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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 17 Apr 2013 [PDF]
• Combined Force Kills Insurgents, Detains Taliban Leader AFPS 17 Apr 2013 -- A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed two insurgents and detained a senior Taliban leader and three other insurgents.
• ISAF Commander Stresses Importance of Bilateral Security Agreement AFPS 17 Apr 2013 -- The top commander of NATO and U.S forces in Afghanistan told Congress a bilateral security agreement will help to address the uncertainty Afghan people have about their country’s future.
• Change in Helmand province UK MOD 17 Apr 2013 -- Senior British military officers described the progress being made in southern Afghanistan at a media briefing in London.
• Coalition hands over mortar training to ANA Army News 17 Apr 2013 -- ANA soldiers, military tactics trainers from the 203rd "Thunder" Corps, will now have an additional skill to teach as Coalition Forces hand-off mortar training to the Afghan Army.
• US-led forces kill tribal elder in eastern Afghanistan PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- US-led forces have killed an influential tribal elder, Haji Merza Jan Mangal, and arrested four members of his family during a night raid in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktia Province.
• Pakistan Officials Say Drone Strike Targeted Taliban Camp RFE/RL 17 Apr 2013 -- A local official in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region says a U.S. drone has fired two missiles at a Taliban training camp.
• US drone kills 5 in Pakistan IRNA 17 Apr 2013 -- An American spy aircraft fired missiles into Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal region and killed at least five people, security officials said.
• US drone kills 5, injures 7 in northwestern Pakistan PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- At least five people have been killed and seven others injured in an attack by a US assassination drone in northwestern Pakistan’s tribal region.
• Hagel Orders Unit to Jordan, Warns About Intervention in Syria AFPS 17 Apr 2013 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced the deployment of an Army headquarters element to help Jordanian forces defend their border with Syria.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pentagon to allocate $400 million to Iron Dome PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- The US Defense Department plans to spend nearly 400 million dollars during the next two years on Israel's Iron Dome missile system.
• South Korea to buy Apache Attack helicopters through FMS Army News 17 Apr 2013 -- The Republic of Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced it will purchase 36 U.S. Army Apache (AH-64E) helicopters through Foreign Military Sales.
• DTRA Director, Azerbaijan Ambassador Discuss Coop AFPS 17 Apr 2013 -- The director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the United States met to discuss the DTRA's Cooperative Threat Reduction work with Azerbaijan.
• Vanishing Files Delay Guantanamo Terror Hearings VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- Guantanamo war crimes prosecutions of five prisoners charged with plotting the Sept. 11 hijacked planes attacks will be delayed by two months because of lost files caused by Pentagon computer problems.
• Guantanamo hunger strikers on rise, conditions worsening: US PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- The number of hunger-striking prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay prison complex in Cuba has increased and their conditions have worsened.
• Hagel: Review to Assess Investment, Force Structure Assumptions AFPS 17 Apr 2013 -- DOD officials are preparing a review that reassesses assumptions driving the Pentagon’s investment and force structure decisions.
• Uncertain Times Necessitate Fiscal Certainty, Dempsey Says AFPS 17 Apr 2013 -- The Defense Department and the nation face extraordinary fiscal and national security uncertainty, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
• DOD ‘Scrubbing Money Pot’ to Reduce Furloughs, Carter Says AFPS 17 Apr 2013 -- Pentagon leaders from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on down are looking for ways to reduce the pending civilian employee layoffs known as furloughs.
• Carter: DOD Will Prevail Against Uncertainty AFPS 17 Apr 2013 -- The Defense Department will prevail against both strategic and budgetary uncertainty, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter told members of the military community.
• Air Force officials announce civilian Reduction in Force AFNS 17 Apr 2013 -- Approximately 60 Air Force installations will implement civilian Reduction in Force authorities effective through about Aug. 23.
• Science, Technology Remain Critical, Official Says AFPS 17 Apr 2013 -- Despite fiscal uncertainty, science and technology remain critical elements in mitigating emerging threats against the United States, a Defense Department official told Congress.
• USS Freedom Arrives in Singapore NNS 17 Apr 2013 -- The Navy's first littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) arrived in Singapore April 18, highlighting the next phase of her deployment to Southeast Asia.
• Hagel to Visit Middle East Countries AFPS 17 Apr 2013 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will travel to Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates from April 20 to April 27.
• National Guard Continues Support Operations in Boston AFPS 17 Apr 2013 -- The Massachusetts National Guard continues to assist local and state authorities following the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings that left three dead and more than 180 people injured.
• USS Preble Departs for Western Pacific Deployment NNS 17 Apr 2013 -- The USS Preble is scheduled to depart April 19 for deployment to the 7th Fleet Area of Operations.
• USS Decatur Returns from Deployment NNS 17 Apr 2013 -- The USS Decatur will return to San Diego from a ballistic missile defense deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean and U.S. Central Command Areas of Responsibility April 19.
• Operation Praying Mantis Demonstrates Same Priorities Navy Values Today NNS 17 Apr 2013 -- An engagement 25 years ago on April 14, 1988 sparked a determined and quick response four days later from the U.S.
• Russia Launches 'DARPA' R&D Fund RIA Novosti 17 Apr 2013 -- Russia’s Defense Ministry's Future Research Fund for promoting promising military research and development projects has begun awarding its first prizes.
• India’s Russian-Built Frigate Completes Sea Trials RIA Novosti 17 Apr 2013 -- The last in a series of three frigates that Russia is building for India at the Yantar shipyard in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad has completed sea trials, a shipyard spokesman said on Wednesday.
• Defense Ministry Seeks to Reclaim Lost Property RIA Novosti 17 Apr 2013 -- The Russian Defense Ministry has been fighting since December to recover the real estate lost in a series of scams.
• Faulty sensor causes glitch in live-fire drill: Taiwan CNA 17 Apr 2013 -- A problematic sensor was identified as the reason why a naval gun failed to function during a live-fire exercise off Penghu County.
• All target ships destroyed in Penghu live-fire drill CNA 17 Apr 2013 -- Military officials said that all the target ships in a live-fire anti-landing drill held that day in outlying Penghu County to test Taiwan's ability to thwart a Chinese invasion were successfully destroyed.
• President urges military to guard against China's cyberattacks CNA 17 Apr 2013 -- President Ma Ying-jeou, in outlying Penghu County Wednesday to watch a live-fire drill, urged the military to guard against Chinese cyberattacks targeting Taiwan.
• Taiwan holds live-fire anti-landing drill in outlying county CNA 17 Apr 2013 -- Taiwan held a live-fire anti-landing drill in outlying Penghu County to test the military's combat capabilities in holding off a simulated attack by China.
• Taiwan Begins Largest Military Drills Since 2008 VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- Taiwan has begun five days of large-scale military exercises meant to demonstrate its ability to defend itself against any attack from mainland China.
• 'Iran to unveil new cruise missile' PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Brigadier General Mehdi Farahi says the country’s latest surface-to- surface cruise missile will be unveiled in the near future.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 4/17/2013 The White House 17 Apr 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 17, 2013

Other Conflicts

• Press Conference by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon at United Nations Headquarters, 17 April 2013 United Nations 17 Apr 2013
• Briefing media on world crisis flashpoints, Ban says political solution is only answer UN News Centre 17 Apr 2013 -- A political solution is the only answer for long-term stability, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.
• Security Council, in day-long debate, urged to strengthen measures to end rape in war zones UN News Centre 17 Apr 2013 -- Conflict-related sexual violence, horrific in itself, is also an impediment to national reconciliation and development.
• Kerry: China Key to Resolving North Korea Standoff VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said China is key to resolving the nuclear standoff with North Korea.
• Syria National Day Message US Dept. of State 17 Apr 2013
• Assad: West Will Pay for 'Supporting' al-Qaida Rebels VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned the West that it will pay a "heavy price" for what he called its support of al-Qaida militants
• Britain working on new plot to lift arms embargo against terrorists in Syria PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- British Foreign Secretary William Hague in yet another attempt to lift EU arms sanctions against foreign-backed mercenaries and insurgents fighting the Syrian government.
• Moscow Denies Seeking Regime Change in Syria RIA Novosti 17 Apr 2013 -- Moscow is not in the business of bringing about regime change in Syria or legitimizing such attempts, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
• Turkey Spends $700 Mln Aiding Syrian Refugees RIA Novosti 17 Apr 2013 -- Turkey has already spent $700 million helping Syrian refugees, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
• Renegade Fighters Spread Violence, Instability in CAR VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- Rebel leaders in the Central African Republic are struggling to rein in their own fighters, blamed for violence in the capital that has left some 20 people dead over the past week.
• 7 former Seleka fighters killed, 5 injured in CAR: official PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- Seven former Seleka fighters have been killed, and five others injured in the Central African Republic (CAR), an official says.
• Survivor Recounts Attack on S. Sudan Peacekeepers VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- Five UN peacekeepers who were killed in South Sudan's restive Jonglei state last week were shot dead by men armed with machine guns when they got out of their cars to try to negotiate with the attackers, a survivor of the assault said.
• Ivory Coasts Wants UN Surveillance Drones VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- Ivory Coast has asked the United Nations to deploy surveillance drones to monitor its border with Liberia.
• Sectarian Violence Flares in Nigerian 'Middle Belt' VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom says more than 100 people have been killed in religion-related violence since March this year in Nigeria's volatile "Middle Belt" region.
• Gao Residents Rebuild, after Islamist Occupation VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- The Malian army officially reclaimed the northern city of Gao from the al-Qaida-linked Islamist group MUJAO on January 27 - after 10 months of occupation.
• Malian refugees face abject conditions, long displacement IRIN 17 Apr 2013 -- Some 70,000 Malian refugees in Mauritania are facing enormous hardships and, as political and ethnic tensions persist back home, the prospect of a prolonged displacement.
• UN expert urges Somalia to strengthen justice system following attacks UN News Centre 17 Apr 2013 -- The Somali Government and international community must continue their efforts to strengthen the East African country’s justice sector.
• Rockets Target Popular Israeli Resort Town VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- Two rockets fired from Egypt's Sinai peninsula struck Israel's Red Sea resort of Eilat, causing no casualties or damage, the Israeli military said, in an attack claimed by Islamist militants.
• Two rockets hit Israel’s Eilat resort PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- Two rockets fired from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula have hit Eilat resort in southern Israel, Israeli military spokeswoman says.
• Bomb attacks kill four, injure 18 across Iraq PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- At least four people have been killed and 18 others wounded in four bomb attacks across Iraq.
• Senior Iraqi official escapes assassination attempt PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- The governor of Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh, Atheel al-Nujaifi, has survived an assassination attempt after a roadside bomb struck near his motorcade.
• Taiwan-Japan fishery deal step forward in peace initiative: Ma CNA 17 Apr 2013 -- President Ma said that the signing of a fishery pact between Taiwan and Japan is a prelude to a settlement of the two sides' dispute over the Diaoyutai Islands.
• Russian Prosecutor-General Says Terrorism Increased In 2012 RFE/RL 17 Apr 2013 -- Russia’s prosecutor-general says incidents of terrorism increased in 2012, mainly in Russia’s North Caucasus region.
• Fresh Serbia-Kosovo Talks Under Way In Brussels RFE/RL 17 Apr 2013 -- EU foreign-policy and security chief Catherine Ashton has begun a trilateral meeting with the prime ministers of Serbia and Kosovo aimed at normalizing relations between the two sides.

News Reports

• Senate Committee Resolution Supports Israeli Action on Iran VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has passed a resolution expressing U.S. solidarity with Israel if it has to defend itself militarily against Iran’s nuclear development program.
• ‘No plan for enriched uranium beyond 20%: AEOI director PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- Atomic Energy Organization of Iran: Tehran has currently no plan to enrich uranium beyond 20 percent.
• Iran dismisses concerns by [P]GCC over Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Abbasi has dismissed concerns bout Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant following an earthquake in the country.
• N.Korea Denies Entry to S.Korean Businessmen RIA Novosti 17 Apr 2013 -- North Korea has denied entry to South Korean businessmen who wanted to visit Kaesong.
• KCNA Commentary Urges U.S. to Properly Understand Root Cause of Grave Situation in Korea KCNA 17 Apr 2013 -- The U.S. is becoming craftier in its moves to stifle the DPRK.
• Pakistan bars ex-PM Ashraf from contesting elections IRNA 17 Apr 2013 -- Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf, has been barred from contesting elections for being dishonest.
• Pakistan blast death toll rises to 18 IRNA 17 Apr 2013 -- The death toll in yesterday’s bomb attack on an election meeting in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, mounted to 18.
• Pakistani Woman Withdraws From Political Race After Taliban Threats VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- A woman who was running for a seat in a provincial assembly in northwestern Pakistan says she has withdrawn her candidacy after receiving threats from the Taliban.
• Pakistani Military Evacuates Earthquake Victims VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- The Pakistani military has evacuated 16 people badly injured by Tuesday's powerful earthquake near the Iranian border, as relief operations in the region continue.
• Burma Opposition Leader Says Reforms Depend on Military VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi told an audience in Japan that her country's democratic reforms are not yet irreversible and still depend on the powerful military.
• Egyptians Look to Military as Bulwark to Chaos VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- As Egyptians face a crumbling economy, a rise in crime and decline in basic services, many count on one sector of society to keep the nation from the potential of failed statehood: the military.
• Egypt’s Mubarak to be retried in May: Judicial sources PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- Egypt has set May 11 as new date for the retrial of the country’s ousted dictator, Hosni Mubarak, judicial sources say.
• Tunisia ex-dictator Ben Ali receives new sentence PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- Tunisia's ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been sentenced to five years in prison and pay a 3.5 million-euro fine for corruption.
• Statement by the Press Secretary on the Situation in Venezuela The White House 17 Apr 2013
• US Withholds Recognition of Venezuelan President VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States has not decided whether to recognize Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's new president.
• Seven Killed, Over 60 Injured in Venezuela Protests - Report RIA Novosti 17 Apr 2013 -- Seven people were killed and 61 injured in protests that flared up across Venezuela following the presidential election over the weekend.
• US Embassy is behind unrest over vote in Venezuela: Maduro PressTV 17 Apr 2013 -- Venezuelan President-elect Nicolas Maduro has blamed the United States for fuelling violence in the South American country.
• Kenya Electoral Commission to Meet After Supreme Court Ruling VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- Senior officials of Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) plan to meet Thursday to review its performance following last month’s general election.
• Russian PM Medvedev Defends Record After Putin Warning VOA 17 Apr 2013 -- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev defended his government's record in a combative speech to parliament.
• Soldiers' Mothers Group Declared ’Foreign Agent’ RIA Novosti 17 Apr 2013 -- Prosecutors in the Russian city of Kostroma have branded the regional Committee of Soldiers' Mothers NGO as a “foreign agent.”
• Funeral Service Held For Margaret Thatcher RFE/RL 17 Apr 2013 -- The funeral service for former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has ended in London.
• Armed Forces' role in funeral of Lady Thatcher UK MOD 17 Apr 2013 -- More than 700 Armed Forces personnel were involved in the funeral of Lady Margaret Thatcher which took place in central London.