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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 18 Oct 2013 [PDF]
• Kit movements run smoothly as Afghanistan drawdown continues UK MOD 18 Oct 2013 -- As base closures and handovers continue in Helmand, the flow of equipment through Camp Bastion and out of Afghanistan is well underway.
• US drone attack kills 2 in eastern Afghanistan Iran Press TV 18 Oct 2013 -- An airstrike carried out by a US terror drone has killed at least two people in Afghanistan's eastern Province of Nuristan, which borders Pakistan.
• Bomb blast hits US airbase in Afghanistan Iran Press TV 18 Oct 2013 -- A bomb targeting a US military convoy has exploded at the US-run Bagram airbase in war-ravaged Afghanistan.
• USS Rentz Disrupts a Ton of Cocaine Worth $80 Million NNS 18 Oct 2013 -- Less than a week after arriving on station following a port visit in Panama, USS Rentz (FFG 46) and embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) and helicopter squadron disrupted a shipment of 1,000 kg. of cocaine off the coast of Colombia in coordination with the Colombian navy Oct. 9.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Changes Coming Atop US Intelligence Agencies VOA 18 Oct 2013 -- Some U.S. intelligence agencies are undergoing changes in leadership. The director of the National Security Agency and his deputy are resigning, and President Barack Obama has nominated a new secretary of Homeland Security.
• Army 'can't afford' not to have Rapid Equipping Force, leader says Army News 18 Oct 2013 -- The Army's Rapid Equipping Force plays such an important role in providing Soldiers with what they need to complete their mission that its commander is confident his organization will continue in one form or another even after budget cuts shrink the Army.
• U.S. Army Europe Soldiers show off advantages of Army's Forward Arming and Refueling Point system Army News 18 Oct 2013 -- known as 'blivets' in Army slang -- or in-ground tanks, and can be established at almost any location accessible to vehicles and helicopters.
• Hagel, Romania's Defense Chief Reach Significant Agreements AFPS 18 Oct 2013 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met with Romania's Minister of Defense Mircea Dusa today at the Pentagon, a meeting that produced a number of significant agreements, which Pentagon Spokesman George Little said will enhance the strong and productive partnership the U.S. enjoys with Romania.
• Military to Reduce Community and Public Outreach AFPS 18 Oct 2013 -- Pentagon officials announced a plan today that will enable the military services to resume conducting community and public outreach activities in the new fiscal year, but at a significantly reduced capacity. This cost-cutting measure will yield a savings of $104 million in fiscal year 2014.
• Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Romania's Minister of Defense Mircea Dusa DoD 18 Oct 2013
• DOD to Relocate from the Transit Center at Manas International Airport and Return Facilities to the Government of Kyrgyzstan DoD 18 Oct 2013 -- The Department of Defense (DOD) has begun the process of relocating from the Transit Center at Manas International Airport (TCM) and plans to complete the transfer of areas and facilities to the Government of Kyrgyzstan by July 2014.
• 3rd CEB advanced party returns home from Afghanistan USMC News 18 Oct 2013 -- Marines and sailors with 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion's advanced party returned home to the Combat Center Oct. 11, 2013. The Marines and sailors were deployed to Afghanistan for seven months.
• Floating tanks: Bridge Co., 2nd Tanks partner for training exercise USMC News 18 Oct 2013 -- Marines with Bridge Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group conducted a longitudinal rafting operation here, Oct. 17, to transport 10 vehicles and numerous Marines with 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division across the New River.
• USS Bainbridge Returns to Seychelles for Port Visit NNS 18 Oct 2013 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) arrived in Port Victoria, Seychelles for a port visit, Oct. 18.
• Forty Two Military Officers from the People's Republic of China Visit USS Wayne E. Meyer NNS 18 Oct 2013 -- Forty-two military officers from the People's Republic of China who have been attending the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. made a stop in California to visit guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) at Naval Base San Diego, Oct. 16.
• Aegis Training and Readiness Center Breaks Ground for Schoolhouse Expansion NNS 18 Oct 2013 -- The Aegis Training and Readiness Center (ATRC) broke ground on the Cruiser/Destroyer Expansion wing Oct. 18 during a ceremony outside the schoolhouse onboard Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, Va.
• Special Ops Command Seeks Prototypes for 'Iron Man Suit' AFPS 18 Oct 2013 -- U.S. Special Operations Command wants its operators to be protected with what it informally calls an "Iron Man suit," named after the fictional superhero.
• Marines, sailors, soldiers take part in Platinum Lynx USMC News 18 Oct 2013 -- Marines and sailors with Black Sea Rotational Force 14 conducted training with Romanian soldiers from the 812th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in Bistrita, Romania, Oct. 7 to 12, 2013.
• First Chinese peacekeeping taskforce to Mali is ready People's Daily 18 Oct 2013 -- The first Chinese peacekeeping taskforce of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) to Mali is fully prepared in personnel, equipment, materials and so on, as reporter learned from the Peacekeeping Affairs Office under the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People's Republic of China (PRC)on October 16, 2013.
• Chinese aircraft carrier should narrow the gap with its U.S. counterpart People's Daily 18 Oct 2013 -- The U.S. Navy's latest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the 'Ford', will be deployed in 2015.
• China, Australia vow to strengthen military tie People's Daily 18 Oct 2013 -- Stuart Robert, assistant minister for defense of Australia, met with Zhao Keshi, member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and director of the General Logistics Department (GLD) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), who is currently visiting Australia, on the afternoon of October 15, 2013.
• Russia Sends Naval Task Force on Pacific Mission RIA Novosti 18 Oct 2013 -- A naval task force from Russia's Pacific Fleet will depart Saturday on a two-month tour of duty in the Pacific Ocean, a navy spokesman said Friday.
• Russia to Deploy Combat Helicopters at Armenian Base RIA Novosti 18 Oct 2013 -- Russia will strengthen its air contingent at the Erebuni air base in Armenia with a helicopter squadron in the next few months, the base commander said Friday.
• Russian Defense Minister Rebukes Officials for Talking to Media RIA Novosti 18 Oct 2013 -- Russia's Defense Minister gave a dressing-down to defense officials Friday for using the media to anonymously express concern about conditions in the army, suggesting they played into the hands of journalists seeking to sensationalize the issue.
• 'Orphaned' Ammo Arsenal Found in S.Russia RIA Novosti 18 Oct 2013 -- A large amount of ammunition has been found on the premises of a former military base in southern Russia, a regional law enforcement source told RIA Novosti on Friday.
• Taiwan to get US Apache attack copters Iran Press TV 18 Oct 2013 -- Taiwan is reportedly due to receive the first batch of attack helicopters, ordered from the United States, in November.
• Drone strikes threaten global security: UN report Iran Press TV 18 Oct 2013 -- A new UN report warns that the use of armed drones threatens global security and encourages more states to acquire unmanned weapons.
• October 18, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 18 Oct 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 18, 2013
• 'Russia begins shipping arms to Iraq' Iran Press TV 18 Oct 2013 -- Russia has begun shipping arms to Iraq under a historic multi-billion-dollar contract signed between Baghdad and Moscow last year.

Other Conflicts

• 18 October 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 18 Oct 2013
• UN agency urges countries to ensure safe passage for Syrians fleeing conflict UN News Centre 18 Oct 2013 -- With the numbers of Syrians seeking safety in Europe on the rise, the United Nations refugee agency said today it is concerned about difficulties displaced people face during their passage and at borders, including the risk of drowning at sea.
• Iraq carnage continues, 66 more people die Iran Press TV 18 Oct 2013 -- A series of car bombings and other attacks in Iraq, mostly targeting Shia Muslims, have killed at least 66 people and injured scores more, according to security and hospital sources.
• Exchange of offices with Beijing a 'political' issue: Ma CNA 18 Oct 2013 -- President Ma Ying-jeou said Friday that the exchange of representative offices between Taiwan and mainland China is political in nature, apparently responding to Chinese criticism that Taiwan has avoided political issues in pursuing relations between the two sides.
• DR Congo: new attack against UN helicopter draws condemnation from senior officials UN News Centre 18 Oct 2013 -- United Nations officials have strongly condemned today's attack by the M23 rebel group against an unarmed helicopter belonging to the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the such incident in less than a week.
• Dry season water worries for Myanmar IDPs in Rakhine State IRIN 18 Oct 2013 -- Water access for tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Myanmar's western Rakhine State could worsen after the dry season begins in November, with potentially serious health implications, aid agencies warn.
• Bashir to Visit S. Sudan for Talks Focused on Abyei VOA 18 Oct 2013 -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is scheduled to visit South Sudan next week for talks with President Salva Kiir that are expected to focus on the delayed Abyei referendum, officials said Thursday.
• Chaos in CAR Prevents Life-Saving Aid From Reaching Needy VOA 18 Oct 2013 -- The United Nations says 1.6 million people in the Central African Republic are in urgent need of food, protection, health care and other life-saving services. Emergency directors from seven U.N. and two private agencies are in the midst of a three-day mission to assess the current situation and see how humanitarian aid can best be distributed in the country.

News Reports

• Obama Nominates Former Pentagon Lawyer for Homeland Security Post VOA 18 Oct 2013 -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday nominated a former Defense Department lawyer, Jeh Johnson, to be the next secretary of Homeland Security. Johnson played a major role in explaining Obama administration legal justifications on the use of unmanned drones and lethal targeted strikes, and U.S. detention policies.
• Remarks by the President at Nomination of Jeh Johnson to be Secretary of Homeland Security The White House 18 Oct 2013
• US may free up frozen Iranian assets: Official Iran Press TV 18 Oct 2013 -- The US is considering a proposal to unfreeze billions of dollars of Iranian assets to reciprocate Iran's confidence-building measures over its nuclear energy program, a senior administration official says.
• Reports: US Considering Easing Iran Sanctions Pain VOA 18 Oct 2013 -- News reports say the Obama administration is considering gradually unfreezing some of Iran's overseas funds to ease the pain of sanctions aimed at curbing the country's nuclear program.
• Gunmen shoot and kill Libyan cmdr. in Benghazi Iran Press TV 18 Oct 2013 -- Gunmen have shot and killed a top Libyan military commander in the volatile eastern city of Benghazi, security sources say.
• Snowden: I passed no secrets to Russia Iran Press TV 18 Oct 2013 -- American intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden says he has passed no classified US intelligence data to Russian security services since he was not in possession of such documents when he entered Russia.
• Snowden: Russia, China Didn't Get Data RFE/RL 18 Oct 2013 -- American intelligence leaker Edward Snowden says he's confident Russia and China haven't obtained any of the secret documents he took from the National Security Agency (NSA).
• Ukraine Bill May Allow Tymoshenko to Seek Treatment Abroad RIA Novosti 18 Oct 2013 -- A bill submitted to Ukraine's parliament Friday may enable jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to seek medical treatment abroad – a development that would lead to a boost in relations between Kiev and the European Union.
• Ukraine Says 1 National, Not 3, Held in India for Arms Smuggling RIA Novosti 18 Oct 2013 -- One Ukrainian citizen – not three, as previously reported – aboard a Sierra Leone-flagged ship has been arrested by Indian coastguards on suspicion of arms smuggling, Ukraine's foreign ministry said Friday.
• Turkey's 'Anti-Terror' Law Casts Increasingly Wide Net VOA 18 Oct 2013 -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's democratic reform package is facing criticism following the Justice Ministry's revelation that 20,000 people have been convicted under the country's anti-terrorism law during the last four years, 8,000 of whom were jailed just in the last 12 months. Most of them, including journalists and members of the country's legal Kurdish party, were jailed for non-violent offenses.
• Egyptian 'Rebel' Group Backs Military VOA 18 Oct 2013 -- The Egyptian grassroots movement that boasts bringing down ex-President Mohamed Morsi is now seeking a spot in government. But even as Tamarod inspires similar movements abroad, the group remains dogged by the question - is it a player or a pawn?
• Saudi Arabia Rejects Seat on UN Security Council VOA 18 Oct 2013 -- A day after winning a two-year term on the U.N. Security Council, Saudi Arabia said Friday it will not take up its seat, citing "double standards" in resolving world conflicts, particularly in Syria. U.N. officials say is an unprecedented move.