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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 18 Jul 2013 [PDF]
• U.S. on Track in Afghanistan, Military Leaders Tell Senate AFPS 18 Jul 2013 -- Despite Taliban resistance, U.S. military objectives in Afghanistan are on track, senior U.S. military leaders told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
• Taliban seize villages in eastern Afghanistan Iran Press TV 18 Jul 2013 -- Taliban militants have captured most villages in Rashidan District in the eastern province of Ghazni, local officials have told Press TV.
• Afghanistan, US Dispute Millions in Customs Fines VOA 18 Jul 2013 -- The Afghan government's customs agency is demanding $70 million in fines for U.S. shipping containers that do not have validated customs forms.
• 2nd MAW Marines take baton for Operation Enduring Freedom USMC News 18 Jul 2013 -- Approximately 90 Marines with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 deployed to Afghanistan this week to fill critical roles that were being supported by fellow 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing personnel. Marines and Sailors from other units including Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 14 and 2nd MAW headquarters also joined their fellow service members downrange this week, stepping in to take over essential roles across various support sections.
• MALS-40 returns from Afghanistan deployment USMC News 18 Jul 2013 -- More than 150 Marines and Sailors with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 40 returned from a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan July 16 at the Cherry Point aerial port of embarkation.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Military Judge Retains Key Charge Against Intelligence Leaker Manning VOA 18 Jul 2013 -- A U.S. military judge has refused to dismiss the most serious charge against the Army private who gave a massive cache of classified files to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.
• KC-46 critical design review nearing completion AFNS 18 Jul 2013 -- The Air Force and Boeing successfully conducted the KC-46 critical design review, or CDR, from July 8-10 at the Boeing facility in Mukilteo, Wash.
• AF officials announce fiscal 2014 force management programs AFNS 18 Jul 2013 -- In ongoing efforts to size and shape the force to current and future requirements, Air Force officials announced the fiscal 2014 force management programs.
• Voluntary fiscal 2014 force management programs announced AFNS 18 Jul 2013 -- The Air Force will implement several officer and enlisted force management programs for fiscal 2014, officials said today.
• Winnefeld Pledges Independent Advice if Reconfirmed AFPS 18 Jul 2013 -- In a world growing "more, rather than less, dangerous," the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff pledged today to continue providing independent and objective advice if confirmed to serve another two-year term.
• Biden: Asia-Pacific Rebalance Promotes Prosperity, Security AFPS 18 Jul 2013 -- Emphasizing that economic development and peace and stability are intertwined, Vice President Joe Biden said today the goal of the increased U.S. focus and engagement in the Asia-Pacific region is to make it not only more secure, but more prosperous as well.
• Carter: DOD Manages Major Strategic Transition as Budget Shrinks AFPS 18 Jul 2013 -- Despite budget reductions as large and steep as those following Vietnam or the Cold War, the Defense Department is managing a major strategic transition that has military, geopolitical and technological elements, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today.
• Air Force Readiness Harmed by Steep Cuts, Welsh Says AFPS 18 Jul 2013 -- The rigid requirements of sequestration spending cuts have made it difficult for the Air Force to maintain readiness, the service's top officer said yesterday.
• Commanders Should Retain Prosecution Authority, Leaders Say AFPS 18 Jul 2013 -- The nation's top military leaders told senators today that commanders should retain responsibility for prosecuting service members accused of sexual assault.
• Air Force Will Discharge Sexual Assault Offenders AFPS 18 Jul 2013 -- Airmen who commit sexual assaults will be discharged, and senior commanders must review actions taken on sexual assault cases under new Air Force initiatives that took effect recently.
• SECNAV Announces New Initiatives to Help Combat Sexual Assault NNS 18 Jul 2013 -- Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus furthered his commitment to improve the Department of the Navy's sexual assault response by announcing additional resources for investigators and a new initiative designed to enhance accountability and transparency across the Department.
• U.S., Australian Forces Collaborate on Air Defense NNS 18 Jul 2013 -- The U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) Carrier Strike Group, Destroyer Squadron 15 (DESRON 15) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) collaborate in an air defense exercise (ADEX) in support of exercise Talisman Saber 2013 (TS 13).
• Army Releases May 2013 Suicide Information DoD 18 Jul 2013 -- The Army released suicide data today for the month of May 2013. During May, among active-duty soldiers, there were 12 potential suicides.
• Remarks by Deputy Secretary of Defense Carter at the Aspen Security Forum at Aspen, Colorado DoD 18 Jul 2013 -- Presenter: Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter
• Hagel Stresses Value of Special Operations Forces to Security AFPS 18 Jul 2013 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel highlighted the value of special operations forces during a visit with Marines at the Stone Bay facility here yesterday.
• Dempsey Pledges to Lead Military Through Transitions AFPS 18 Jul 2013 -- Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told the Senate Armed Services Committee today that he will do his best to live up to U.S. military members' legacy of service to the nation and to lead the Defense Department through an era of historic transitions if the Senate approves his nomination to serve a second term as the nation's top military officer.
• Multilateral Pacific Mission Boosts Disaster Response Capacity AFPS 18 Jul 2013 -- Two months into the largest disaster response preparedness operation in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, participants in Pacific Partnership 2013 are taking the mission to the next level in ways the mission commander says will help to ensure its long-term viability despite budgetary constraints.
• VMAQ-2 departs, VMAQ-4 returns USMC News 18 Jul 2013 -- More than 50 Marines with Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2 departed on a six-month deployment to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan Sunday as part of the unit deployment program in support of U.S. Pacific Command.
• 7th ESB Marines deploy improved ribbon bridge from the air USMC News 18 Jul 2013 -- The steady hum of a helicopter grew louder as it approached the harbor. A heavy payload underneath weighed the helicopter down until it dropped the steel structure into the blue Pacific water. Immediately, the Marines went into action.
• FRC inducts F-35B for modification USMC News 18 Jul 2013 -- The F-35B Lightning II arrived at Cherry Point July 9, from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, for its first scheduled maintenance at Fleet Readiness Center East.
• MWCS-28 prepares for Exercise Combined Endeavor USMC News 18 Jul 2013 -- More than 30 Marines with Marine Wing Communications Squadron 28 are preparing to exhibit their communication capabilities with efficiency and ability during an upcoming deployment to Grafenwöhr, Germany, in support of Exercise Combined Endeavor in mid-September.
• VMAQT-1 trains to teach USMC News 18 Jul 2013 -- Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Training Squadron 1 continued its transition from operational to fleet replacement squadron by training its instructors-to-be in the art of landing on expeditionary airfields at Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue July 8–12.
• Next rotation of Special-Purpose MAGTF Africa 13 arrives in Italy USMC News 18 Jul 2013 -- The anticipation is over, but the hard work is just beginning as the next iteration of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 13 arrived here July 8 for their six-month rotation in support of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa.
• US, Australian Navies Conduct ASW Exercises during TS13 NNS 18 Jul 2013 -- U.S. and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Sailors began a series of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercises off the northeast coast of Australia in support of Talisman Saber 2013 (TS 13), July 16.
• Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group to Deploy NNS 18 Jul 2013 -- The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HST CSG) is scheduled to deploy July 22 for an eight- to nine-month deployment in support of 5th and 6th Fleet operations.
• Fleet Emission Control Operations Tactical Memorandum Released NNS 18 Jul 2013 -- A Fleet Emission Control (EMCON) Operations tactical memorandum (TACMEMO) developed by Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC)-with input from Fleet operators from numerous commands-is now available through the Navy Doctrine Library System (NDLS).
• USS Freedom VBSS Team trains with Singaporean Coast Guard during CARAT Singapore NNS 18 Jul 2013 -- Sailors assigned to USS Freedom's (LCS 1) visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team staged a compliant boarding exercise with a team from the Singaporean Police Coast Guard July 17 as part of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2013.
• STRATCOM commander discusses mission, future of Global Strike AFNS 18 Jul 2013 -- The commander of U.S. Strategic Command discussed the mission and future of Air Force Global Strike Command at an all-call here July 15.
• Sixth Astute Class submarine keel laid UK MOD 18 Jul 2013 -- Assembly of the Royal Navy's sixth Astute Class attack submarine, Agamemnon, has begun at Barrow-in-Furness.
• Dambusters to be first Lightning II squadron UK MOD 18 Jul 2013 -- The Royal Air Force's famous 'Dambusters' will be the first operational UK squadron to use the Lightning II aircraft.
• North Korea urges Panama to release ship Iran Press TV 18 Jul 2013 -- Pyongyang has called on Panama City to immediately release a North Korean ship that Panama seized, along with its crew, after weapons were discovered on board the vessel.
• North Korea Tells Panama to Release Its Arms-Carrying Ship RIA Novosti 18 Jul 2013 -- The North Korean Foreign Ministry requested Panama to release its vessel carrying military equipment from Cuba, South Korean and Western media said on Wednesday.
• Pyongyang Demands Panama Return Seized Ship VOA 18 Jul 2013 -- North Korea is demanding Panama return its ship and release the crew it detained after concealed weapons from Cuba were found on board. Pyongyang and Havana claim the weapons are for repair and return to Cuba but experts are investigating whether the two violated United Nations sanctions against North Korea weapons deals.
• Defense minister apologizes again for soldier's death CNA 18 Jul 2013 -- Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu apologized again Thursday for the death early this month of an Army conscript who was being punished for bringing a camera phone onto his base.
• Two more officers taken into custody over soldier's death CNA 18 Jul 2013 -- Two more military officers were detained Thursday over the death earlier this month of an Army conscript who was being punished for bringing a camera phone onto his base.
• Remarks With Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh US Dept. of State 18 Jul 2013
• July 18, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 18 Jul 2013
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 7/18/2013 The White House 18 Jul 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 18, 2013

Other Conflicts

• 18 July 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 18 Jul 2013
• Dempsey, Winnefeld Discuss Syria at Confirmation Hearing AFPS 18 Jul 2013 -- The chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the Senate Armed Services Committee today that momentum in Syria's civil war appears to have shifted in favor of President Bashar Assad, but they declined to say what recommendations they have given the president regarding possible U.S. military intervention.
• Militants attack gas, fuel pipelines in southern Syria Iran Press TV 18 Jul 2013 -- Foreign-backed militants in Syria have blown up gas and fuel pipelines that feed power stations in the country's south, causing a blackout in the region.
• Syria confiscates militant weapons Iran Press TV 18 Jul 2013 -- Syrian forces have confiscated weapons belonging to foreign-backed Takfiri militants in Latakia Province.
• As Syrian exodus continues, UN official urges Europe to help shoulder refugee burden UN News Centre 18 Jul 2013 -- The United Nations refugee chief today voiced concern about serious gaps in the protection of Syrians who are fleeing the conflict in their country and arriving in Europe, and urged a more generous and consistent approach as they seek shelter and asylum.
• Syrian refugees caught up in Egypt's turmoil IRIN 18 Jul 2013 -- A thin wall was all that separated Syrian refugee Ahmed Al Hemsi from his 62-year-old father at Cairo International Airport when immigration officers told his father he would not be allowed into Egypt.
• Kerry: Syrian Refugee Crisis Challenges International Community VOA 18 Jul 2013 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the international community must push to end Syria's civil war to stop the violence and allow for the return of nearly two-million refugees. Kerry visited a refugee camp in Jordan near the Syrian border Thursday.
• Briefing: North Kivu sees fresh clashes as peace talks stall in Kampala IRIN 18 Jul 2013 -- Fresh fighting between the rebel M23 and the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the eastern province of North Kivu could spell the end of efforts to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict, analysts say.
• DR Congo: UN chief deeply concerned about clashes between Government troops, rebels UN News Centre 18 Jul 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed deep concern about the latest round of hostilities between the M23 rebel group and the national armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) known as the FARDC.
• DR Congo: UN chief deeply concerned by reports of army mistreating detainees UN News Centre 18 Jul 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over reports of serious mistreatment of detainees belonging to the rebel group known as M23 by the national armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
• EU commander seeks longer stay in Mali Iran Press TV 18 Jul 2013 -- The head of the European Union's training mission to Mali has requested that the training group stay in the African country for at least one year longer than planned.
• UN and partners mount relief operation for civilians stranded by South Sudan fighting UN News Centre 18 Jul 2013 -- United Nations agencies and their partners have mounted a response for up to 25,000 civilians stranded in the bush by fighting in South Sudan's Jonglei state, after gaining access to the area earlier this week.
• UN chief appeals for calm amid deadly intercommunal clashes in southern Guinea UN News Centre 18 Jul 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for calm and urged Guineans to follow the law amid reports of deadly fighting between ethnic groups.
• Côte d'Ivoire on right track despite challenges, Security Council told UN News Centre 18 Jul 2013 -- While Côte d'Ivoire is on the right path following a violent post-election crisis in 2011, threats to its peace and political stability should not be underestimated, a senior United Nations official today said, urging the Security Council to extend the UN Mission in the country, known as UNOCI.
• Peres: Kerry Making Progress on Resuming Mideast Talks VOA 18 Jul 2013 -- Israeli President Shimon Peres says U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Jordan, is making 'real progress' on resuming Israeli-Palestinian peace talks which broke down in 2010.
• Debating reform of Somaliland's House of Elders IRIN 18 Jul 2013 -- Over the past 20 years, clan elders in Somaliland's Guurti, the upper house of parliament, have negotiated inter-clan disputes and kept the peace, carefully steering the self-declared republic away from the fate of south-central Somalia, which lapsed into a long, bloody civil war after the 1991 fall of the government of President Siyad Barre.
• UN: Somalia Still Troubled Despite New Government VOA 18 Jul 2013 -- A United Nations report says Somalia remains wracked by corruption and internal unrest despite installation of a new central government last year.

News Reports

• Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood demands coup reversal Iran Press TV 18 Jul 2013 -- Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has demanded the reversal of the military coup that unseated President Mohamed Morsi as political tensions continue to flare up across the North African country.
• Muslim Brotherhood condemns EU silence on Egypt coup Iran Press TV 18 Jul 2013 -- Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has condemned the European Union's refusal to denounce the military coup that ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
• Kremlin Critic Navalny Jailed For Five Years For Embezzlement RFE/RL 18 Jul 2013 -- A Russian court has sentenced opposition activist Aleksei Navalny to five years in prison on embezzlement charges in a closely watched trial that could deepen political divides exposed by Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin.
• Russian Opposition Leader Sentenced to 5 Years VOA 18 Jul 2013 -- A Kirov-based court on Thursday found opposition leader Alexei Navalny guilty of embezzlement and sentenced him to five years in prison.
• Russian Opposition Leader Sentenced to 5 Years RIA Novosti 18 Jul 2013 -- A Russian court handed down a guilty verdict Thursday morning for opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a Moscow mayoral candidate and vocal Kremlin critic, sentencing him to five years in jail on embezzlement charges.
• Russian Police and Opposition Supporters Face Off at Protests RIA Novosti 18 Jul 2013 -- Thousands of supporters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny gathered around a central square in Moscow on Thursday evening to protest his sentencing that day to five years in prison.
• Uganda Charges Four in Alleged Coup Plot VOA 18 Jul 2013 -- Uganda's government has charged four people with trying to overthrow President Yoweri Museveni's government.
• Statement on Consensus Achieved by the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures for Outer Space Activities US Dept. of State 18 Jul 2013 -- The United States welcomes the achievement of landmark consensus by the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures in Outer Space Activities during last week's meetings in New York.
• Proton-M Rocket Downed by Reversed Sensors – Roscosmos RIA Novosti 18 Jul 2013 -- A Russian Proton-M rocket that exploded after launch on July 2 was lost because its angular velocity sensors were installed upside-down, the country's space agency said Thursday.
• Libya must hand over Gaddafi's son, ICC rules Iran Press TV 18 Jul 2013 -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ruled that Libya must extradite Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, to The Hague so he can face charges of crimes against humanity.