a region with strong presence of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010.

US-Philippines Naval Force Drills In Manila Bay....NSI News Source Info # 522

US naval personnel and their Philippine counterparts take part in a mock 'visit, search and seizure' operation during a joint military exercise in Manila Bay on March 13, 2010. The combined US-Philippines naval force drills aimed at combating piracy and smuggling are part of the 'Balikatan' (shoulder-to-shoulder) military exercises between armed forces of the two allies.

DTN News: Putin Visit Seals Russian Arms, Nuclear Deals With India....NSI News Source Info # 521

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - March 13, 2010: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sealed a visit to India Friday with a raft of multi-billion-dollar arms and energy deals, including the construction of 16 Russian nuclear reactors.

The two countries also signed agreements for the long-awaited sale to India of a refitted Soviet-era aircraft carrier as well as 29 MiG fighter jets, further cementing Moscow's role as New Delhi's principal arms provider.

Energy-hungry India is one of the world's biggest markets for nuclear technology and the reactor deal is a triumph for Russia's state atomic agency Rosatom which faces stiff competition from French and US rivals.

While welcoming the deals, Putin stressed that the two Cold War allies were still short of realising the potential of their partnership, one half of the powerful four-strong group of emerging nations that includes China and Brazil.

"The level of our capabilities has not been reached," he said following talks with Indian Premier Manmohan Singh.Singh hailed the meeting with Russia -- a "trusted and reliable strategic partner" and a "pillar of our foreign policy" -- and pointed to the "rich and very substantive" agreements signed in nuclear energy, defence, space and other sectors.