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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 20 Feb 2013 [PDF]
• Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill Insurgents in Logar Province AFPS 20 Feb 2013 -- A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed three insurgents and detained one other during an operation in search of a Taliban leader in the Charkh district of Afghanistan's Logar province today, military officials reported.
• Gurkha troops return to Kent UK MOD 20 Feb 2013 -- Gurkha soldiers returned to the UK today as British forces continue to reduce troop numbers in Afghanistan and hand over to local security forces.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Panetta Notifies Congress DOD Preparing for Furloughs AFPS 20 Feb 2013 -- Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has notified Congress that the Defense Department is prepared to implement furloughs for civilian personnel in response to the threat of sequestration.
• Message to the Department from Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta on the Preparations for Potential Sequestration on March 1 and Furlough Notifications DoD 20 Feb 2013
• Air Force units help recover diverted Navy aircraft AFNS 20 Feb 2013 -- Airmen from units deployed in support of Cope North 13 transported an R-11 refueling truck on a C-130 Hercules aircraft from here to Rota Island Feb. 13, to recover a Navy F/A-18 Hornet that diverted there due to weather a day prior.
• MV-22 Ospreys Land on Bonhomme Richard NNS 20 Feb 2013 -- For the first time while forward-deployed, amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) conducted landing operations with the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, Feb. 19.
• VAW-112 Wins Battle 'E' NNS 20 Feb 2013 -- Commander Naval Air Forces awarded the 2012 Pacific Fleet Battle Efficiency ('E') award to the 'Golden Hawks' Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 112 for the VAW Carrier Air Wing (CVW) category, Feb. 12.
• Army researchers develop better remote sensors Army News 20 Feb 2013 -- Robert Pazda says his team within the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center is accustomed to having to fit 10 pounds of equipment into a five-pound bag. But his team's latest project -- the Global Strike Near Real Time Battle Data Assessment System -- could change all that.
• Army must shift focus from execution to preparation Army News 20 Feb 2013 -- The Army must transition now from a force of execution to one of preparation, said the commander of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command.
• 2nd Supply Battalion gears up for Rolling Thunder USMC News 20 Feb 2013 -- Marines and sailors with 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group spent a week in the field here, from Feb. 4 to 7, to train on communications, security and logistical support techniques, which are all key elements for Exercise Rolling Thunder.
• 31st MEU learns jungle tricks from Thais USMC News 20 Feb 2013 -- Surrounded by thick jungle as far as the eye can see, a Marine separated from his unit must come to the realization that survival requires effort. Finding food, water and shelter is the difference between life and death. From the leaves on the trees to the bugs crawling across the ground, anything around you can either harm you or help you.
• Hercules supports bilateral aerial delivery exercise USMC News 20 Feb 2013 -- Thai and U.S. Marines executed a bilateral static line jump and military freefall training exercise from a KC-130J Hercules aircraft Feb. 15 during exercise Cobra Gold 2013 near Utapao Royal Thai Navy Air Field, Kingdom of Thailand.
• White House Unveils New Strategy Against Trade Secret Thefts VOA 20 Feb 2013 -- The Obama administration has unveiled a new strategy to help protect American companies from economic espionage and thefts of trade secrets, an issue linked to intensified concerns about cyber espionage.
• China rejects US report blaming it for cyber espionage Iran Press TV 20 Feb 2013 -- China has again denied new US claims accusing Chinese military of launching cyberattacks on major American government agencies and corporations, in turn blaming Washington for sponsoring such attacks against Beijing.
• U.S., China Accuse Each Other Over Cyberattacks RFE/RL 20 Feb 2013 -- The United States and China have traded accusations following a wave of cyberattacks targeting U.S. government agencies, media organizations, and private firms.
• China's Army Denies Launching Cyberattacks on US Firms RIA Novosti 20 Feb 2013 -- China's Defense Ministry officially denied on Wednesday that it was behind cyber-attacks on American companies and organizations.
• Chinese Army Rejects US Report on Cyber Hacking VOA 20 Feb 2013 -- China is adamantly denying a report by a U.S.-based Internet security group that accuses Beijing's army of carrying out a 'long-running and extensive cyber espionage campaign' against American government and business targets.
• Russian Military Plans to Buy New Aerial Tankers – Source RIA Novosti 20 Feb 2013 -- The Defense Ministry and Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) are close to signing a deal for new Ilyushin Il-78 Midas aerial refuelling tankers for the Russian Air Force, a UAC source told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
• Later Borey Class Subs to Carry Only 16 Missiles – Source RIA Novosti 20 Feb 2013 -- Russia's upgraded Project 955A (Borey-A) class nuclear-powered strategic submarines will carry only 16 Bulava ballistic missiles each rather than the 20 missiles previously reported, a senior defense industry source said on Wednesday.
• Russia Probes 25 Defense Ministry Fraud Cases RIA Novosti 20 Feb 2013 -- The Russian authorities are investigating about 25 separate instances of fraud in the widely-publicized Oboronservis case involving illegal sale of the Russian Defense Ministry's property, Prosecutor General Yury Chaika said on Wednesday.
• Russian Military to Develop Anti-Meteorite Defenses RIA Novosti 20 Feb 2013 -- The Russian Aerospace Defense Forces will develop a series of measures aimed at protecting the Russian soil from falling meteorites and other dangerous space objects, commander of the western military district's aviation Maj. Gen. Igor Makushev said on Wednesday.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 02/20/2013 The White House 20 Feb 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 20, 2013

Other Conflicts

• Lavrov Offers Russia As Platform For Syrian Dialogue RFE/RL 20 Feb 2013 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says his country is still prepared to act as a platform for talks between Syria's government and the opposition.
• Government Airstrike Destroys Damascus City Block VOA 20 Feb 2013 -- A Syrian government airstrike over a Damascus suburb on Wednesday destroyed parts of a city block, killing or wounding dozens. The strike came amid intensified government shelling of rebel-held districts in and around the capital in recent days.
• Sri Lanka's quest for meaningful reconciliation IRIN 20 Feb 2013 -- Fifteen months after a "reconciliation" commission submitted to the Sri Lankan government its recommendations following a probe into the country's final years of the 1983-2009 civil conflict, little has happened according to local civil society and a recent UN report.
• Hope for Mali's Gao residents as road opens IRIN 20 Feb 2013 -- Since military intervention began over a month ago in northern Mali, the city of Gao has been cut off from major markets, leading to shortages of basic goods, skyrocketing food prices and a reliance on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide water and electricity. Two days ago the road from central Mali's Mopti reopened, giving hope to residents that the situation might ease.
• Despite reforms, key human rights issues remain unaddressed in Myanmar – UN expert UN News Centre 20 Feb 2013 -- A United Nations independent expert today welcomed the reforms that have been taking place in Myanmar while stressing that key human rights issues remain unaddressed, particularly in the states of Kachin and Rakhine where violence has displaced thousands of people.

News Reports

• North Korea says will respond to possible 'hostile' US actions Iran Press TV 20 Feb 2013 -- North Korea says its latest nuclear test was a 'self-defense' measure in the face of increasing threats by the United States.
• South Korea Brushes Off North's 'Final Destruction' Threat VOA 20 Feb 2013 -- South Korea's top national security official, in an exclusive VOA interview, says there is no cause for alarm amid a fresh North Korean threat to destroy the South.
• Leader's remarks on nuclear weapons, US talks Iran Press TV 20 Feb 2013 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei touches upon key issues such as Iran's stance on nuclear weapons, talks with the United States and domestic politics.
• Nuclear talks progress depends on change in West tone: Iran MP Iran Press TV 20 Feb 2013 -- Iran Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani says the progress of nuclear talks with Iran requires a change in the behavior and tone of the Western countries.
• IRGC to hold military exercise in eastern Iran: Iranian cmdr. Iran Press TV 20 Feb 2013 -- A senior Iranian commander says the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) plans to hold the Great Prophet 8 military drill in eastern Iran.
• Wanted by Interpol, Iran's Ex-Intelligence Minister To Run For President RFE/RL 20 Feb 2013 -- One of the most-feared figures of Iran's Islamic establishment has announced his candidacy in the country's June 14 presidential vote.
• Hezbollah arrests Lebanese man spying for Mossad Iran Press TV 20 Feb 2013 -- Lebanon's resistance movement of Hezbollah has arrested a Lebanese national in the city of Baalbek on charges of cooperating with Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.
• Libya Debates Banning Gadhafi Associates from Public Life VOA 20 Feb 2013 -- Libyan lawmakers are debating a proposal to ban associates of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi from public office. Protesters outside Tripoli's Rixos Hotel, where parliament meets, say the issue is clear-cut: those who profited from the 42-year Libyan dictatorship should not be allowed to benefit from the revolution.
• How justice works in Pakistan's tribal areas and beyond IRIN 20 Feb 2013 -- Justice in Pakistan's tribal border areas is a contested issue.
• Australian Summit Ponders Mining in Space VOA 20 Feb 2013 -- Academics, miners and space industrialists are gathering in Sydney Wednesday to discuss the possibilities and logistics of mining other planets. Scientists argue that they will eventually overcome the huge expenses and technical difficulties of extracting minerals from asteroids, and even the Moon or Mars.
• Millions in Africa's Sahel region will continue to require food aid, says UN agency UN News Centre 20 Feb 2013 -- A year after the international community launched a massive humanitarian response to the food crisis affecting Africa's Sahel region, millions of people there are still affected by drought and require assistance, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
• French Specialists Resume Work at Chernobyl Disaster Site RIA Novosti 20 Feb 2013 -- The French-led consortium Novarka resumed work on the construction of a new confinement dome over the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) press service said on its website on Wednesday.