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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 14 Aug 2013 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing with Maj. Gen. McConville from the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 14 Aug 2013 -- Presenter: Maj. Gen. James McConville, International Security Assistance Force Regional Commander-East and commanding general of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division
• Afghans Lead the Fight in Afghanistan, General Says AFPS 14 Aug 2013 -- Afghan security forces are in the lead and continue to grow in capacity and capability in the fight against insurgents, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force’s Regional Command-East said today.
• NATO Pullout From Afghanistan 'Too Hasty' – Russian Defense Official RIA Novosti 14 Aug 2013 -- The intended pullout of the NATO-led forces from Afghanistan starting in 2014 is "too hasty," Russia's Deputy Defense Minister said Wednesday adding that Russia will reinforce its military bases in Central Asia ahead of the withdrawal.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Manning Apologizes for Leaks VOA 14 Aug 2013 -- Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army soldier convicted of leaking 750,000 secret documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, has apologized for his actions in a bid to get a lighter sentence after being convicted of espionage. The sentencing phase of Manning's case is under way at Fort Meade, Maryland.
• DOD Announces Same-Sex Spouse Benefits DoD 14 Aug 2013 -- Today, the Department of Defense announced its plan to extend benefits to same-sex spouses of uniformed service members and Department of Defense civilian employees.
• Seahawks return from UDP in Japan USMC News 14 Aug 2013 -- More than 220 members of Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 and Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 14 returned Aug. 7 from a six-month deployment to Iwakuni as part of the Unit Deployment Program.
• Pacific Partnership 2013 Comes to a Close NNS 14 Aug 2013 -- Pacific Partnership 2013 concluded its final mission port, the Solomon Islands, Aug. 13.
• Chief of Naval Operations Visits USS Columbus NNS 14 Aug 2013 -- The Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Jonathan Greenert visited the Los Angeles class attack submarine USS Columbus (SSN 762) as part of a two-day visit to Hawaii, Aug. 13.
• Strike Fighter Squadron 101 Granted Interim 'Safe for Flight' Completes First Flight in Navy F-35C Lightning II NNS 14 Aug 2013 -- Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, the Navy's first F-35C Lightning II carrier variant aircraft squadron, completed its first flight Aug. 14 in its new aircraft at the squadron's home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
• Dempsey Arrives in Jordan for Consultations AFPS 14 Aug 2013 -- Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived here today on the final leg of a Middle East trip that first took him to Israel.
• USS Lassen Visits Sydney NNS 14 Aug 2013 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen (DDG 82) arrived in Sydney for a port visit, Aug. 14.
• US Begins Talks on Expanding Philippines Military Presence VOA 14 Aug 2013 -- The United States and the Philippines have opened talks on expanding the American military presence in the Southeast Asian nation. The two sides are negotiating an agreement that would allow U.S. forces and military equipment temporary access to Philippine defense camps.
• 'Smart Defence' keeping NATO fit for the future NATO 14 Aug 2013 -- NATO Allies have successfully completed the first of 29 ongoing multinational Smart Defence projects which are to help ensure that NATO remains fit for the future. The project, to develop a multinational logistics partnership on helicopter maintenance in Afghanistan, was part of the initial batch of projects launched by NATO leaders at their Chicago Summit in May 2012.
• No Progress in Russia-NATO Missile Defense Talks – Official RIA Novosti 14 Aug 2013 -- Missile defense talks between Russian and NATO military officials in the past 10 days have reached another impasse, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Wednesday.
• Chinese, Russian troops carry out coordinated training People's Daily 14 Aug 2013 -- The Chinese and Russian troops participating in the China-Russia joint anti-terrorism military exercise codenamed 'Peace Mission 2013' carried out an all-personnel and all-element coordinated training on August 12, 2013.
• Russia Hosting CIS Air Defense Drills RIA Novosti 14 Aug 2013 -- Some 20 units from a joint air defense system of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a bloc of former Soviet republics in Eurasia, have begun a large-scale exercise in Russia's Volga region, a Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman said Wednesday.
• UK Defence Equipment Minister visits North East Asia UK MOD 14 Aug 2013 -- Philip Dunne has visited North East Asia to review growing equipment cooperation relationships with both Japan and the Republic of Korea.
• Russian-Made Indian Submarine Sinks After Blast, Fire RFE/RL 14 Aug 2013 -- A Russian-built submarine used by the Indian Navy has sunk in the port of Mumbai after an explosion and fire on board.
• Sailors Killed and Trapped as Indian Submarine Sinks After Fire RIA Novosti 14 Aug 2013 -- Several sailors have been killed among the 18, including three officers, feared trapped inside a Russian-built Indian Navy submarine that caught fire and sank after a blast on board in the port of Mumbai, the Navy said Wednesday.
• Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 8/14/2013 The White House 14 Aug 2013
• August 14, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 14 Aug 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 14, 2013
• Russia arms sales to Azerbaijan is put at $4bn Iran Press TV 14 Aug 2013 -- Russian arms sales to neighboring Azerbaijan have been put at USD4 billion by the Azerbaijani president following a one-day visit to the Central Asian country by his Russian counterpart.

Other Conflicts

• 14 August 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 14 Aug 2013
• Dempsey Gets Viewpoints from Partners on Syria AFPS 14 Aug 2013 -- After attending meetings this week with leaders here and in Israel, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reiterated his belief that bilateral and multilateral efforts, not military intervention, remain the best approach to containing unrest in Syria and preventing it from spreading.
• Syria accepts terms of cooperation for visit by UN chemical weapons team UN News Centre 14 Aug 2013 -- The Syrian Government has formally accepted the modalities essential for cooperation to ensure the proper, safe and efficient conduct of the mission by the United Nations team investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons in the ongoing conflict, the world body announced today.
• Senior UN officials sound alarm on multiple crises gripping Central African Republic UN News Centre 14 Aug 2013 -- Senior United Nations officials today raised the alarm about the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR), which is marked by ongoing insecurity and instability as well as a rapidly growing humanitarian emergency.
• Darfur: Joint UN-African envoy voices concern over recent hostilities UN News Centre 14 Aug 2013 -- The head of the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur today met with a senior government official in the region to discuss the increasingly violent clashes between tribal groups in and around El Daein and Adila in East Darfur.
• Uganda says DRC refugees must move to designated camp IRIN 14 Aug 2013 -- Uganda's state minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees has told IRIN that tens of thousands of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the western district of Bundibugyo must relocate to a refugee camp designated for them 245km away in Hoima District.
• Former five-star IDP camp in Yemen now neglected IRIN 14 Aug 2013 -- A giant sun-bleached banner plastered to an abandoned warehouse in Yemen's northwestern Hajjah Governorate welcomes visitors to "al-Mazraq Camp 2" - a sprawling Emirati-funded project built in late 2009 to accommodate thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing conflict.
• Doctors Without Borders Pulls Out of Somalia VOA 14 Aug 2013 -- The aid group Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF [Medecins Sans Frontieres], has closed all its medical operations in Somalia. MSF says it was forced to pull out because of continuous and extreme attacks against its medical workers in the country.
• Mideast Peace Talks to Start After Prisoner Release VOA 14 Aug 2013 -- Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are to meet Wednesday night in Jerusalem for the formal start of their first direct negotiations in five years. The talks follow the release of 26 Palestinians held in Israeli jails - a move that has provided further evidence of the split in public opinion on both sides.
• Pakistani PM Calls for Defusing Kashmir Tensions VOA 14 Aug 2013 -- Pakistan's prime minister says Islamabad and New Delhi will have to "defuse tension and de-escalate the situation" in the disputed Kashmir region, following days of firing across the military line of control. Nawaz Sharif spoke to reporters after talks with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
• Cameroon Takes Control of Disputed Bakassi VOA 14 Aug 2013 -- Following a half-decade of preparations, Cameroon is assuming full control of the oil-rich peninsula of Bakassi, which has long been at the center of a territorial dispute with neighboring Nigeria. In keeping with a 2002 International Court of Justice ruling that ceded the territory to Yaounde, some 300,000 Nigerians living on the peninsula — approximately 90 percent of its population — must now obtain residence permits and be treated as foreign nationals living in Cameroon if they choose to stay after Wednesday's deadline.

News Reports

• Statement by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Egypt The White House 14 Aug 2013
• Remarks by Secretary of State John Kerry on Egypt US Dept. of State 14 Aug 2013
• Egypt's interim VP announces resignation amid deadly crackdown Iran Press TV 14 Aug 2013 -- Egypt's interim Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei has announced his resignation after violent crackdown by security forces claimed hundreds of lives across the North African country.
• Violent crackdown ignites tensions across Egypt Iran Press TV 14 Aug 2013 -- Violence continues to flare up across Egypt after a violent crackdown by security forces removed encampments of the supporters of ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, in Cairo.
• Egypt declares nationwide state of emergency Iran Press TV 14 Aug 2013 -- Egypt has declared a month-long state of emergency in Cairo and several other provinces after violent clashes between security forces and thousands of supporters of the ousted president, Mohammed Morsi, claimed thousands of lives in Cairo.
• Egypt Declares State Of Emergency, As Death Toll Climbs After Crackdown RFE/RL 14 Aug 2013 -- Egypt's presidency has declared a nationwide state of emergency as the death toll continues to rise following a crackdown by security forces on Islamist protesters.
• Egypt Declares National Emergency Over Deadly Riots RIA Novosti 14 Aug 2013 -- Egypt's interim authorities on Wednesday declared a nationwide state of emergency in the midst of clashes between police and protesters that have left almost 150 people dead in the most populous Arab nation.
• UN Secretary-General strongly condemns use of force against protesters in Cairo UN News Centre 14 Aug 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned in the strongest terms the violence that occurred today in Cairo when Egyptian security services used force to clear sit-ins and demonstrations, and urged all Egyptians to focus on promoting inclusive reconciliation.
• Following Crackdown, Egypt Declares State of Emergency VOA 14 Aug 2013 -- The Egyptian army says an operation to clear two sit-in protest camps of Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Cairo is almost over, amid conflicting reports on the number of casualties.
• US Condemns Egypt Crackdown VOA 14 Aug 2013 -- The United States has strongly condemned violence in Egypt as security forces moved to clear protest camps in Cairo set up by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
• Military's Dispersal of Egypt Protests Complicates Transition Process VOA 14 Aug 2013 -- The Egyptian military's dispersal of two Islamist-led protests supporting ousted President Mohamed Morsi has dramatically escalated the country's political crisis.
• Egypt Crackdown Draws Condemnation VOA 14 Aug 2013 -- The Egyptian government's deadly crackdown on supporters of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi has drawn condemnation from leaders of Muslim nations who backed the ousted leader.
• 7th Round of North-South Working-level Talks Held KCNA 14 Aug 2013 -- The 7th round of the working-level talks between authorities of the north and the south of Korea for the normalization of operation in the Kaesong Industrial Zone (KIZ) took place in the zone on Wednesday.
• Koreas Pledge to Restart Kaesong Complex VOA 14 Aug 2013 -- The two Koreas have signed an agreement intended to move towards reopening what had been their only remaining joint venture - the industrial trade zone just north of their border at Kaesong.
• Moscow Mayoral Race Heats Up In The Home Stretch RFE/RL 14 Aug 2013 -- According to a recent Levada Center poll, 40 percent of Muscovites believe the campaign for the city's September 8 mayoral election will be 'dirty, featuring slander, falsification, [and] abuse of administrative resources.'
• Security Council urges broad regional approach to counter piracy in Gulf of Guinea UN News Centre 14 Aug 2013 -- The Security Council today called for a comprehensive regional approach to combat the threat of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, and reiterated its call on Member States to prosecute perpetrators in accordance with international laws.