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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 03 Jan 2013 [PDF]
• Afghan War Effort a Key Obama Foreign Policy Issue VOA 03 Jan 2013 -- One of the major foreign policy issues facing President Barack Obama during his second term in office will be winding down the conflict in Afghanistan, America's longest war.
• Security Force Arrests Taliban Leader in Kandahar Province AFPS 03 Jan 2013 -- An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader during an operation in the Shah Wali Kot district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.
• US Drone Strike Kills Top Pakistani Militant VOA 03 Jan 2013 -- Intelligence officials in Pakistan say U.S. drone strikes have killed more than 14 al-Qaida-linked militants, including an important commander of the Pakistani Taliban in the country's volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
• Pakistani Militant Commander Reportedly Killed In U.S. Drone Attack RFE/RL 03 Jan 2013 -- Large crowds have reportedly turned out in Pakistan's South Waziristan to mourn the death of senior Islamic militant commander Mullah Nazir.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Obama Signs $633 Billion Defense Authorization Act AFPS 03 Jan 2013 -- President Barack Obama signed the $633 billion fiscal 2013 National Defense Authorization Act into law yesterday.
• General Officer Assignments DoD 03 Jan 2013
• Far East District, 8th Fighter Wing open final wing of new maintenance facility Army News 03 Jan 2013 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Far East District and members of the U.S. Air Force's 8th Fighter Wing 'Wolf Pack' cut the ribbon on the final phase of a new maintenance complex at Kunsan Air Base Dec. 18.
• Last Deployment for 'Wizards' on Stennis NNS 03 Jan 2013 -- The flight deck shakes, an arresting wire is caught and twin turbojet engines roar as an EA-6B Prowler from the 'Wizards' of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133 lands on the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) during its current deployment in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.
• FASTCENT Platoon Returns to Bahrain NNS 03 Jan 2013 -- U.S. Marines assigned to Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Company, Central Command (FASTCENT), Charlie 5 Platoon, returned to Bahrain, after a 111-day deployment to Sana'a, Yemen, Jan. 1.
• Navy Implements Changes to INSURV Program NNS 03 Jan 2013 -- The president of the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) rolled out major changes to the frequency and grading method of the INSURV program effective Jan. 1.
• SUBLANT Announces 2012 Battle 'E' Winners NNS 03 Jan 2013 -- The commander of Submarine Force Atlantic (COMSUBLANT) announced the winners of the 2012 Battle Efficiency (Battle 'E') competition in an official message Jan. 1.
• SecAF, CMSAF visit Southwest Asia AFNS 03 Jan 2013 -- Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy visited the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Dec. 29 and 30, as part of an overall trip to U.S. Air Forces Central Command's area of responsibility to thank Airmen for their service during the holidays.
• Air Force support to joint-interagency effort for 2013 Presidential Inauguration AFNS 03 Jan 2013 -- More than 5,000 service members from active, Guard and Reserve components of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and other federal, state and local agencies will take part in the nation's 57th Presidential Inauguration Jan 21.
• Senate Confirms Clarke as Air National Guard Chief AFPS 03 Jan 2013 -- Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley E. 'Sid' Clarke III, commander of the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and 1st Air Force, has been confirmed by the Senate to be the next director of the Air National Guard.
• Russian Navy to Get Over 50 New Warships by 2016 RIA Novosti 03 Jan 2013 -- The Russian Navy will get over 50 new warships by 2016, including strategic nuclear submarines and special operations support vessels, the Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.
• Indian Govt imposes five per cent cut in defense budget IRNA 03 Jan 2013 -- The government of India has imposed around five per cent cut in the Rs 1.93 lakh crore defense budget in view of the economic slowdown following which key deals like procurement of 126 multi-role combat aircraft are likely to be pushed to the next fiscal.
• Keeping the UK military on the map UK MOD 03 Jan 2013 -- The experts at the Defence Geographic Centre near London are keeping UK Armed Forces worldwide on the right track.
• Taiwan names new military chief of general staff CNA 03 Jan 2013 -- Taiwan has named Gen. Yen Ming as chief of general staff in the Ministry of National Defense, the ministry said in a statement Thursday.
• CAR President Sacks Defense Minister VOA 03 Jan 2013 -- The president of the Central African Republic has fired his son as defense minister and assumed the post himself following the failure of the army to fight off rebels who have seized a third of the country.
• January 3, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 03 Jan 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 03, 2013

Other Conflicts

• 3 January 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 03 Jan 2013
• 3 January 2013 - Press Conference by Security Council President on Work Programme for January United Nations 03 Jan 2013
• 3 January 2013 - Press Conference on Ending of South Africa's Two-year Security Council Tenure United Nations 03 Jan 2013
• Syrian Activists: At Least 9 Dead in Damascus Car Bombing VOA 03 Jan 2013 -- Opposition activists say a car bomb in the Syrian capital has killed at least 9 people, and say the death toll is expected to rise because many of the wounded are in critical condition.
• Rebels Continue Attacks on Syrian Military Airport VOA 03 Jan 2013 -- Opposition activists say Syrian rebels have launched another attack near the Taftanaz military airport, an apparent bid to weaken the government's air power.
• Security Council to give special focus to terrorism and UN peacekeeping, says President UN News Centre 03 Jan 2013 -- United Nations peacekeeping and tackling terrorism, issues which are particularly relevant for Pakistan, as well as for the wider international community, will feature prominently in the work of the Security Council in January, the 15-member body's president said today.
• DRC, M23 Peace Talks to Resume in Uganda Friday VOA 03 Jan 2013 -- A spokesman for Uganda's government says talks between the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 group are scheduled to resume Friday, despite threats by the rebels to pull out.
• Armed Groups in DRC Agree to Ceasefire VOA 03 Jan 2013 -- Several armed groups in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo have agreed to a ceasefire, and an alliance, after months of ethnic conflict. Observers say it is the first time the armed groups have reached such an extensive agreement, but they are worried that it may not last.
• Secretary-General Ban welcomes meeting of leaders of Sudan and South Sudan UN News Centre 03 Jan 2013 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomes the holding on Friday of a meeting of the leaders of Sudan and South Sudan, aimed at resolving a range of issues between their countries, according to his spokesperson.
• Turkish Government in Talks with Kurdish Rebel Chief VOA 03 Jan 2013 -- The Turkish government is in talks with the imprisoned Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan. However, questions remain as to whether the government is ready to make necessary reforms to persuade rebels to give up their fight when Kurdish nationalism across the region is increasing.
• UN concerned about protection of civilians amid reports of violence in Central African Republic UN News Centre 03 Jan 2013 -- The United Nations humanitarian office has voiced serious concerns about the protection of civilians amid reports of widespread looting and violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), where an armed rebel group had threatened to march on the capital.
• Taiwan protests Vietnam law that claims South China Sea islands CNA 03 Jan 2013 -- Taiwan has voiced strong concern and protest over a new maritime law enacted by Vietnam that claims two disputed island chains in the South China Sea as its territories, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Steve Hsia said Thursday.
• MALI: Frustration over government inaction IRIN 03 Jan 2013 -- Malians forced to live under strict religious rules since Islamist groups captured the country's northern region nine months ago, and those who fled south, are frustrated by perceived central government inaction.

News Reports

• Ally: Venezuelan President's Health 'Very Worrying' RFE/RL 03 Jan 2013 -- An ally of Hugo Chavez, Bolivian President Evo Morales, says the condition of the Venezuelan president is "very worrying."
• Parties competing in the 2013 Elections ISRAEL DIPLOMATIC NETWORK 03 Jan 2013
• Rising Violence Against Egyptian Women Worries Rights Activists VOA 03 Jan 2013 -- Women played a major role in the revolution that brought down Egypt's old government. But nearly two years on, many say they have seen little reward. In terms of physical security, activists say the plight of women is getting worse.
• From Mass Murders To Fatal Crash, Kazakhstan's Border Service In Disarray RFE/RL 03 Jan 2013 -- Securing the 12,000-kilometer border of the world's ninth-largest country has never been an easy task.
• Iraq Car Bomb Kills At Least 19 Shi'ite Pilgrims RFE/RL 03 Jan 2013 -- Reports from Iraq say a car bomb explosion tore through a crowd of Shi'ite pilgrims, killing at least 19 people and wounded more than 40 others south of Baghdad.
• Iraq Car Bomb Kills at Least 15 Shi'ite Pilgrims VOA 03 Jan 2013 -- Iraqi authorities say a car bomb has killed at least 15 Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims during a religious procession in the country's south.
• Pakistani Polio-Vaccination Campaign Resumes Under Tight Security RFE/RL 03 Jan 2013 -- Authorities in a district in Pakistan's troubled northwest have resumed a polio-vaccination campaign that had been halted after a wave of attacks last month on health workers involved in the program.