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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 21 Aug 2013 [PDF]
• Last infantry regiment closes chapter in Helmand USMC News 21 Aug 2013 -- Marines and sailors with Regimental Combat Team 7 closed the final page on a chapter in Helmand province during a casing of the colors ceremony.
• Afghan Victims Testify At U.S. Soldier's Sentencing Trial RFE/RL 21 Aug 2013 -- Afghan victims of a shooting spree by a U.S. soldier have spoken at the start of the sentencing trial for the man behind the attack.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Judge Sentences Manning to 35 Years of Confinement AFPS 21 Aug 2013 -- Army Pfc. Bradley E. Manning was sentenced to 35 years of confinement, reduction to the lowest enlisted rank, a dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances for his July 30 conviction on a variety of charges related to publication of government information on the WikiLeaks website.
• Manning Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison Over Leaks VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- U.S. Army private Bradley Manning has been sentenced to a 35-year prison term.
• Manning Jailed For 35 Years For WikiLeaks Disclosures RFE/RL 21 Aug 2013 -- U.S. soldier Bradley Manning has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for giving a trove of classified information to the WikiLeaks antisecrecy website.
• Bradley Manning Sentenced to 35 Years for Leaking Classified Documents RIA Novosti 21 Aug 2013 -- A US military judge sentenced Army Pfc. Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents.
• WikiLeaks’ Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison PressTV 21 Aug 2013 -- US Army Private Bradley Manning has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified US documents to WikiLeaks.
• Egyptian PM: US Aid Cutoff Would Be 'Bad Sign' VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- Egypt's interim prime minister says any move by the United States to cut military aid to the country would be a "very bad sign."
• EU Suspends Military Sales to Egypt VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- The European Union has suspended military sales to Egypt for items it believes could be used for repression.
• EU agrees to suspend sale of arms, security goods to Egypt PressTV 21 Aug 2013 -- Foreign ministers of the European Union have agreed to suspend the sale of arms and security equipment to Egypt as well as to review aid to the country.
• Readout of Secretary Hagel's Call with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon DoD 21 Aug 2013
• Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Denmark’s Minister of Defence Nicolai Wammen DoD 21 Aug 2013
• Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Georgia’s Minister of Defense Irakli Alasania DoD 21 Aug 2013
• Expanded Sino-US exchanges to stabilize ties People's Daily 21 Aug 2013 -- China and the United States aim to build more stable military ties by agreeing to expand exchanges and exercises.
• What signals does the defense minister's visit to the US send out? People's Daily 21 Aug 2013 -- Chinese Minister of National Defense Chang Wanquan began his four-day visit to the United States on August 16.
• US, Russian Officials Discuss Missile Defense RIA Novosti 21 Aug 2013 -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and US Acting Undersecretary of State Rose Gottemoeller have discussed missile defense and disarmament issues.
• UFG 13 improves stability, overall mission readiness USMC News 21 Aug 2013 -- Service members from the United States and the United Nations Command sending states are participating in Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian 2013 Aug. 19-30
• UFG Marines command and control from the sea USMC News 21 Aug 2013 -- Approximately 70 Marines with III Marine Expeditionary Force embarked the USS Blue Ridge from Busan, Republic of Korea on Aug. 17, in preparation for exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian 2013.
• Cutting edge technology Army News 21 Aug 2013 -- The Dismounted Soldier Training System, or DSTS, is the first ever fully immersive virtual simulation training for U.S. Soldiers.
• LCS Crew 101 Returns from First Underway of the Deployment NNS 21 Aug 2013 -- USS Freedom's (LCS 1) LCS Crew 101 completed its first underway period since the mid-deployment crew swap, Aug. 19.
• Submarine USS Albuquerque Returns from Deployment NNS 21 Aug 2013 -- Friends and family of Sailors aboard the USS Albuquerque welcomed home Albuquerque's crew Aug. 21 following a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific.
• 6th Fleet Flagship Mount Whitney Departs France NNS 21 Aug 2013 -- U.S. 6th Fleet flagship, USS Mount Whitney, concluded a 4-day port visit to Theoule-sur-Mer, France.
• Germantown Volunteers at Australian Hospital, departs Cairns NNS 21 Aug 2013 -- Dock landing ship USS Germantowndeparted Cairns, Australia after a routine port visit Aug. 15 to 19.
• In Colorful Case, U.S. Submarine Expert Accused Of Attempting To Spy For Russia RFE/RL 21 Aug 2013 -- Robert Patrick Hoffman II, spent most of his two-decade career in the U.S. Navy working as a cryptographic technician on submarine technology.
• In aftermath of Keating: MOH nominee Carter gets help for PTSD Army News 21 Aug 2013 -- With five deployments under his belt, Hill had never seen anything like that battle before, and he was deeply concerned about how it would affect his Soldiers.
• Russia to Deliver 12 Su-30 Fighter Jets to Vietnam RIA Novosti 21 Aug 2013 -- Russia will deliver another batch of 12 Sukhoi Su-30MK2 fighter aircraft under a recent contract worth about $450 million.
• Russian Navy to Receive 10 Rescue Vessels by Year-End RIA Novosti 21 Aug 2013 -- The Russian Navy will receive 10 advanced search-and-rescue ships and boats by the end of this year to boost its sea rescue capability.
• Asian powers should be united, not divided, by ocean ambitions People's Daily 21 Aug 2013 -- After a delay of nearly five years, India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, was finally launched on August 12 from the Cochin Shipyard.
• India suspends transaction with American subsidiarys IRNA 21 Aug 2013 -- The Home Ministry has served show cause notices to two foreign arms vendors.
• Iran to unveil domestically made Fateh submarine soon PressTV 21 Aug 2013 -- Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan says the Islamic Republic will be unveiling the domestically designed and built Fateh (Conqueror) submarine in the next few months.
• Iran producing new high-tech jet fighter: Top cmdr. PressTV 21 Aug 2013 -- Iran is producing a new state-of-the-art jet fighter, which is the latest in a range of military products manufactured by local experts.
• Military ready to provide rescue assistance as storm nears CNA 21 Aug 2013 -- The military said late that it has opened an emergency center and mobilized thousands of servicemen for disaster relief operations.
• Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 8/21/2013 The White House 21 Aug 2013
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing, August 21, 2013 US Dept. of State 21 Aug 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 21, 2013

Other Conflicts

• Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 21 August 2013 United Nations 21 Aug 2013
• UN official says improved humanitarian civil-military coordination can bolster civilian protection UN News Centre 21 Aug 2013 -- The need for military and humanitarian actors to understand each other’s work is vital to helping civilians in violent conflicts.
• Statement by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Allegations of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria The White House 21 Aug 2013
• US Urges UN to Probe Alleged Syrian Chemical Attack VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- The Obama administration is asking the United Nations to investigate allegations that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against civilians.
• UN: Chemical Weapons Use in Syria Would Represent 'Serious Escalation' VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- The United Nations deputy secretary-general says any use of chemical weapons in Syria would represent a "serious escalation" in the fighting there.
• UN Chief 'Shocked' at Latest Syria Chemical Weapons Claims VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- Wednesday's alleged poison gas attack by the Syrian military comes as a team of U.N. scientific experts is in the country to examine allegations.
• Syria: UN chief ‘shocked’ by new allegations of chemical weapons use UN News Centre 21 Aug 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban expressed his shock at reports of alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria’s Damascus suburbs.
• US ‘Deeply Concerned’ About Syria Chemical Weapons Claims RIA Novosti 21 Aug 2013 -- The White House said it is “deeply concerned” about claims from Syrian opposition forces that as many as 1,300 people were killed in a government-led chemical weapons attack.
• Syrian Chemical Weapons Reports May Be ‘Provocation’ – Moscow RIA Novosti 21 Aug 2013 -- Moscow does not rule out that reports alleging the use of chemical weapons in Syria are a “planned provocation” by media outlets to sway public opinion against the ruling regime.
• Russia calls Syria’s chemical weapons use claims provocation PressTV 21 Aug 2013 -- Russia has called the Syrian opposition claims about a chemical attack by the Syrian army near Damascus "premeditated provocation."
• Syrian army denies allegations of chemical weapons use against militants PressTV 21 Aug 2013 -- The Syrian army has vehemently denied allegations by militants and opposition activists that it used chemical weapons against Takfiri militants near the capital.
• Syrian Opposition Says Assad Forces Used 'Poison Gas' VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- Syrian opposition leaders have accused forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of killing hundreds of people in attacks using "poisonous gas" on rebel-held areas of Damascus.
• Syrian Opposition Claims 1,300 Killed In Chemical Attack RFE/RL 21 Aug 2013 -- Syria's main opposition group says government forces have killed some 1,300 people in chemical-weapons attacks on a Damascus suburbs.
• Gen. Dempsey: Syrian conflict not militarily decisive PressTV 21 Aug 2013 -- The top American military officer has warned about a US military attack against Syria, saying it would further commit Washington to a conflict that is not decisive militarily.
• US, Russia to Discuss Syria Conference on Aug. 28 – Source RIA Novosti 21 Aug 2013 -- US and Russian diplomats will meet in The Hague on August 28 to discuss preparations for the long-delayed Syria peace conference.
• Syrian refugees suffer as aid agencies in Iraq grapple with sudden influx IRIN 21 Aug 2013 -- An influx of Syrian refugees into the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq in recent days left no time to prepare adequate health care for the new arrivals.
• Mali lures civil servants to the north with cash IRIN 21 Aug 2013 -- Mali is offering cash incentives to prompt public servants to return to the northern Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu regions they fled during the Islamist rebel take-over and conflict that followed the March 2012 coup.
• Gunmen kill two men, injure Swedish politician in Mogadishu PressTV 21 Aug 2013 -- Unknown gunmen have opened fire at a vehicle in Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing at least two men and injuring a Swedish politician.
• UN mission in eastern DR Congo steps up patrols, sends in choppers, to protect civilians UN News Centre 21 Aug 2013 -- The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has stepped up patrols in the eastern part of the country.
• S. Sudan General Detained, Soldiers Probed over Alleged Pibor Abuses VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- South Sudan army officials have detained the commander in charge of troops in Pibor County in Jonglei state.
• Deadly Car Bombings Strike Several Southern Iraqi Cities RFE/RL 21 Aug 2013 -- Iraqi officials say separate car bombings in three southern cities have killed at least 10 people and wounded dozens.
• Pakistan Accuses India of Killing Officer, Wounding Another Soldier VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- The Pakistani military said one of it officers has been killed by Indian troops firing over the disputed border in Kashmir.
• Pakistan Accuses India Of Deadly Border Attack RFE/RL 21 Aug 2013 -- Pakistan's military is blaming India for killing an officer and wounding a soldier in the latest clash along their disputed border in Kashmir.
• Cross-border firing kills Pakistani army officer in disputed Kashmir PressTV 21 Aug 2013 -- Pakistan accuses Indian forces of killing an army officer and seriously wounding another along their de-facto border dividing the disputed Kashmir.
• Tons Of Bomb Materials Seized In Quetta RFE/RL 21 Aug 2013 -- Pakistani security forces have seized some 100 tons of a chemical used for making bombs and detained 10 people in a raid in the southwestern city of Quetta.
• Cameroon Closes Border After Shooting Incident VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- Cameroon has closed its borders with Central African Republic, after Seleka rebel fighters raided the Cameroonian border town of Toktoyo, killing the Cameroonian border police chief during the attack.
• Former Liberian Rebel Leader Admits Guinea Support in Civil War VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- The former leader of one of the rebel groups in Liberia’s 14-year civil war has said his movement received support from the government of neighboring Guinea.

News Reports

• Turkey's Criticism of OIC Over Egypt Seen as Split with Arab Allies VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- Turkey's call for the resignation of the head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is being seen by analysts as another sign of Ankara's growing isolation from other Islamic countries.
• Saudi Funds May Dampen Threat of US Aid Cut to Egypt VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- The Obama administration is reviewing aid to Egypt's military-led government, hoping to use that assistance to influence events in Cairo.
• Egypt Clashes Drain Hospital Blood Supplies VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- octors say hospitals in Cairo are strained almost beyond their limits as casualty counts grow from daily clashes on the streets.
• Egyptian Authorities Arrest Cleric, Brotherhood Spokesman VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- Egyptian authorities have arrested a Muslim Brotherhood spokesman and a fiery preacher with ties to the group.
• Egypt arrests leading pro-Morsi cleric PressTV 21 Aug 2013 -- Egyptian authorities have arrested a leading cleric who supported ousted President Mohamed Morsi, amid the ongoing crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters.
• Egyptian Court Orders Mubarak's Release RFE/RL 21 Aug 2013 -- Egyptian state television reports that a Cairo court has ordered the conditional release of former President Hosni Mubarak.
• Egyptian Court Orders Mubarak's Release VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- Judicial and security forces say an Egyptian court ordered former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak be released from prison.
• Egypt court orders release of ex-dictator Hosni Mubarak PressTV 21 Aug 2013 -- A court in Egypt has ordered the release of the former dictator, Hosni Mubarak, amid simmering tensions in the North African country.
• UN Tries Reconciliation in Cairo VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- The United Nations political affairs chief is in Cairo to meet with and seek reconciliation between the military-backed interim government and the Muslim Brotherhood - the focus of a week long security crackdown.
• UN political chief arrives in Cairo to 'listen to Egyptians,' evaluate assistance measures UN News Centre 21 Aug 2013 -- A senior United Nations official today said he was in Egypt to listen to Egyptians to better understand how the Organization can assist the crisis-torn country, and to report back to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
• Key Players in Egypt VOA 21 Aug 2013
• Iran a Bright Spot in a Bleak Middle East? VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- The switch in presidents from the provocative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the sober technocrat, Hassan Rouhani, there is a real chance to de-escalate the nuclear crisis.
• Analysts advise G5+1 to offer Rohani gov’t new package IRNA 21 Aug 2013 -- Analysts here believe the Group 5+1 should offer a new package of incentives to President Rohani’s government in the course of the new round of talks.
• 'Special Circumstances' Behind Dearth Of Women In Iran's Cabinet RFE/RL 21 Aug 2013 -- Iran's new president apparently has an answer for those who have criticized the lack of women in his cabinet: They aren't up to the task.
• Bo Xilai Trial a Test for China Corruption Crackdown VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- China is showcasing this week’s trial of disgraced politician Bo Xilai as part of a larger crackdown on corruption.
• Bo Xilai Supporters Protest on Eve of Trial VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- Supporters of former Chinese politician Bo Xilai held a small protest outside a courthouse in eastern China where his long-awaited trial begins Thursday.
• Heightened Concern in Japan Over Fukushima Nuclear Leak VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- Japanese nuclear regulators are expressing heightened concern about a fresh leak of radioactive water at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
• Fukushima Plant Faces One Crisis After Another RFE/RL 21 Aug 2013 -- More than two years after suffering a nuclear disaster, Japan is stuck in damage-control mode.
• Swearing-in Set for Zimbabwe's Mugabe VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is set to be inaugurated on Thursday, a move that will extend his 33 years in power by another five years.
• UN Envoy Blames Burmese Government for Lack of Security VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- A U.N. envoy, on an official trip to Burma, has told reporters his convoy came under attack this week by a Buddhist mob and authorities did not protect him.
• China Urges Rapid Formation of New Cambodian Government VOA 21 Aug 2013 -- China’s foreign minister has urged Cambodia to resolve its ongoing political deadlock and quickly form a new government.
• Leaders Of Daghestan, Ingushetia Look Set To Stay On RFE/RL 21 Aug 2013 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled on August 19 separate shortlists of three candidates for the posts of Republic of Daghestan president and Republic of Ingushetia head.