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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Ahead of 2014 draw down, Security Council extends assistance force in Afghanistan UN News Centre 10 Oct 2013 -- The United Nations Security Council today extended the authorization of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) until the end of 2014, when it is expected that the force will draw down and the Government of Afghanistan will assume full responsibility for security throughout the country.
• Desert Rats take the lead in Helmand UK MOD 10 Oct 2013 -- 7th Armoured Brigade has taken over as Task Force Helmand in Afghanistan, officially marking the start of Operation Herrick 19.
• Rasmussen: Progress in Afghanistan Remarkable, Undeniable AFPS 10 Oct 2013 -- The partial government shutdown has not affected U.S. contributions to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan or other NATO missions, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Carter to Step Down as Deputy Defense Secretary in December AFPS 10 Oct 2013 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced that Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter will step down December 4.
• Statement by Secretary Hagel on Deputy Secretary Carter DoD 10 Oct 2013
• Hale Calls Shutdown 'a Tragedy,' Urges Congress to End It AFPS 10 Oct 2013 -- The lapse in appropriations that triggered the government shutdown "is a tragedy," and a "colossal waste of time" DOD's comptroller told the House Armed Services Committee today.
• Key DOD Nominees Testify at Confirmation Hearing AFPS 10 Oct 2013 -- Nominees for senior positions overseeing the Defense Department's special operations, cost assessment and program evaluation, and the Navy testified today as the Senate Armed Services Committee deliberated their confirmations.
• HSC-25 Rescues Plane Crash Victims NNS 10 Oct 2013 -- Sailors from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 helped rescue four people whose plane went missing on a flight from Tinian to Saipan of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Oct. 6.
• VMX-22, 2nd MSOB test Osprey software update USMC News 10 Oct 2013 -- Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 22 conducted Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP) missions in Colorado Springs, Colo., to test the biannual software update of the MV-22B Osprey, Sept. 20-25.
• Cowpens Rescues Injured Mariners NNS 10 Oct 2013 -- Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63) responded to a distress call and rescued two injured civilian mariners off the southwest coast of the Republic of Korea, Oct. 8.
• NATO Fosters Partnerships Key to Future Success AFPS 10 Oct 2013 -- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised efforts that are expanding and strengthening the partnerships he called fundamental to the alliance's ability to deal with modern security challenges.
• Ukraine contributes to NATO's Ocean Shield NATO 10 Oct 2013 -- Gulf of Aden - The Ukrainian Navy frigate HETMAN SAGAIYDACHNIY joined the Alliance's Operation Ocean Shield on 10 October, marking the first time a partner nation has contributed to NATO's counter-piracy effort, which has been operating off the Horn of Africa, since 2009.
• FM spokeswoman defends Turkey-China missile defence deal People's Daily 10 Oct 2013 -- Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Tuesday responded to NATO and U.S. concern over Turkey's decision to co-produce a missile defence system with a Chinese firm by describing such military trade between China and Turkey as normal.
• J-10 fighter not yet approved for export People's Daily 10 Oct 2013 -- As global attention has been drawn to when China's in-service top-grade home-made J-10 fighter aircraft enters the international market, Ma Zhiping, vice president of the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC), disclosed recently that many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America had already enquired about price of J-10.
• Concentrated training for leading officials of national defense mobilization and reserve force kicks off People's Daily 10 Oct 2013 -- The concentrated training for leading officials of national defense mobilization and reserve force kicked off on October 10, 2013 at the National Defense University (NDU) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).
• Russian Warheads Fuel Half of US Nuclear Power – Official RIA Novosti 10 Oct 2013 -- Decommissioned Russian warheads are fueling "approximately half of the nuclear energy in the United States," a senior US State Department official said Wednesday.
• Iranian drones can fly deep into Tel Aviv: Iran commander Iran Press TV 10 Oct 2013 -- A senior Iranian commander has emphasized that the nation's indigenous drones can fly deep into the Israeli-occupied territories and Tel Aviv.
• N Korea slams South, US, Japan war game Iran Press TV 11 Oct 2013 -- North Korea has slammed the three-nation naval drills involving US, South Korean and Japanese warships, threatening to 'bury in the sea' a US aircraft carrier.
• October 10, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 10 Oct 2013
• Daily Briefing by the Press Secretary, 10/10/13 The White House 10 Oct 2013

Defense Industry

• Chinese military-industrial enterprises get closer to NATO People's Daily 10 Oct 2013 -- Turkey's plan to purchase China's 'HQ-9' air-defense missile system is met with new resistance due to the interference made by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who expressed concern on October 7 about the cooperation between Turkey and Chinese companies and requested Turkey to choose anti-missile system 'compatible' with NATO allies.

Other Conflicts

• 10 October 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 10 Oct 2013
• New chemical arms inspectors arrive in Syria Iran Press TV 10 Oct 2013 -- A second team of international chemical weapons inspectors has joined a mission already in Syria, as part of an agreement to eliminate the Syrian chemical arms.
• Briefing: Abyei's dangerous impasse IRIN 10 Oct 2013 -- It was supposed to be the "bridge" between Sudan and South Sudan, a symbol of how two once-warring neighbours can move forward into a new era of peace, a model for amicable problem-solving. Instead, the Abyei area remains mired in a worsening crisis which stands in the way of full rapprochement between Khartoum and Juba.
• Abyei – the view from the ground IRIN 10 Oct 2013 -- Over recent weeks, thousands of people have been returning to Abyei, a disputed region on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, in the hope that a long-delayed referendum on the status of the area will finally be held.
• Central African Republic: Security Council reinforces UN peacebuilding office, backs deployment of African Union peacekeepers UN News Centre 10 Oct 2013 -- Seriously concerned by the deteriorating security situation and widespread human rights abuses in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Security Council today "reinforced and updated" the United Nations peacebuilding office in the country, while also calling for a political resolution to the conflict.
• Phillippine conflict-displaced on Mindanao now hit by floods IRIN 10 Oct 2013 -- Still recovering from three weeks of fighting between government troops and Muslim separatists that left tens of thousands displaced, battle-scarred Zamboanga region in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao is now dealing with flooding in already congested evacuation centres.
• Security Council extends UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti for another year UN News Centre 10 Oct 2013 -- The Security Council today voted unanimously to extend the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti until mid-October 2014 so it can continue contributing to stability and development in the small Caribbean nation.
• Ban calls for enhanced partnership with Southeast Asian bloc to promote peace, development UN News Centre 10 Oct 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for enhanced partnership between the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as the two bodies work together for peace, human rights and sustainable development across the region.
• M23 Rebels in DRC Using Illegal Gold to Finance Rebellion VOA 10 Oct 2013 -- A report says rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are financing their campaign by smuggling out gold that ends up in the world's banks and jewelry stores.
• Iraq Executes 42 Terrorism Convicts VOA 10 Oct 2013 -- Iraq has annouced that it executed 42 terrorism convicts this week, rejecting mounting international appeals to end its extensive use of the death penalty.

News Reports

• Report: White House Scrutiny of Leaks Threatens Press Freedom VOA 10 Oct 2013 -- The Obama administration's aggressive prosecution of leaks and its efforts to control information are becoming a threat to press freedom and democracy, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
• Election in Azerbaijan undermined by limitations on fundamental freedoms, lack of level playing field and significant problems on election day, international observers say Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights 10 Oct 2013 -- The 9 October presidential election in Azerbaijan was undermined by limitations on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association that did not guarantee a level playing field for candidates, the international observers concluded in a statement released today. Continued allegations of candidate and voter intimidation and a restrictive media environment marred the campaign.
• OSCE Says Azerbaijan Election 'Seriously Flawed' RFE/RL 10 Oct 2013 -- Election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) say Azerbaijan's October 9 presidential election was 'seriously flawed.'
• Rifts Emerge Between Turkey's PM and President VOA 10 Oct 2013 -- Divisions between Turkey's President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan re-emerged last week with the president's address at the opening session of the Turkish parliament. In the speech, which came just a day after Erdogan unveiled a democratic reform package, Gul praised anti-government protests and pleaded for a greater participatory democracy. The reappearance of differences between the formerly close political allies comes ahead of next year's presidential election, in which neither man has ruled out running.
• Security in Libya worsening, Ban says following abduction of Prime Minister UN News Centre 10 Oct 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced relief at the release of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan of Libya, who was abducted earlier today, and noted that acts of violence are increasing and security is worsening in the North African nation.
• Building trust key in Iran nuclear talks: Larijani Iran Press TV 10 Oct 2013 -- Iran's Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani says confidence-building is the key element in the upcoming talks in Geneva over Iran's civilian nuclear program, reiterating, however, that Tehran will not forswear its right to peaceful nuclear technology.
• Iran keen to find political N-solution: Larijani Iran Press TV 10 Oct 2013 -- The Islamic Republic says it is eager to find a political solution to West's nuclear dispute with Iran, expressing hope that the six major world powers would enter the forthcoming Geneva talks with goodwill.
• Pakistan Re-arrests Ex-President Musharraf VOA 10 Oct 2013 -- Police in Pakistan have rearrested former military president Pervez Musharraf, a day after he was granted bail in other cases that apparently had paved the way for ending his six months of house arrest.
• Pakistan's ex-President Musharraf arrested in Islamabad mosque operation case IRNA 10 Oct 2013 -- Pakistans former military President Pervez Musharraf was formally arrested for ordering military operation on Islamabad's Lal Masjid during his tenure which led to the killing of around 100 people including madrassa students.
• Snowden's Father Says Russia Only Safe Place For Son RIA Novosti 10 Oct 2013 -- The father of US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden says he believes Russia, where he arrived on Thursday with the aim of meeting with his son, is the only country in which his fugitive son can feel safe.
• Libyan prime minister 'released' Iran Press TV 10 Oct 2013 -- Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has reportedly been freed just hours after he was kidnapped by gunmen from a hotel in the capital, Tripoli.
• Libyan Prime Minister Freed After Kidnapping VOA 10 Oct 2013 -- Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan returned unharmed to government headquarters in Tripoli Thursday, soon after he was released by former rebel militiamen who had abducted and held him for several hours.
• Russia Appoints New Space Chief RIA Novosti 10 Oct 2013 -- Former Deputy Defense Minister Oleg Ostapenko will head up Russia's Federal Space Agency, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday. The move comes as part of a major reshuffle of the country's troubled space industry.
• Astronomers Discover Lone Planet with No Star VOA 10 Oct 2013 -- Astronomers have discovered a lone planet, floating in space without a star.