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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 08 Feb 2013 [PDF]
• Combined Force Arrests Explosives Expert in Takhar Province AFPS 08 Feb 2013 -- An Afghan and coalition security force arrested an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader during an operation in the Yangi Qal'ah district of Afghanistan's Takhar province, military officials reported.
• Triple Nickel arrives, takes over engineer mission in Afghanistan Army News 08 Feb 2013 -- The 555th Engineer Brigade completed its transfer of authority ceremony with the 411th Eng. Bde. here at Bagram Air Field, Feb. 3, officially assuming command of the Theater Joint Engineer Brigade in Afghanistan.
• New Windsor engineers return home after successful Afghan mission Army News 08 Feb 2013 -- Approximately 125 Army Reserve engineers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 411th Engineer Brigade returned home Thursday, Feb. 7, after nine months in Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Obama Lauds Panetta for Decades of Public Service AFPS 08 Feb 2013 -- Citing nearly 50 years of public service that began in the uniform of an Army lieutenant, President Barack Obama said soon-to-retire Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has kept alive and protected the dream his parents sought when they came to the United States from Italy.
• Dempsey: Panetta Made Our Nation Safer AFPS 08 Feb 2013 -- Like the character Prospero in Shakespeare's "Tempest," Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has imbued a sense of public service in generations of men and women, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said during a farewell ceremony for Panetta at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
• AF leaders: Sequestration, more budget cuts will be devastating AFNS 08 Feb 2013 -- Sequestration would leave the Air Force with untrained people, a lack of equipment and be 'devastating' to the service, officials said Feb. 7.
• 'No Reason' for Automatic Spending Cuts, Obama Says AFPS 08 Feb 2013 -- Deep, across-the-board spending cuts slated to take effect March 1 in the absence of congressional action could severely affect military readiness and should not happen, President Barack Obama said during a farewell tribute to retiring Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
• DOD Official: Cuts, Lack of Budget Form 'Nightmare Scenario' AFPS 08 Feb 2013 -- Major across-the-board defense spending cuts set to kick in March 1 and the possibility of the government operating under a continuing resolution instead of a budget for the rest of the year pose a "nightmare scenario" for the Defense Department, a senior Pentagon official said in New York this week.
• Lack of Funding Affects USS Lincoln Refueling and Complex Overhaul NNS 08 Feb 2013 -- The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) will not start due to a lack of funding, the Navy said Feb. 8.
• NAVFAC Southwest Awards $4.5 Million Contract for Geotechnical Engineering Service NNS 08 Feb 2013 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest awarded RORE Inc. a $4.5 million indefinite quantity architecture-engineer (A-E) design and engineering services contract Jan. 17 for architect-engineer services, geotechnical consultation, subsurface investigation, and material testing for various projects.
• NMCB-11 Announced as Recipient of Prestigious Peltier Award for FY 2012 NNS 08 Feb 2013 -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 was selected as the recipient of the Rear Admiral Eugene J. Peltier Award for fiscal year 2012, Jan. 31.
• Cannon debuts latest in moving target technology AFNS 08 Feb 2013 -- Explosions shook the air as the white truck, almost invisible through the dust and smoke, weaved its way across a training range towing a target being shot at by 40mm rounds from aircraft patrolling the sky.
• Locklear Calls for Indo-Asia-Pacific Cooperation AFPS 08 Feb 2013 -- Cooperation across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region is vital to dealing not only with the security challenges associated with global warming and natural disasters, but also to better address transnational threats and resolve differences that cause destabilizing friction, the top U.S. commander in the region said.
• Senior Executive Service Announcements DoD 08 Feb 2013
• McFaul Sailors Roll up their Sleeves while Visiting Key West NNS 08 Feb 2013 -- Thirty Sailors from guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) contributed more than 100 man-hours to the community during a weekend port visit to Key West, Jan. 26-27.
• BMU-1 Mission Ready for Amphibious Operations NNS 08 Feb 2013 -- The embarked Beachmaster Unit (BMU) 1 Beach Team Foxtrot await their next objective while maintaining equipment and fine-tuning mission readiness in the well deck of amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5).
• Supply Ships Arrive in Antarctica for Operation Deep Freeze AFPS 08 Feb 2013 -- A hulking Military Sealift Command-chartered tanker ship is expected to begin offloading millions of gallons of fuel in Antarctica as part of the Defense Department's Operation Deep Freeze mission, which supplies the National Science Foundation at one of the world's most remote scientific outposts.
• NSSA Expedites Gas Turbine Generator Swap for USS Gravely NNS 08 Feb 2013 -- Norfolk Ship Support Activity (NSSA) completed a gas turbine generator (GTG) change out on USS Gravely (DDG 107) Jan. 25.
• 304th Expeditionary Signal Battalion cases its colors Army News 08 Feb 2013 -- The 304th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 1st Signal Brigade gathered in the camp gymnasium 14 Dec. to case the battalion colors.
• Helicopter loading system lightens burden on Soldiers Army News 08 Feb 2013 -- With a primary mission of moving troops, equipment and life-saving supplies on the battlefield, the Chinook helicopter remains the heavy lift workhorse for Army aviation.
• India developing Agni-VI ballistic missile IRNA 08 Feb 2013 -- India on Friday said it is developing a long-range nuclear-capable Agni-VI ballistic missile that would carry multiple warheads allowing one weapon system to take out several targets at a time.
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney, Federal Controller of OMB Danny Werfel, and Principal Deputy Director of NEC Jason Furman on the Impact of the Sequester, 02/08/2013 The White House 08 Feb 2013
• February 8, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 08 Feb 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 08, 2013

Other Conflicts

• 8 February 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 08 Feb 2013
• 8 February 2013 - Press Conference by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs United Nations 08 Feb 2013
• Disruption of sanitation services in Syria putting children's health at risk – UNICEF UN News Centre 08 Feb 2013 -- The severe disruption of water and sanitation services and a lack of access to basic hygiene in Syria have increased the risk of water-borne diseases among children, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today warned, following a nationwide assessment.
• China Denies Aiming Radar at Japanese Ships RIA Novosti 08 Feb 2013 -- China on Friday denied Japan's claim that a Chinese frigate directed a fire-control radar at Japanese vessels in the East China Sea.
• Balance needed as international assistance to Mali ramps up – UN official UN News Centre 08 Feb 2013 -- International efforts to help Mali emerge from its current crisis must be carefully balanced so that adequate security assistance is provided but, at the same time, Malians remain in charge and engaged in making progress on the political front, a top United Nations official said.
• French Troops Capture Key Airport in Northern Mali VOA 08 Feb 2013 -- French forces battling Islamist militants in northern Mali have taken a strategic airport near the Algerian border.
• Call for humanitarian access after clashes in North Darfur IRIN 08 Feb 2013 -- The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is calling for better access to tens of thousands of people displaced by recent inter-tribal fighting in gold-mining areas of Sudan's North Darfur State.
• Lack of funds hits refugee health care in Lebanon IRIN 08 Feb 2013 -- The Lebanese government and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) say they are trying to scale up their assistance to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees but are hampered by a lack of funds.

News Reports

• Obama's CIA Nominee Grilled on Drones, Torture RIA Novosti 08 Feb 2013 -- US lawmakers on Thursday pressed President Barack Obama's choice as America's next spy chief on issues of transparency, torture and extrajudicial killings in the nation's global counterterrorism operations.
• Analyst: N. Korean Nuclear Test Could Worsen China Relations VOA 08 Feb 2013 -- As the world waits to see if North Korea will follow through on threats to conduct a third nuclear test, VOA spoke with Professor Jin Canrong at China's Renmin University's School of International Studies about the state of relations between Beijing and Pyongyang. Professor Canrong says China's relations with North Korea have deteriorated since Pyongyang's long-range rocket launch in December, and could further worsen should the North carry out its nuclear test.
• FM Spokesman: No talks with US possible as long as it has not changed its behavior IRNA 08 Feb 2013 -- Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, said here late Thursday that negotiation with US within framework of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei would not happen as long as Americans have not changed their attitude and have not apologized to the Iranian nation due to 60 years of its hostile and oppressive measures.
• Ex-Spy Service Officer Found Guilty of Coup Plot RIA Novosti 08 Feb 2013 -- The Moscow City Court found former military intelligence officer Vladimir Kvachkov guilty of masterminding an armed coup and sentenced him to 13 years in prison, the judge said at the end of the trial on Friday.
• After latest attacks, UN envoy appeals to Iraqi leadership to unite sectarian groups UN News Centre 08 Feb 2013 -- The top United Nations official in Iraq has urged the country's leadership to take immediate and necessary measures to stop sectarian violence from spreading, following a series of bombings that killed and injured dozens of civilians.
• Iraq Hit by Multiple Bombings VOA 08 Feb 2013 -- Four car bomb explosions shook parts of Iraq Friday, killing at least 26 people.
• Saakashvili Gives Controversial Address Amid Protests RFE/RL 08 Feb 2013 -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili delivered an annual address in Tbilisi amid a growing political crisis in the country that forced him to change the venue and time of his speech.'
• Yemen needs Security Council support to continue political transition, UN envoy says UN News Centre 08 Feb 2013 -- Yemen needs the full support of the Security Council as it proceeds to the next phase of its nascent political transition, a United Nations envoy told the 15-member body, which recently visited the country.
• Tunisian Mourners, Police Clash at Opposition Leader's Funeral VOA 08 Feb 2013 -- Clashes between police and protesters have broken out in Tunis during the funeral of a slain secular opposition leader.
• Political violence must not derail Tunisia's transition, Bans says following assassination UN News Centre 08 Feb 2013 -- Secretary-General strongly condemned the assassination earlier this week of Tunisian political leader Chokri Belaid, while also encouraging the North African nation to move forward with its democratic transition.
• Tunisians Mourn Slain Opposition Leader VOA 08 Feb 2013 -- Clashes between police and protesters broke out in Tunis Friday during the funeral of a slain secular opposition leader. Tens of thousands of mourners poured into the streets of the Tunisian capital for the burial procession for Cholri Belaid, gunned down earlier this week as he left his Tunis home.
• Historic Senegal Court Begins Habré Trial VOA 08 Feb 2013 -- Senegal made history on Friday with the inauguration of a special court to try former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré for crimes against humanity. Human Rights Watch described the official opening of this landmark case as a "transformative moment in African justice."
• Arianespace Orbits Azerbaijani, Spanish Satellites RIA Novosti 08 Feb 2013 -- Arianespace has successfully launched two telecommunications satellites from French Guiana, the French space transportation company has reported.