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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 21 Feb 2013 [PDF]
• Navy Delivers Two Coastal Patrol Boats to Iraq NNS 21 Feb 2013 -- The U.S. Navy delivered two more 35-meter patrol boats (PB-310 and PB-311) to the Iraqi navy at the Umm Qasr naval facility in Iraq, Feb. 17, after each craft successfully completed reactivation in Bahrain.
• Combined Force Arrests Insurgents in Kunduz Province AFPS 21 Feb 2013 -- A combined Afghan and coalition security force in Kunduz district of Afghanistan's Kunduz province arrested six insurgents today during a search for an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader, military officials reported.
• Albanian Special Operations Forces transfer of authority Army News 21 Feb 2013 -- The Republic of Albania, Special Operations Forces team Eagle 5, which has served in Afghanistan for seven months, transferred authority of their missions in the district of Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, to team Eagle 6 in a ceremony Feb. 14 here.
• NATO Ponders Afghan Troop Strength, Official Says AFPS 21 Feb 2013 -- NATO defense ministers gathered here are considering proposals to keep the number of Afghan national security forces at 325,000 for the next five years, although a previous plan set the future force at about 240,000, according to a NATO official.
• Commando Brigade, battalions assume mission in Afghanistan Army News 21 Feb 2013 -- Key leaders from the 2nd Brigade, 203rd Corps, Afghan National Army; 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; and Task Force 'Commandos,' 2nd Security Forces Assistance Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (LI), Forward Operating Base, Sharana, attended a transfer of authority ceremony Feb. 13 at Forward Operating Base Thunder, Afghanistan.
• Joint Intelligence training, a smart affair Army News 21 Feb 2013 -- Soldiers assigned and attached to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, Third Infantry Division, Combined Task Force Raider, along with the intelligence section of the 2nd Kandak, 205th Corps, Afghanistan National Army, as well as Romanian intelligence officers attended a multinational intelligence training event hosted by the ANA and facilitated by British contractors here, Feb. 11.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Possible Furloughs Could Affect Guard Members Nationwide AFPS 21 Feb 2013 -- National Guard members nationwide -- especially military technicians -- could be affected by the Defense Department's furlough without pay of civilian employees that could begin in late April unless Congress overrides a "sequestration" provision in budget law that would mandate deep spending cuts beginning March 1.
• NATO Meetings Focus on Capabilities, Readiness AFPS 21 Feb 2013 -- Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta spent today discussing NATO capabilities and readiness during the two-day alliance defense ministers gathering under way here.
• Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Deploys NNS 21 Feb 2013 -- The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG), with nearly 4,500 Sailors, deployed from Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Station Mayport, Fla., Feb. 21, to support operations in the U.S. Navy's 5th and 6th Fleets.
• What to Expect when Force Protection Conditions Change NNS 21 Feb 2013 -- As Exercise Citadel Shield 2013 (CS13) continues through March 1, personnel can expect changes throughout Naval District Washington.
• Navy Develops Modular Rifle Racks for Marine Vehicles NNS 21 Feb 2013 -- Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Panama City delivered modular rifle rack kits to the U.S. Marine Corps for its Buffalo mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles, Naval Sea Systems Command announced Feb. 21.
• ONR-Funded Software Boosts Marines Civilian Operations at Fleet Exercise NNS 21 Feb 2013 -- New software that takes advantage of mobile devices to streamline civilian assistance operations has received encouraging feedback from Marines who tested it Feb. 11-21 during one of the largest annual multinational military exercises.
• VR-62 'Nomads' Return from NAVCENT Detachment NNS 21 Feb 2013 -- The 'Nomads' of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VR) 62 returned Feb. 13, after 10 weeks in Navy Central Command (NAVCENTCOM) Area of Responsibility.
• Navy Delivers Two Coastal Patrol Boats to Iraq NNS 21 Feb 2013 -- The U.S. Navy delivered two more 35-meter patrol boats (PB-310 and PB-311) to the Iraqi navy at the Umm Qasr naval facility in Iraq, Feb. 17, after each craft successfully completed reactivation in Bahrain.
• Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story Conducts Citadel Shield 2013 NNS 21 Feb 2013 -- The crew of the landing dock ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41), the Coast Guard and the Virginia Beach Fire Department participated in Citadel Shield 2013 at Joint Expeditionary Base (JEB) Little Creek-Fort Story Feb. 21.
• Spending Cuts Would Cause Chaos, Carter Says AFPS 21 Feb 2013 -- Deep, across-the-board spending cuts scheduled to take effect March 1 would cause chaos for the Defense Department, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said in a televised interview yesterday.
• Air Force unit to improve airfield security in Slovenia AFNS 21 Feb 2013 -- Airmen from the 435th Contingency Response Group here traveled to Cerklje Air Base, Slovenia, to conduct a security familiarization event Jan. 21 - 25.
• South Korea-based unit participates in Cobra Gold Army News 21 Feb 2013 -- Soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team have traded in their usual frozen mountain training ranges in South Korea for the balmy jungles of Thailand, during Cobra Gold 2013.
• 'Daggers' Brigade readies for AFRICOM missions Army News 21 Feb 2013 -- Some 4,000 Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, out of Fort Riley, Kan., are training for realignment to U.S. Africa Command, expected later this year.
• Watervliet's $5.9M contract will supply critical arms to Afghan soldiers Army News 21 Feb 2013 -- The Arsenal announced today that it received a $5.9 million contract to provide the Afghanistan National Army with nearly 900 60mm-mortar systems as part of the U.S. State Department's Foreign Military Sales program.
• High Speed Vessel Swift Kicks off Southern Partnership Station in Belize NNS 21 Feb 2013 -- Sailors disembarked High Speed Vessel Swift 2 here, Feb. 18, to begin Southern Partnership Station 2013, a U.S. 4th Fleet deployment designed to strengthen civil and maritime capabilities with regional partner nations in the Caribbean.
• HSC-8 Wins Battle 'E' NNS 21 Feb 2013 -- Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) awarded the 2012 Pacific Fleet Battle Efficiency ('E') award to the 'Eightballers' of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 for the HSC Carrier Air Wing (CVW) category, Feb. 12.
• Patriot missile students run exercise with UAE soldiers Army News 21 Feb 2013 -- Recently, the Air Defense Artillery Patriot School at 3rd Battalion, 6th ADA planned and executed the first Combined Capstone Exercise (CAPEX) with U.S. and United Arab Emirates soldiers.
• Carrier Strike Group One Holds Change of Command NNS 21 Feb 2013 -- Rear Adm. David F. Steindl relieved Rear Adm. T. K. Shannon as commander, Carrier Strike Group One (CSG-1) during a change of command ceremony aboard aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Feb. 21.
• NATO Defence Ministers agree to expand exercises and multinational cooperation NATO 21 Feb 2013 -- NATO Defence Ministers agreed concrete goals for more ambitious training and exercises to maintain the lessons of interoperability at their meeting in Brussels on 21 February.
• NATO and Australia reinforce partnership with new cooperation programme NATO 21 Feb 2013 -- NATO and Australia reinforced their partnership and set out their priorities for future cooperation by signing an Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme (IPCP) on Thursday 21 February . This further enhances NATO's partnership with countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
• NATO Chief Warns Against US Defense Cuts VOA 21 Feb 2013 -- NATO's top official is raising concerns about the way some members are responding to tough economic times, saying they could be compromising their safety.
• Russia, NATO to Hold Gulf of Aden Anti-Piracy Exercise RIA Novosti 21 Feb 2013 -- The Russian Navy's Udaloy I class anti-submarine destroyer Severomorsk will take part in a NATO anti-piracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden, Navy spokesman Capt. First Rank Vadim Serga said on Thursday.
• Cost of Oboronservis Fraud Now at $433 Mln Say Investigators RIA Novosti 21 Feb 2013 -- The estimated cost of fraud from the illegal sale of Russian Defense Ministry property in the Oboronservis case has risen to over 13 billion rubles ($433 mln), Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin said on Thursday.
• Serdyukov's Refusal to Testify Legal - Chief Military Prosecutor RIA Novosti 21 Feb 2013 -- Russia's chief military prosecutor, Sergei Fridinsky, said on Wednesday he saw no violations in former defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov's refusal to answer investigators' questions.
• China Drone Threat Highlights New Global Arms Race VOA 21 Feb 2013 -- China's acknowledgment earlier this week that it considered using a drone strike on foreign soil to target a major Burmese drug trafficker wanted in the killings of 13 Chinese sailors highlights Beijing's increasing capacity in unmanned aerial warfare. It also foreshadows the dangers of a burgeoning global drone race.
• Defense min: New defense achievements to be unveiled soon IRNA 21 Feb 2013 -- Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said new defense achievements will be unveiled soon.
• Iran to unveil new military achievements in near future Iran Press TV 21 Feb 2013 -- Iran Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi says the Islamic Republic plans to showcase its new indigenous missiles and other military products, including new bombs, in the near future.
• February 21, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 21 Feb 2013
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 2/21/2013 The White House 21 Feb 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 21, 2013

Other Conflicts

• 21 February 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 21 Feb 2013
• Failed Services, Infectious Diseases Threaten Syria VOA 21 Feb 2013 -- First there is the ongoing civil war. Now freezing winter weather is further threatening the health of hundreds of thousands of Syrians driven from their homes by the fighting and forced to take shelter in the nation's mosques, empty schools and abandoned construction sites.
• Syria Dominates Kerry's First Trip Abroad as Secretary of State VOA 21 Feb 2013 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry leaves Sunday for Europe and the Middle East - his first trip abroad as America's top diplomat.The conflict in Syria tops Kerry's agenda.
• Diseases spreading in Syria as WASH systems collapse IRIN 21 Feb 2013 -- In Salqin, a small town in Syria's northeastern governorate of Idlib, three members of the Islamist rebel group Ahrar al Sham are lying sick with a contagious fever characterized by an inflammation of the intestinal tract.
• Car Bombing Kills Scores in Syrian Capital VOA 21 Feb 2013 -- Syrian state media say at least 53 people have been killed and more than 200 wounded in a car bombing near the headquarters of Syria's ruling Ba'ath Party in central Damascus.
• Heavy Combat After Fresh Attack in Gao, Mali VOA 21 Feb 2013 -- Weapons fire shook the northern Malian town of Gao on Thursday as Malian army troops backed by French and West African forces battled Islamist militants. A Mali defense ministry official said the army continues to repel attacks by what he called "terrorists.'
• Prospects for Cyprus settlement among issues raised in Ban's talks with Greek official UN News Centre 21 Feb 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Greece's Foreign Minister, Dimitris Avramopoulos, discussed prospects for a settlement in Cyprus, as well as resolving the "name" dispute with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, during their meeting today in New York.
• Northern Ugandans Threaten to Secede, Cite Government Neglect VOA 21 Feb 2013 -- A group of members of parliament from Uganda's north, angry at the misappropriation of aid money, accused the country's government this week of neglecting their region. Some have threatened to have the areas they represent secede.

News Reports

• Press Briefing on the Visit of Prime Minister Abe of Japan The White House 21 Feb 2013
• North Korea, Maritime Disputes, Key Topics in Obama-Abe Talks VOA 21 Feb 2013 -- President Barack Obama and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hold talks at the White House Friday. They will focus on the U.S. - Japan alliance and regional security challenges, including North Korea and maritime tensions between Japan and China.
• IAEA releases new report on Iran IRNA 21 Feb 2013 -- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano's new report on Iran's peaceful nuclear energy program was distributed among IAEA members on Thursday.
• UN: Iran Installing Advanced Enrichment Centrifuges VOA 21 Feb 2013 -- The United Nations nuclear agency said Iran has begun installing advanced centrifuges at its main uranium enrichment site.
• Progress in nuclear talks in need of practical US behavior change IRNA 21 Feb 2013 -- Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said here Wednesday night achieving progress in upcoming Iran-G5+1 nuclear talks is in need of practical and tangible change both in US literature and in practical US behavior.
• Rubble Cleanup at Chernobyl Plant Nears Completion RIA Novosti 21 Feb 2013 -- Workers at the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site are wrapping up the cleanup of the area affected by a recent partial roof collapse, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) press service said on its website on Thursday.
• Kenya PM Accuses Opposition of Vote Rigging VOA 21 Feb 2013 -- Kenyan prime minister and presidential candidate Raila Odinga has accused government officials of using their influence to support his rivals. The prime minister's campaign claimed there is a wider scheme to rig Kenya's presidential election on March 4.
• Cabinet approves bill on organization of nuke power safety commission CNA 21 Feb 2013 -- The Cabinet approved a bill on the organization of a proposed nuclear power safety commission on Thursday and will submit it to the Legislative Yuan for enactment soon.
• Hacking: Not Just China VOA 21 Feb 2013 -- Computer hacking by the Chinese has been causing a stir in recent weeks, but experts warn that focusing too much on Beijing could open the door to cyber spies from other countries the U.S. government is monitoring.
• State Department Updates Worldwide Caution for U.S. Travelers AFPS 21 Feb 2013 -- State Department officials have issued an updated a worldwide caution for Americans traveling overseas.