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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Premier Sharif slams US drone attacks on Pakistani soil Iran Press TV 16 Jul 2013 -- Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called on the United States to put an end to CIA-operated assassination drone campaign in Pakistan's troubled northwest tribal region.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Additional F-35s coming to Luke AFB AFNS 16 Jul 2013 -- Air Force officials announced June 27 that Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., has been chosen as the location for 72 additional F-35A Lightning IIs, bringing the eventual total number of the fifth-generation fighters expected here to 144.
• AF encourages Airmen to be key part of SAPR solution AFNS 16 Jul 2013 -- In an effort to address the growing concern of sexual assault in the Air Force, the service has kicked off an initiative to give Airmen the capability for their voice to be clearly heard called 'Every Airman Counts.'
• Sequestration impact looms despite resumed flying operations AFNS 16 Jul 2013 -- Air Force leaders announced July 15 that flying training would resume at numerous units, bringing an end to the three-month halt that resulted from the budget sequestration reductions.
• Remarks by Secretary Hagel at a Civilian Employee Town Hall Meeting at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida DoD 16 Jul 2013 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
• DOD Supports Continuing Timely Procurement Law, Official Says AFPS 16 Jul 2013 -- A senior Defense Department official told Congress today the Pentagon fully supports reauthorization of a law that grants the president the power to ensure timely procurement of essential services and materials during war or national emergencies and to guarantee the nation's industrial base remains a reliable supplier.
• Breeze 2013 Wraps Up In the Black Sea NNS 16 Jul 2013 -- A P-3C maritime patrol aircraft and aircrew assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 47 concluded their participation in the Bulgarian naval exercise Breeze 2013, July 16.
• Pearl Harbor Based Independent Deployers Participate in Training Exercises NNS 16 Jul 2013 -- Hawaii-based ships from Commander, Destroyer Squadron 31 (COMDESRON 31), as well as a ship from the British Royal Navy, started a training and certification exercise off the coast of Hawaii July 15.
• Nonproliferation Remarks for Generation Prague US Dept. of State 16 Jul 2013 -- Thomas M. Countryman, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation
• Written ministerial statement on the Trident Alternatives Review UK MOD 16 Jul 2013 -- The Prime Minister announced the publication of the Trident Alternatives Review on 16 July 2013. Originally given at Parliament.
• Putin Oversees Massive Far East Military Drills RIA Novosti 16 Jul 2013 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw military maneuvers in the country's Far East on Tuesday as part of the largest snap check of combat readiness of the Russian military in the post-Soviet period.
• July 16, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 16 Jul 2013
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 7/16/2013 The White House 16 Jul 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 16, 2013
• Combat Aircraft Remain Key Russian Arms Exports – Official RIA Novosti 16 Jul 2013 -- Combat aircraft took a 40-percent share in overall Russian arms exports in 2012, keeping a trend that has become prominent in the past few years, a senior defense official said.

Other Conflicts

• 16 July 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 16 Jul 2013
• Syria at risk of sliding further into chaos, senior UN officials tell Security Council UN News Centre 16 Jul 2013 -- With war-ravaged Syria at risk of sliding deeper into fragmentation and chaos as serious human rights violations and war crimes have become routine, senior United Nations officials today urged the Security Council and the wider international community to "come together to put an end to the bloodshed."
• UN agency deplores impact of Syria crisis on Palestinian refugees, laments staff member's death UN News Centre 16 Jul 2013 -- The UN agency tasked with assisting Palestinian refugees today expressed sorrow at the death of another of its workers in Syria, bringing the total to seven staffers who have lost their lives as a result of the conflict, which continues to inflict "needless suffering" on communities across Syria.
• FM spokesman: Political solution only way out of Syria crisis IRNA 16 Jul 2013 -- Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday Tehran still believed political solution was the only way out of crisis in Syria.
• Army performs mop-up ops in Damascus Iran Press TV 16 Jul 2013 -- Syrian army troops have carried out a series of mop-up operations in the capital Damascus, destroying terrorist hideouts and large amounts of heavy machineguns, Syrian media reports.
• UN Officials: War Crimes Now 'The Rule' in Syria VOA 16 Jul 2013 -- Aid groups and United Nations officials are pleading with the Syrian government and armed opposition groups to allow access to unarmed civilians, saying crimes against humanity 'are the rule' as fighting rages on in the Syrian civil war.
• Korean Talks on Reopening Joint Complex See Little Progress VOA 16 Jul 2013 -- Negotiators from North and South Korea are meeting for a fourth round of talks July 17 with little progress so far in restarting the jointly invested Kaesong industrial complex. The factory park is the last remaining symbol of inter-Korean cooperation and analysts say a failure to reopen it would increase tensions in already fractured relations.
• Japan Scrambles Fighter Jets to Track Russian Bombers RIA Novosti 16 Jul 2013 -- Japan's Air Self-Defense Force had to scramble fighter jets in response to flights by Russian military aircraft near Japanese airspace and over the disputed Kuril Islands on Monday, local media reported.
• New emergency arises as fighting uproots thousands from eastern DR Congo – UN UN News Centre 16 Jul 2013 -- The United Nations refugee agency today voiced concern about a new emergency in the North Kivu area of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where renewed fighting has uprooted tens of thousands of people in recent days.
• New Violence Forces Tens of Thousands to Flee North Kivu VOA 16 Jul 2013 -- The United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, fears for the welfare of tens of thousands of refugees who have fled new violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu region.
• ICC requests Nigeria to arrest Sudan's President during visit to Abuja UN News Centre 16 Jul 2013 -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) requested Nigeria to arrest Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, who is wanted for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, while he is on a visit to Abuja and surrender him to the Court.
• Sudan's Bashir Leaves Nigeria Amid Calls for Arrest VOA 16 Jul 2013 -- Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has left Nigeria after calls from human-rights activists demanding his arrest on war-crimes charges.
• Iraq in 'crucial phase' amid rising sectarian violence, UN envoy tells Security Council UN News Centre 16 Jul 2013 -- Iraq's transition towards democracy and prosperity is in a crucial phase, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today, warning today that with violence spiking, perpetrators are taking advantage of the instability caused by the ongoing political stalemate and the Syrian crisis.
• Call for ICC probe into Nigerian military IRIN 16 Jul 2013 -- As Nigeria attempts a ceasefire with militant Islamist group Boko Haram (BH), analysts warn against a blanket amnesty and urge that an expanded International Criminal Court (ICC) probe include alleged abuses by the military.
• 'Wealth-sharing' deal offers hope in Mindanao IRIN 16 Jul 2013 -- The Philippine government has agreed to give sweeping fiscal powers to Muslim rebels on the island of Mindanao in a bid to end the country's decades-long insurgency.
• FARC says conflict nearing end Iran Press TV 16 Jul 2013 -- The chief negotiator for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) says the decades-long conflict is approaching an end.
• Myanmar: UN expert welcomes end to border force, calls for probe into rights abuses UN News Centre 16 Jul 2013 -- A United Nations independent expert today welcomed the abolition of Myanmar's notorious border security force, known as Nasaka, and called for an investigation of human rights abuses committed by its members against the Rohingya population in Rakhine state.

News Reports

• Panama Seizes N. Korean Ship Carrying Undeclared Weapons VOA 16 Jul 2013 -- Panama's president says his country has intercepted a North Korean ship coming from Cuba that was attempting to pass through the Panama Canal with suspected missile parts.
• Accuracy of satellite images on Saudi missile site skeptical: Araqchi IRNA 16 Jul 2013 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said Tuesday that accuracy of the reports about some satellite images which detected a missile site in Saudi Arabia targeting Iran and the Zionist regime was 'disputable'.
• Russia urges 'new full-fledged' round of Iran-P5+1 talks Iran Press TV 16 Jul 2013 -- Russia has called for "a new full-fledged" round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers soon after the inauguration of Iran's new president, Hassan Rohani.
• Iranian Economists Call For 'Civil Movement' To Counter U.S.-Led Sanctions RFE/RL 16 Jul 2013 -- Three prominent Iranian economists have called for the creation of a 'civil movement' against U.S.-led sanctions that have been imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program.
• Putin: U.S. Trapping Snowden In Russia RFE/RL 16 Jul 2013 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of trapping American intelligence leaker Edward Snowden at a Moscow airport.
• Snowden Seeks Temporary Asylum In Russia RFE/RL 16 Jul 2013 -- The head of Russia's Federal Migration Service has confirmed that the fugitive U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has requested temporary asylum in Russia.
• Snowden Requests Asylum in Russia – Lawyer RIA Novosti 16 Jul 2013 -- Fugitive former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden has submitted an official request for temporary asylum in Russia, a lawyer who provided him with legal assistance said Tuesday.
• Snowden Files Request for Temporary Russian Asylum VOA 16 Jul 2013 -- A Russian lawyer says that former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia.
• NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden requests asylum in Russia Iran Press TV 16 Jul 2013 -- American whistleblower Edward Snowden has submitted a request for temporary asylum in Russia, saying he faces persecution including torture and death by the US government.
• Brazil: US spying response insufficient Iran Press TV 16 Jul 2013 -- Brazil says Washington has insufficiently responded to Brasilia's request for an explanation over US spying programs, recently revealed by US intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden.
• Overnight Egypt Clashes Leave Several Dead, Hundreds Wounded RFE/RL 16 Jul 2013 -- A least seven people have been killed in overnight clashes between the police and supporters of Egypt's ousted president, Muhammad Morsi.
• Egypt's Interim President Swears In New Cabinet VOA 16 Jul 2013 -- Egypt's military-backed interim leaders have sworn in the country's first Cabinet since the army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi almost two weeks ago in response to mass demonstrations against him.
• Security Council calls for cooperation to combat terrorist threats in the Sahel UN News Centre 16 Jul 2013 -- The United Nations Security Council today called for increased cooperation between countries in the Sahel, West Africa and the Maghreb to combat the growing threat posed by terrorist groups, transnational crime and drug trafficking throughout the Sahel region.
• Britain refuses public inquiry into Litvinenko death Iran Press TV 16 Jul 2013 -- The British government has dismissed calls for a public inquiry into the poisoning of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko, a coroner has said.
• NASA Reports Discovery of New Neptune Moon RIA Novosti 16 Jul 2013 -- The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a tiny moon orbiting Neptune, the 14th known to be circling the distant planet, NASA said on its website.
• Orbital Station Crew Set for New Maintenance Spacewalk RIA Novosti 16 Jul 2013 -- Astronauts from the United States and Italy on Tuesday will venture outside the International Space Station (ISS) for a second spacewalk to prepare the orbital outpost for a new Russian laboratory module set to arrive later this year.
• NASA Aborts Spacewalk After Leak in Astronaut's Helmet VOA 16 Jul 2013 -- NASA cut short a spacewalk outside the International Space Station Tuesday after water began building up inside the helmet of an Italian astronaut.
• 'Houston, We Have a Leak' – Water in Helmet Aborts Spacewalk RIA Novosti 16 Jul 2013 -- A leak inside an Italian astronaut's helmet caused NASA to cut short a spacewalk by two crew members of the International Space Station (ISS) Tuesday, making for the second shortest spacewalk in ISS history, the US space agency said.
• Wayward Russian Satellite Burned Up in Atmosphere – Roscosmos RIA Novosti 16 Jul 2013 -- A wayward Russian military satellite completely burned up in the atmosphere and did not crash in northwestern China, contrary to previous reports, Russian space agency Roscosmos said Tuesday.
• Astronomers Detect Mystery Radio Bursts VOA 16 Jul 2013 -- An international team of astronomers is studying four mysterious and very powerful radio bursts they think may have originated half way across the universe. The astronomers have come up with a few theories about the signals, none of them having anything to do with alien civilizations.