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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 24 Oct 2013 [PDF]
• UN: Afghan Refugees Harassed in Pakistan VOA 24 Oct 2013 -- The U.N. refugee agency is warning that Afghan refugees in Pakistan are increasingly becoming victims of extortion, illegal detention and harassment. Pakistan has taken in millions of Afghans since the Soviet invasion in 1979 and has some 1.6 million registered Afghan refugees.
• Sappers return home after Afghanistan deployment Army News 24 Oct 2013 -- Family, friends and fellow Soldiers welcomed home the Soldiers of the 370th Sapper Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, at a redeployment ceremony honoring their return at U.S. Army Garrison Bamberg's Freedom Fitness Facility Oct. 11.
• USS Harry S. Truman Assists Mariner NNS 24 Oct 2013 -- The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) provided assistance to a Marshall Islands-flagged merchant vessel, C Elephant, in the Gulf of Oman after receiving word of a mariner in distress from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command at approximately 4:30 p.m., Oct. 6.
• Alert Watchstanders Aboard USS Pearl Harbor Spot Drugs Adrift NNS 24 Oct 2013 -- U.S. Navy landing dock ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) recovered a bale of marijuana Oct. 23 found adrift while conducting training exercises off the Southern California coastline.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Obama, Sharif Discuss Security Cooperation, Drones RFE/RL 24 Oct 2013 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says that fighting terrorism is a joint challenge facing the United States and Pakistan.
• Hagel: New Protections Needed for Unclassified Data AFPS 24 Oct 2013 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently directed that DOD organizations take additional steps to ensure unclassified controlled technical information is protected from cyber intrusions.
• Acquisitions Chiefs Describe Effects of Budget Uncertainty AFPS 24 Oct 2013 -- With assessments ranging from "sobering" to "painful," acquisitions chiefs from each of the military services yesterday described the devastation being wreaked upon their branches by sequestration and the continuing resolution.
• Rodriguez Calls Partnerships Central to Africom Efforts AFPS 24 Oct 2013 -- Five years since it was established as the Defense Department's newest geographic combatant command, U.S. Africa Command continues to build the partnerships that promote regional capability and a coordinated focus on the African continent, Army Gen. David M. Rodriguez, Africom's commander, said yesterday.
• U.S., Grenada to Mark 30th Anniversary of Military Intervention AFPS 24 Oct 2013 -- Tomorrow, officials from U.S. Southern Command and the U.S. Embassy in Grenada will join leaders from Grenada and its eastern Caribbean neighbors to commemorate the 30th anniversary of a multinational intervention that rescued Grenada from chaos and restored the security and democratic institutions it enjoys today.
• Amos Marks 30th Anniversary of Marine Barracks Attack in Lebanon AFPS 24 Oct 2013 -- The attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 23, 1983 became a harbinger of what is known today as the war on terror, said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos, during a ceremony yesterday in Jacksonville, N.C., to mark the 30th anniversary of the attacks.
• Army's Paladin Integrated Management program reaches successful Milestone C decision Army News 24 Oct 2013 -- The Army's Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) program cleared a major hurdle this week when it received its Milestone C approval from the Defense Acquisition Executive. Milestone C is a key incremental step in the Department of Defense's acquisition process as it allows entry into the production and deployment phase.
• Soldiers returning from Afghanistan receive hero's welcome at Fort Drum Army News 24 Oct 2013 -- With balloons floating in the air, colorful signs clutched in nervous hands and eager eyes darting around in anticipation, Families and friends packed Magrath Sports Complex on Friday at Fort Drum.
• Quick response keeps Black Hawk fleet airborne Army News 24 Oct 2013 -- The Army turned to Tobyhanna Army Depot for help when a piece of faulty equipment grounded a number of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
• Ugandans train for future AMISOM mission Army News 24 Oct 2013 -- A recent U.S. Army Africa organized training event helped prepare a Uganda Peoples' Defense Force military police company for an upcoming deployment to Somalia.
• Ammunition retrieval tests unit readiness Army News 24 Oct 2013 -- The 210th Fires Brigade is part of the Counter Fire Task Force, with a mission to provide timely and accurate rocket and missile fire in the defense of the Republic of Korea.
• 'Raider' Brigade changes command for last time Army News 24 Oct 2013 -- After 35 months, Col. Michael Getchell relinquished command of 4-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team 'Raiders,' 7th Infantry Division to Col. Jody Miller Oct. 16 at Soldiers Field House, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
• 4-6 ARS equipment floats into port Army News 24 Oct 2013 -- Facing the elements and the possible threat of a typhoon approaching the peninsula Sunday, soldiers of the 602nd Aviation Support Battalion, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, worked diligently off-loading OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters, tactical vehicles and shipping containers from a large shipping vessel called the Ocean Giant at a port in Busan.
• VMR-1 C-9s fill multiple missions USMC News 24 Oct 2013 -- Marine Transport Squadron 1 keeps two aces in the hole giving them the advantage of speed when transporting very important passengers.
• I MEF (Forward) reactivates for historic Afghanistan deployment USMC News 24 Oct 2013 -- The I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) reactivated during a ceremony aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., Oct. 23, in preparation for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan during early 2014.
• 13th MEU Marines Prepare for Sustainment Training USMC News 24 Oct 2013 -- Eight-hundred tons of machines and supplies and more than 350 Marines and Sailors left the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) for Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Oct. 18-19.
• Islandwide exercise tests disaster response USMC News 24 Oct 2013 -- Exercise Constant Vigilance 2013 took place Oct. 21–25 throughout Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler.
• Flame-Resistant Coveralls Coming to the Fleet Soon NNS 24 Oct 2013 -- U.S. Fleet Forces and Pacific Fleet released a joint message Oct. 24 detailing the use and wear of the new Flame Resistant Variant (FRV) coveralls, which will begin being distributed to Sailors in the fleet before the end of the year.
• USS Denver Holds Change of Command NNS 24 Oct 2013 -- USS Denver (LPD 9) held a change of command ceremony aboard the ship Oct. 24 while in its homeport of Sasebo.
• Nimitz Participates in Air Defense Exercise NNS 24 Oct 2013 -- Sailors aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), and Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11, hosted French sailors as they continued operations in the central Mediterranean Sea, Oct. 22.
• VMGR-252, HMH-464 go offshore to conduct aerial refueling training USMC News 24 Oct 2013 -- Marines with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 conducted aerial refueling of a CH-53E Super Stallion with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464 Monday.
• CNO Visits CVN 77 NNS 24 Oct 2013 -- The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Mike Stevens visited the crew of USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) to provide Sailors on board an opportunity to speak directly with the Navy's most senior leadership, Oct. 23.
• USS Ford Sailors Finish Ship Decommissioning Preps NNS 24 Oct 2013 -- USS Ford (FFG 54), slated to be decommissioned during a ceremony Oct. 31, reached a major milestone Oct. 22 here with the final acceptance of the ship to Naval Sea Systems Command's Inactive Ships Management Office.
• George Washington Enriches U.S., Malaysian Partnership NNS 24 Oct 2013 -- The U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) hosted Malaysian distinguished visitors to see at-sea operations, Oct. 23.
• Army building cyber forces through talent management Army News 24 Oct 2013 -- The Army must learn to dominate the cyber domain in the same way it excels at land operations, Army leaders say.
• Britain to abandon pledge in getting MPs' consent to launch wars Iran Press TV 24 Oct 2013 -- The UK government is mulling over changing the course on whether it should win parliament's consent before engaging in acts of war, media reports said.
• Chinese fleet heads for open sea drill People's Daily 24 Oct 2013 -- A vessel formation with China's Nanhai Fleet on Wednesday sailed across the Bashi Channel toward its destination in the West Pacific Ocean for a combat drill, according to sources with the People's Liberation Army.
• 'US ditches Turkey drone deal as punishment' Iran Press TV 24 Oct 2013 -- The US has reportedly canceled the delivery of 10 Predator drones to Turkey as "punishment" for the reported exposure by Ankara of 10 Iranians spying for Israel's Mossad agency despite Turkey's denial of having provided Iran with such information.
• Turkish Military Claims Interception of Russian Spy Plane RIA Novosti 24 Oct 2013 -- Two Turkish fighter jets have been recently scrambled to intercept a Russian military plane in international airspace over the Black Sea in a rare air incident between the two countries, the Turkish military said.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 10/24/2013 The White House 24 Oct 2013
• October 24, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 24 Oct 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 24, 2013

Other Conflicts

• 24 October 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 24 Oct 2013
• Press Conference on Enforced Disappearances, Internally Displaced Persons United Nations 24 Oct 2013
• Syria army gains new ground in Damascus countryside Iran Press TV 24 Oct 2013 -- The Syrian army continues to gain ground in its fight against foreign-backed Takfiri armed groups in the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, Press TV reports.
• Chemical Weapons Mission Awaits Syria's Disarmament Plan VOA 24 Oct 2013 -- The mission overseeing the dismantling of Syria's chemical weapons program is expecting the government to turn over a plan on Thursday for destroying its existing stockpile.
• Interview with UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar IRIN 23 Oct 2013 -- Myanmar's government has signed individual ceasefire agreements with 14 main non-state armed groups since 2011, and is pressing ahead with plans for a national ceasefire agreement, originally scheduled for the end of October, but now delayed. The most recent round of negotiations with northern Myanmar's Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) brought further hope of nationwide reconciliation.
• UN chief voices concern at escalation of violence in Mozambique UN News Centre 24 Oct 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern at the recent escalation of violence in Mozambique between government forces and members of the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO).
• UN panel pays out over $1.2 billion in reparations for Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait UN News Centre 24 Oct 2013 -- The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), which settles the damage claims of those who suffered losses due to Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, today made $1.24 billion available to the Government of Kuwait.
• 24 October 2013 - Press Conference by Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Situation in Eritrea United Nations 24 Oct 2013
• Situation in Eritrea 'desperately bleak,' UN expert warns urging aid for fleeing refugees UN News Centre 24 Oct 2013 -- A United Nations expert today urged the international community to focus on the human rights situation in Eritrea which she said is extremely concerning with the most serious violations being committed and with up to 3,000 people flee every month, many of them unaccompanied children.
• Abyei: Security Council 'gravely concerned' about highly volatile situation UN News Centre 24 Oct 2013 -- The United Nations Security Council today called urgently on the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to refrain from any unilateral action that could heighten tension between the two neighbouring countries or impede a solution regarding the contested, oil-rich border region of Abyei.

News Reports

• The Guardian: US Spied on 35 World Leaders VOA 24 Oct 2013 -- The Guardian newspaper reports that White House, Pentagon and State Department officials confirm the United States spied on the phone conversations of 35 world leaders.
• NSA spied on 125bn phone calls in one month Iran Press TV 24 Oct 2013 -- The US National Security Agency monitored nearly 125 billion phone calls from around the world in just one month, including around 3 billion calls from US soil, according to documents released by whistleblower Edward J. Snowden.
• Germany summons US envoy over spying Iran Press TV 24 Oct 2013 -- Germany has summoned the US ambassador to Berlin over reports that the United States spied on cell phone conversations of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
• US, Europe can't do business as usual: German min. Iran Press TV 24 Oct 2013 -- German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere says Europe cannot return to normal business with the US following revelations that Washington spied on Chancellor Angela Merkel.
• US Newspapers Biased Towards NSA in Snowden Coverage – Study RIA Novosti 24 Oct 2013 -- Top US newspapers have shown a "covert bias" in favor of the government in their coverage of National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance revelations leaked by fugitive contractor Edward Snowden, according to a new study.
• Germany Confronts US on Spying Allegations VOA 24 Oct 2013 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she has made it clear to U.S. President Barack Obama that spying on allies is unacceptable.
• Russian Embassy Denies US Spying Allegations RIA Novosti 24 Oct 2013 -- Allegations of the possible involvement of the Washington-based Russian Cultural Center in spying activities are an attempt to derail the Russian-US program of cultural exchange and undermine mutual trust, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy said.
• 'N-talks must conform to internationally accepted rules' Iran Press TV 24 Oct 2013 -- Iran's Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani says the negotiations between Iran and six major world powers on Tehran's nuclear energy program should be based on internationally accepted regulations.
• Iran Foreign Ministry blasts UN rights report as biased Iran Press TV 24 Oct 2013 -- Iran Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has rejected the latest report of the UN special rapporteur on the country's human rights situation, Ahmed Shaheed, as biased and based on political motivations.
• Obama briefs Congress on talks with Iran Iran Press TV 24 Oct 2013 -- The administration of President Barack Obama has briefed US congressmen on talks between Iran and the P5+1 group over Tehran's nuclear energy program amid a fresh lobbying effort by Israelis.
• Iran Stopped Enriching Uranium to 20% - Iranian Lawmaker RIA Novosti 24 Oct 2013 -- Tehran has halted enrichment of uranium to 20 percent because it has enough stocks at the moment, a senior lawmaker was cited as saying by the Iranian parliament's website.
• Press Conference by Special Rapporteur on Human Rights situation in Iran United Nations 24 Oct 2013
• Human rights reform must be central to new Iranian Government's agenda – UN expert UN News Centre 24 Oct 2013 -- Human rights reform must be a central aspect of the new Iranian Government's agenda, an independent United Nations expert stressed today, highlighting a number of concerns that must be addressed to protect and promote the well-being of the country's people.
• Russia's Female Suicide Bombers: Well-Organized and Hard to Stop RIA Novosti 24 Oct 2013 -- Investigators say that moments after Naida Asiyalova, a wan 30-year-old from Russia's violence-plagued republic of Dagestan, boarded a public bus one afternoon this week in the city of Volgograd, the bomb she was carrying exploded, claiming six lives.
• 'Most Distant' Galaxy Spotted VOA 24 Oct 2013 -- Astronomers have discovered what they’re calling the most distant galaxy ever found.
• Space Station Orbit to Be Adjusted Ahead of Soyuz Docking RIA Novosti 24 Oct 2013 -- The orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) will be raised on Thursday by nearly one kilometer to ensure safe docking of Russia's Soyuz piloted spacecraft with new crew members, a spokesman for the Russian space agency Roscosmos said.