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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Back from Afghanistan, UN security chief highlights future challenges UN News Centre 05 Aug 2013 -- The United Nations has greatly improved the security provided to staff serving in the field despite ongoing dangers and risks in dozens of countries, the acting UN security chief said on his return from Afghanistan, which next year will hold a presidential election and see national troops assume full security responsibilities from international military forces.
• Security Council strongly condemns attack near Indian consulate in eastern Afghanistan UN News Centre 05 Aug 2013 -- The United Nations Security Council today condemned in the strongest terms the recent suicide attack near the Indian consulate in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad which killed and injured civilians, including children.
• US has no plan to close 'The Second Guantanamo' Iran Press TV 05 Aug 2013 -- US officials say they have no strategy to close Bagram, an American prison in Afghanistan nicknamed "The Second Guantanamo."

Defense Policy / Programs

• Truman Arrives In Marseille, France NNS 05 Aug 2013 -- The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) arrived in Marseille, France for a scheduled port visit, Aug. 5.
• Boxer ARG, 13th MEU Completes CERTEX NNS 05 Aug 2013 -- The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), along with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) completed their Certification Exercise (CERTEX) on Aug. 7.
• Gorenc assumes command of USAFE, AFAFRICA, Allied Air Command AFNS 05 Aug 2013 -- Three consecutive generations of U.S. Air Forces in Europe commanders and the U.S. Africa Command deputy commander took to the stage as Gen. Frank Gorenc assumed command of USAFE, U.S. Air Forces Africa and Allied Air Command during a ceremony here Aug. 2.
• Hagel Hosts Azerbaijan's Defense Minister at Pentagon AFPS 05 Aug 2013 -- In a Pentagon meeting with Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev today, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel thanked his counterpart for his country's support to efforts in Afghanistan, including the sustained deployment of Azerbaijani forces with the International Security Assistance Force, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
• Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting with Azerbaijan's Minister of Defense Safar Abiyev DoD 05 Aug 2013
• CLB-7 returns to amphibious roots, conducts first embarkation exercise in last decade USMC News 05 Aug 2013 -- For the first time in ten years, Combat Logistics Battalion 7, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, executed an embarkation exercise aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 18, 2013.
• Boxer Becomes First West Coast Ship to Deploy with Osprey NNS 05 Aug 2013 -- Sailors and Marines aboard amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) will become the first West Coast ship to deploy with the MV-22 Osprey this fall.
• USS San Jacinto Aids Turkish Mariner NNS 05 Aug 2013 -- Guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56) transported a Turkish mariner to U.S. Navy Hospital Sigonella early in the morning of Aug. 4 following a request for assistance from Turkish Navy warship TCG Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasa (A579).
• Secretary of the Navy Meets with Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan NNS 05 Aug 2013 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Col. Gen. Safar Akhundbala oglu Abiyev met at the Pentagon today to discuss the military relationship between their two nations.
• A Moving Experience: New Navy Transportation Tool Takes Off NNS 05 Aug 2013 -- In a significant advance for military transportation, a new web-based tool sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) brings a search capability to Navy planners looking to move personnel or equipment around the world quickly and affordably, officials announced Aug. 5.
• HH-60 helicopter crashes near Camp Hansen, Okinawa AFNS 05 Aug 2013 -- A Kadena-based HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter crashed in the Central Training Area near Camp Hansen, Okinawa, at about 4 p.m. Aug. 5. U.S. fire and rescue crews are responding to the scene of the mishap.
• US military helicopter crashes in Japan's Okinawa Iran Press TV 05 Aug 2013 -- The United States Air Force say a US military helicopter has crashed in Japan's southern island of Okinawa.
• Dempsey Addresses Middle East Security Concerns AFPS 05 Aug 2013 -- As part of a wide-ranging interview aired yesterday on the ABC News program "This Week With George Stephanopoulis," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff discussed security of the greater Middle East.
• USS Fitzgerald Arrives in Northern Japan NNS 05 Aug 2013 -- USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) moored in Aomori, Japan, Aug. 5, for a port visit to the northern Japan city that is in the midst of hosting its annual Nebuta Festival.
• Blue Ridge Leaves Cairns NNS 05 Aug 2013 -- U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) departed Cairns after an eight-day port visit Aug. 5.
• Russia warships dock in Cuba on friendly visit Iran Press TV 05 Aug 2013 -- A fleet of Russian naval warships has arrived in Cuba's main harbor for a five-day mission of peace and fraternity, an official says.
• Chinese heavy ground combat vehicles join China-Russia drill People's Daily 05 Aug 2013 -- Heavy ground combat vehicles from the Chinese army's battle group have joined the China-Russia joint drill taking place in Chelyabinsk in Russia's Ural Mountainous region from July 27 to Aug. 15.
• NATO's Ocean Shield provides safe passage to world's largest ship NATO 05 Aug 2013 -- The Dutch Frigate HNLMS Van Speijk, part of NATO's counter-piracy Operation Ocean Shield, ensured the safe passage of the cargo vessel Maersk McKinney Moller, currently the world's largest ship, as it transited the Gulf of Aden on Monday (5 August 2013).
• Exercises, Training to Posture NATO for Future Challenges AFPS 05 Aug 2013 -- Sharpened by the past decade of combat operations, NATO forces are launching an ambitious effort to build on that foundation and to enhance the capabilities of the NATO Response Force, the top U.S. and NATO commander reported.
• US, Norwegian Military Inspectors to Fly Over Russia RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2013 -- Military inspectors from the United States and Norway will fly over Russia's territory starting from Monday as part of the international Open Skies Treaty, a Russian Defense Ministry official said.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 08/05/2013 The White House 05 Aug 2013
• August 5, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 05 Aug 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 05, 2013

Other Conflicts

• 5 August 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 05 Aug 2013
• We strike terror with iron fist, says Syria's President Assad Iran Press TV 05 Aug 2013 -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says an 'iron fist' is the only means of putting an end to the foreign-backed militancy that has gripped the country since March 2011.
• Syria's Assad Calls For Striking Rebels 'With Iron Fist' RFE/RL 05 Aug 2013 -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says there is no possibility of a political dialogue with opposition rebels and has called for striking opposition fighters 'with an iron fist.'
• Peace initiative most promising solution to disputes: Ma CNA 05 Aug 2013 -- President Ma Ying-jeou said Monday the East China Sea Peace Initiative, Taiwan's proposal for a mutually beneficial solution to territorial disputes in that region, meets the best interests of the countries involved.
• China warns against rush to set code of conduct in South China Sea People's Daily 05 Aug 2013 -- The envisaged Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) cannot be set in a rush as it concerns the interests of many countries and lots of work is required, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday.
• Nigeria attacks by Boko Haram could be crimes against humanity, says ICC Prosecutor UN News Centre 05 Aug 2013 -- The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) today reported that there is reason to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed in Nigeria, namely murder and persecution by the militant group known as Boko Haram.
• Nigeria Says 35 Killed in Clashes with Boko Haram VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- The Nigerian military says 35 people, most of them militants, have been killed in two clashes between security forces and the radical group Boko Haram.
• Analysis: Mali's aid problem IRIN 05 Aug 2013 -- There is little discernible economic infrastructure on the 635km drive from Mali's capital, Bamako, to the central town of Mopti, except for speed bumps and checkpoints where local vendors congregate to target vehicles as they slow. Rusted signs and faded banners from international donors dot the scrubland, advertising development projects either long abandoned or never undertaken.
• Pakistan's IDPs find it can get worse IRIN 05 Aug 2013 -- Fleeing home is a negative experience in itself, but for Pakistan's one million internally displaced persons (IDPs), most of them subsistence farmers, the sense of dislocation is made worse when they have to start paying for food and accommodation.

News Reports

• Turkey's former army chief gets life sentence over coup plot Iran Press TV 05 Aug 2013 -- A Turkish court has sentenced twelve people, including a former army chief, to life in prison over their role in a coup plot against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
• Former Turkish Army Chief Sentenced to Life in Prison VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- An Istanbul court has sentenced senior generals, journalists and politicians to long jail terms for an alleged conspiracy against Turkey's Islamist-rooted government. The case is the culmination of a decade-long conflict between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the country's secularist establishment.
• Readout of Secretary Hagel's Call with Egyptian Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Fatah al-Sisi DoD 05 Aug 2013
• US Intensifies Mediation Efforts in Egypt VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- Two U.S. lawmakers and a top diplomat are in Cairo attempting to mediate an end to the standoff between Egypt's military-backed government and supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi.
• Egyptians Skeptical About US Mediation Efforts VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain are in Egypt, joining efforts by top U.S. diplomat William Burns to broker an end to the standoff between Egypt's military-backed government and supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
• Leader appoints Ahmadinejad to Expediency Council Iran Press TV 05 Aug 2013 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has appointed former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the Expediency Council.
• Iran's New President Picks Reformist as Top Deputy VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- New Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has picked a prominent reformer to be his top deputy.
• China's Biggest Corruption Trial in Decades Remains a Mystery VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai could face trial in China in a matter of days or weeks. Although Bo's case is one of China's biggest political scandals in decades, very little is known about the crimes he is accused of committing. And legal analysts say it is unlikely that his trial will reveal more details.
• US Extends Closure of Some Diplomatic Missions VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- The United States reopened some of its diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa on Monday, while 19 embassies and consulates in the region remain closed due to security concerns.
• White House Defends Progress Against al-Qaida, Affiliates VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- The White House Monday discussed the ongoing threat from Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as reporters pressed President Obama's spokesman about the extension of some U.S. embassy closures.
• US Extends Security Closure of Some Diplomatic Missions VOA 05 Aug 2013 -- The United States says 19 of its diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa will remain closed for the rest of the week, even as it reopened some of its embassies on Monday.
• Iran arrests man spying for Israel Iran Press TV 05 Aug 2013 -- An Iranian national has been arrested in southeastern city of Kerman and is on trial for passing intelligence about Iran to Israel, head of Kerman's Revolution Court Dadkhoda Salari says.
• In meeting with UN chief, South American nations voice concern at spying allegations UN News Centre 05 Aug 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today met with a group of South American foreign ministers who voiced their concern to the United Nations chief about reported large-scale surveillance programmes.
• Pro-Tymoshenko Rally Marks Two Years Since Her Arrest RFE/RL 05 Aug 2013 -- Hundreds of opposition activists and protesters have gathered in front of a Kyiv courthouse to mark two years since jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was arrested.
• Taiwan reports first occurrence of H5N3 bird flu CNA 05 Aug 2013 -- An outbreak of low pathogenic H5N3 avian influenza has been detected on a duck farm in the eastern county of Hualien, the first occurrence of the virus strain in Taiwan.
• Coca crop cultivation declines for second straight year in Bolivia - UN report UN News Centre 05 Aug 2013 -- Coca crop cultivation continued to decline in Bolivia for a second straight year in 2012, according to a new survey presented today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Government.