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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 24 Apr 2013 [PDF]
• Combined Security Force Kills Insurgents in Helmand Province AFPS 24 Apr 2013 -- A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed two insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader in the Nad-e Ali district of Afghanistan's Helmand province yesterday, military officials reported.
• Target Of Taliban Justice Tells Of Brutal Amputation RFE/RL 24 Apr 2013 -- Faiz Ahmad says his life has become meaningless since the Taliban robbed him of his ability to work last week by chopping off his right hand and his left foot.
• Remarks With Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Pakistani General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, And Pakistani Foreign Secretary Jalil Jilani Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 24 Apr 2013
• Remarks After a Trilateral Meeting With Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani US Dept. of State 24 Apr 2013

Defense Policy / Programs

• DOD Signs Data Sharing Agreement DoD 24 Apr 2013 -- The Department of Defense has signed a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) international sharing agreement with the Department of Defence of Australia.
• U.S.-Australia Agreement Promotes Space Situational Awareness AFPS 24 Apr 2013 -- A new agreement made between the United States and Australia represents the first in what U.S. Strategic Command's commander hopes will be many that promote transparency in the space domain.
• Hagel Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to Egypt's Emerging Democracy AFPS 24 Apr 2013 -- On the fourth day of his inaugural trip to the Middle East, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spent time here today with Egypt's top government and defense officials, reaffirming U.S. support for that country's fledgling democracy.
• Press Briefing with DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar from the Pentagon DoD 24 Apr 2013 -- Presenter: DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar
• Edwards completes tests to extend KC-135 AFNS 24 Apr 2013 -- Known as 'The Mighty War Wagon' of the Air Force, the KC-135 Stratotanker has proven to be the core aerial refueling capability for the Air Force for more than 50 years.
• Top Acquisition Official Unveils 'Better Buying Power 2.0' AFPS 24 Apr 2013 -- Defense acquisition professionals need to apply common-sense thinking as they make decisions, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics said here today.
• Science, Technology Investments to Focus on Innovation, Industry AFPS 24 Apr 2013 -- To meet the Defense Department's 21st century security objectives, its science and technology funding will focus on innovation and industry, the acting assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering said here today.
• Ground breaking marks construction of new fuel purging center for 21st TSC Army News 24 Apr 2013 -- The Theater Logistics Support Center Europe hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of a fuel purging center at the Kaiserslautern Army Depot, April 12.
• Army, industry discuss Manpack radio path ahead Army News 24 Apr 2013 -- As the Army prepares to conduct a full and open competition for the Manpack radio, it hosted a forum for potential industry partners to lay out the path ahead and continue dialogue.
• Army seeks round of base closure, realignment for 2015 Army News 24 Apr 2013 -- The Army says a round of base realignment and closure, or BRAC, for fiscal year 2015 is necessary to save tax dollars, consolidate resources and adapt to force reductions.
• Media Availability with Secretary Hagel in Cairo, Egypt DoD 24 Apr 2013 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
• Ramstein Airmen train with Romanian counterparts AFNS 24 Apr 2013 -- More than 80 Airmen from Ramstein participated in exercise Carpathian Spring in Romania April 12 through 21.
• China Visit Sparks Dynamic Engagements, Dempsey Says AFPS 24 Apr 2013 -- With his visit to China nearly complete, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said today he has been afforded good access to senior Chinese leaders, junior leaders and future leaders.
• Official Describes Interagency Security, Nonproliferation Efforts AFPS 24 Apr 2013 -- The Defense Department and other U.S government agencies are actively pursuing methods to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists and hostile actors, a senior defense official told Congress yesterday.
• US Offers $10 Billion Weapons Package to Counter Iran Threats VOA 24 Apr 2013 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is wrapping up a trip to the Middle East - where he delivered a $10 billion weapons package to Israel and some of Washington's Arab allies as a sign of U.S support in the face of Iranian threats.
• United States-Republic of Korea Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation Extension US Dept. of State 24 Apr 2013
• Russia says concerned over NATO's anti-missile system plans Iran Press TV 24 Apr 2013 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow remains concerned over the United States and NATO's new plans to build an anti-missile system around Western Europe.
• Russia to Get New Short-Range Air Defense System in 2015 RIA Novosti 24 Apr 2013 -- The Russian military will start receiving the new Morfey short-range air defense system in 2015, Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Oleg Ostapenko said on Wednesday.
• Ex-General Gets Suspended Sentence for Crashing Fighter RIA Novosti 24 Apr 2013 -- Alexei Navalny, the man who led mass protests against the rule of President Vladimir Putin in 2011 and 2012, told a court in the central Russian city of Kirov on Wednesday that embezzlement charges that could send him to jail for up to 10 years were the Kremlin's "revenge" and aimed at sidelining him politically.
• Russia to Spend $300 Mln on Special Forces Training RIA Novosti 24 Apr 2013 -- The Russian Defense Ministry will allocate 10 billion rubles (about $300 million) to training programs for special forces, Col. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov, commander of the Airborne Assault Forces (VDV), said on Wednesday.
• China set to launch fourth naval fleet: Chinese netizens CNA 24 Apr 2013 -- Chinese netizens said recently that China will soon launch its fourth naval fleet, which will center around its aircraft carrier the Liaoning and will be responsible for deep sea combat missions in the South China Sea and the Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea.
• US Trawler Rams Canadian Navy Frigate, 6 Injured RIA Novosti 24 Apr 2013 -- A US fishing trawler crashed into a Royal Canadian Navy frigate near Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt on Vancouver Island on Tuesday, injuring six people, Canadian media reported.
• Pilot Killed in Kazakh MiG-31 Crash RIA Novosti 24 Apr 2013 -- A Kazakhstan Air Force Mikoyan MiG-31 interceptor crashed during a training flight in central Kazakhstan last night, killing the pilot and injuring the navigator, Kazakhstan military prosecutors said on Wednesday.
• MND to assess offshore terminal on Taiping Island CNA 24 Apr 2013 -- Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) will assess whether an offshore terminal for naval frigates should be set up on Taiping Island in the South China Sea, Deputy Defense Minister Andrew Yang said at a legislative hearing Wednesday.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 4/24/2013 The White House 24 Apr 2013
• April 24, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 24 Apr 2013
• Remarks With Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders After Their Meeting US Dept. of State 24 Apr 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 24, 2013

Other Conflicts

• 24 April 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 24 Apr 2013
• Fierce clashes erupt at Syria's Minnigh airport, watchdog says Iran Press TV 24 Apr 2013 -- Foreign-sponsored militants have clashed with Syrian government forces inside the Minnigh military airport in the north of the country, a watchdog says.
• 500 Europeans fight along with militants against Syria: EU official Iran Press TV 24 Apr 2013 -- The European Union's counter-terrorism coordinator says at least 500 Europeans are fighting along with the foreign-backed militants against Syria.
• N.Korea Builds Barricades on Border with South - Media RIA Novosti 24 Apr 2013 -- North Korea has started building anti-tank barricade lines near the border with the South, the Yonhap news agency said on Wednesday citing a Chinese TV channel.
• Gun Battle in China's Xinjiang Kills 21 People VOA 24 Apr 2013 -- Chinese officials say 21 people were killed after a fight broke out during a police investigation of suspected criminals in the latest act of violence in the restive northwest province of Xinjiang.
• Heavy fighting in northern Iraq kills 15: Official Iran Press TV 24 Apr 2013 -- At least 15 people have been killed in clashes between Iraqi security forces and militants in the town of Sulaiman Bek, in northern Iraq, the mayor of a nearby town says.
• China cannot control absentee voting on outlying islands: minister CNA 24 Apr 2013 -- There should be no concerns about Chinese influence when absentee voting is introduced on the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu, Interior Minister Lee Hong-yuan said Wednesday.
• Demining speeds up in Senegal's Casamance region IRIN 24 Apr 2013 -- Over half of the mined land in Senegal's southern Casamance region has been cleared, according to the government's anti-mines action centre, CNAMS, which says it is on track to reach the 2015 goal of the Ottawa treaty to eliminate such weapons.
• Rakhine IDPs in Myanmar brace for monsoon rains IRIN 24 Apr 2013 -- More than 125,000 displaced Rohingya in Myanmar's western Rakhine State are bracing for this year's punishing monsoon rains.
• Darfur war crimes suspect Jerbo killed in Sudan: lawyers Iran Press TV 24 Apr 2013 -- Fellow rebels and lawyers of Darfur rebel leader Saleh Jerbo, charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court, say he has been killed in Sudan.
• Culture of disbelief works against asylum seekers IRIN 24 Apr 2013 -- Most asylum seekers arrive in host countries with no evidence to prove they have fled persecution. This means the success of their applications for refugee status depends largely on whether their stories are believed. But the credibility of asylum seekers is increasingly being called into question, particularly in countries that receive large numbers of asylum claims.
• Secretary-General welcomes latest agreement between Sudan and South Sudan UN News Centre 24 Apr 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed today the latest agreements reached by the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan on implementing further elements of their 2012 accords.
• UN, African Union peacekeepers deliver critical aid to East Darfur displaced UN News Centre 24 Apr 2013 -- The African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and its humanitarian partners have delivered nearly 80,000 kilograms of critical humanitarian aid to thousands of civilians displaced by renewed fighting in Labado and Muhajeria, East Darfur, where access has been extremely difficult, the Mission announced today.
• With Syrian crisis threatening entire Middle East, UN official urges Israeli-Palestinian progress UN News Centre 24 Apr 2013 -- With a "grim" tragedy unfolding in Syria, the United Nations Political Chief told the Security Council today that at this moment of increased risk across the entire Middle East, rapid action was needed not only to address the impact of that crisis, but also to make progress on the Israeli-Palestinian front.
• Ethiopia Denies Planning Immediate Pullout From Somalia VOA 24 Apr 2013 -- Ethiopia's foreign ministry has denied there are plans to immediately withdraw all troops from Somalia, despite remarks by the Ethiopian prime minister expressing frustration with the pace of military progress in the country.

News Reports

• Iran voices opposition to discriminatory attitudes to NPT IRNA 24 Apr 2013 -- Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh on Tuesday slammed the discriminatory attitudes towards implementation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
• Israel's mistake in attacking Iran will be its last one: Defense Minister IRNA 24 Apr 2013 -- Minister of Defense and Logistics of Armed Forces Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said on Wednesday that the Zionist regime's first mistake in taking a military action against Iran will be its last mistake because Iran will strongly respond to any act of aggression.
• Iran, IAEA to hold talks on May 15 IRNA 24 Apr 2013 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced here on Tuesday that the tenth round of talks between Iran and IAEA is held on May 15 in Vienna.
• No one ls executed for political reasons in Iran IRNA 24 Apr 2013 -- Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani said on Wednesday that there is no political execution in Iran and most of the executions are carried for major drug traffickers and those taking arms against the governing system.
• Attacking Iran will be Israel last mistake: Vahidi Iran Press TV 24 Apr 2013 -- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi says military action against Iran will be the Zionist regime's last mistake
• Qalibaf outlines foreign policy plans Iran Press TV 24 Apr 2013 -- Presidential hopeful Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf says inflammatory rhetoric will not be on his foreign policy agenda if he wins the election.
• Iran, IAEA officials to hold fresh talks in Vienna on May 15 Iran Press TV 24 Apr 2013 -- The Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the Islamic Republic and the United Nations nuclear agency will hold a new round of talks over Tehran's nuclear energy programs next month, Press TV reports.
• Taiwan reports 1st confirmed H7N9 case CNA 24 Apr 2013 -- A 53-year-old Taiwanese man who had worked in China's Jiangsu Province has tested positive for the H7N9 avian flu virus, the Central Epidemic Command Center said Wednesday.
• More labs to examine samples of suspected H7N9 cases CNA 24 Apr 2013 -- Six laboratories around Taiwan have been recruited by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) this week to examine specimens of suspected H7N9 avian flu cases, CDC Director-General Chang Feng-yee said Tuesday.
• 3 hospital staff show symptoms after H7N9 contact CNA 24 Apr 2013 -- Three hospital personnel have developed respiratory symptoms after coming into contact with Taiwan's first confirmed case of H7N9 avian flu, the Central Epidemic Command Center said Wednesday.
• H7N9 vaccines will be available in August: pharmaceutical firm CNA 24 Apr 2013 -- A local pharmaceutical company said Wednesday it will be able to produce vaccines against the new H7N9 avian flu virus in August, amid pubic concerns over Taiwan's first reported case of the deadly flu.
• Taiwan takes steps to combat H7N9 virus CNA 24 Apr 2013 -- Taiwan's Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday outlined a series of measures to combat the deadly H7N9 avian flu, after a Taiwanese man who returned from a visit to eastern China tested positive for the virus.
• China H7N9 bird flu hits Taiwan Iran Press TV 24 Apr 2013 -- Taiwan authorities have confirmed a case of infection with H7N9 strain of bird flu in the island, the first reported case outside of China.
• WHO Describes New Chinese Bird Flu Strain as 'Lethal' VOA 24 Apr 2013 -- A top World Health Organization official says a new strain of bird flu in China that has already killed 22 people and spread throughout seven provinces and municipalities is one of the most lethal of its kind to date.
• US Investigators Question Bombing Suspects' Parents in Dagestan VOA 24 Apr 2013 -- U.S. investigators have questioned the parents of the two Boston Marathon bombing suspects in the Russian republic of Dagestan as they try to determine what might have influenced their sons in the months before the attack.
• Canadian Terror Plot Suspects Appear in Court VOA 24 Apr 2013 -- Two men charged in Canada with plotting a terrorist attack have appeared in separate courts.
• Economy grows, but how many benefit? IRIN 24 Apr 2013 -- Iraq's development has historically been linked to its ability to sell and produce oil, and to world oil prices. Yet oil-related measures of economic growth may obscure some of the economic conditions facing ordinary Iraqis.
• Iraq: UN envoy expresses disappointment at election delays in two provinces UN News Centre 24 Apr 2013 -- The top United Nations official in Iraq today expressed his disappointment at the Government's decision to postpone until early July Governorate Council elections in two western provinces, reportedly due to security concerns.
• Western Rights Groups Slam Russian 'Crackdown' Under Putin RFE/RL 24 Apr 2013 -- Two prominent Western human rights organizations have issued reports sharply criticizing the crackdown on civil society and individual freedoms in Russia since Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency in May 2012.
• Russian Court Rejects All Navalny Motions, Orders Trial To Proceed RFE/RL 24 Apr 2013 -- A court in the central Russian city of Kirov has rejected all motions by the defense team of anticorruption blogger Aleksei Navalny to delay his trial.
• Kremlin Foe Navalny Calls Fraud Charges 'Political Revenge' RIA Novosti 24 Apr 2013 -- Alexei Navalny, the man who led mass protests against the rule of President Vladimir Putin in 2011 and 2012, told a court in the central Russian city of Kirov on Wednesday that embezzlement charges that could send him to jail for up to 10 years were the Kremlin's "revenge" and aimed at sidelining him politically.
• Former Dutch Diplomat Jailed for Spying for Russia RIA Novosti 24 Apr 2013 -- A Hague court has sentenced a former Dutch foreign ministry official to 12 years in jail for passing sensitive documents on NATO and the European Union to Russia.
• Russia Launches Freighter Rocket to Space Station RIA Novosti 24 Apr 2013 -- A Soyuz-U rocket carrying a Progress M-19M cargo spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) said.
• Russia Plans to Launch First Angara Rocket in 2014 RIA Novosti 24 Apr 2013 -- The Russian military expects the first launch of a new Angara carrier rocket to take place in 2014 after the construction of a new launch complex at the Plesetsk space center is completed, Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Oleg Ostapenko said Wednesday.
• Guinea: Ban welcomes signing by political parties of declaration eschewing violence UN News Centre 24 Apr 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the signing of a joint declaration by political actors in Guinea to resolve differences over preparations for stalled legislative elections and other contentious issues through peaceful means.