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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 13 Nov 2013 [PDF]
• 4 Afghans killed in US air raid in Wardak Province Iran Press TV 13 Nov 2013 -- At least six people are killed in the latest US assassination drone strike in the central eastern part of Afghanistan, Press TV reports.
• UN mission welcomes latest phase of voter registration for 2014 Afghan polls UN News Centre 13 Nov 2013 -- The United Nations today welcomed the completion of the third phase of Afghanistan's voter registration exercise which has resulted in the addition of an additional three million voters set to take part in next year's presidential and provincial council elections.
• UN Says Afghan Opium Production Hits Record High RFE/RL 13 Nov 2013 -- The United Nations says opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan surged this year to record levels.
• Afghanistan Opium Poppy Cultivation Reaches Record High - UN RIA Novosti 13 Nov 2013 -- Cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan has reached a record high this year as farmers seek to take advantage of increased prices to insure against growing instability as international troops withdraw next year, the UN said in a report published Wednesday.
• UN agency issues urgent call to action as Afghan opium cultivation hits record high UN News Centre 13 Nov 2013 -- The head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today issued an urgent call to action as opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan hit a record high this year, rising by 36 per cent, while production is up by almost half since 2012.
• UN: Afghan Opium Cultivation at Record High VOA 13 Nov 2013 -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has risen to a record high, possibly spurred on by farmers seeking to insure their incomes against uncertain conditions after the NATO troop pullout concludes in 2014.
• Haqqani Leader Lived, Died In The Open In Pakistan RFE/RL 13 Nov 2013 -- The assassination of a high-profile militant living large under the noses of the authorities has rekindled suspicions that Pakistan shelters known terrorists.
• Harris Activates Hospital Ship to Support Philippines NNS 13 Nov 2013 -- Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, directed the activation of the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) Nov. 13 to be ready to support ongoing disaster relief efforts in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.
• NATO Strategic Airlift brings relief to Typhoon ravaged Philippines NATO 13 Nov 2013 -- An Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane from NATO's Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS) consortium took off from Billund, Denmark on Monday (11 November 2013) carrying humanitarian relief supplies bound for Tacloban City in the Philippines in wake of the devastating typhoon which hit the Asian nation last week.
• U.S. Officials Cautiously Optimistic About Aid Progress in Philippines AFPS 13 Nov 2013 -- After days of logistical challenges that kept thousands of Tacloban City's desperate storm survivors cut off from food, water and medical supplies, air and overland routes are starting to open, senior administration officials familiar with the relief effort said today.
• Philippines: aid workers concerned about logistical challenges, 'incredible despair' of population UN News Centre 13 Nov 2013 -- As the United Nations and other organizations scale up the massive relief operation under way in the typhoon-battered Philippines, the UN humanitarian chief is meeting today with survivors in the hard-hit city of Tacloban, a day after launching a $301 million flash appeal for lifesaving aid.
• UN Humanitarian Chief Tours Typhoon-ravaged Philippine City VOA 13 Nov 2013 -- United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has toured the typhoon-ravaged Philippine city of Tacloban, where she says the priority is to get basic relief supplies to victims.
• Four additional Ospreys deploy to Philippines USMC News 13 Nov 2013 -- Four additional MV-22B Ospreys departed Marine Corps Air Station Futenma Nov. 13 to support Operation Damayan, a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operation in the Republic of the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.
• Manila Flights Depart With Aid, Return With Survivors VOA 13 Nov 2013 -- U.S. Marine and other American military planes airlifted fifty tons of supplies into Tacloban on Tuesday, where several hundred thousand survivors are growing desperate after days without food or clean water.
• Taiwan to continue airlifting relief supplies to Philippines CNA 13 Nov 2013 -- Two C-130 military cargo planes will continue delivering relief supplies to the storm-ravaged Philippines Wednesday.
• Taiwan delivers more relief supplies to Philippines CNA 13 Nov 2013 -- Taiwan delivered an additional 15 tons of relief supplies to the typhoon-ravaged Philippines on Wednesday after sending about 13 tons of relief goods a day earlier, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Wednesday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Air Force Must Modernize Despite Budget Woes, Welsh Says AFPS 13 Nov 2013 -- Budget concerns affect every aspect of the Air Force, but the service must continue to modernize, the service's chief of staff told the Defense Writers Group here today.
• Army Upgrades Black Hawks for Military District of Washington Army News 13 Nov 2013 -- The Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center's Prototype Integration Facility teamed with the Utility Helicopter Program Management Office to deliver two customized UH-60M Black Hawk aircraft for the U.S. Army Military District of Washington.
• Army's largest multi-functional battalion holds mobilization drill Army News 13 Nov 2013 -- The U.S. Army's largest multi-functional battalion conducted a mobilization drill here, Nov. 12.
• U.S. Army South welcomes Chilean delegation for army-to-army staff talks Army News 13 Nov 2013 -- U.S. Army South hosted a delegation of Chilean army leaders to its headquarters on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Nov. 5-6 to finalize a course of action that will see the two armies engage in more than 50 events that are scheduled to be conducted over the next two years.
• Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Kazakhstan's Minister of Defense Adilbek Dzhaksybekov DoD 13 Nov 2013
• US 6th Fleet Flagship Departs Georgia NNS 13 Nov 2013 -- The U.S. 6th Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) departed Batumi, Georgia, following a three-day port visit, Nov. 13.
• NATO, U.S. Ready to Address 21st Century Threats, Official Says AFPS 13 Nov 2013 -- The United States and its NATO allies are working to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world, the assistant secretary of defense for global strategic affairs said here yesterday.
• Welsh: Air Force Will Resist 'Requirements Drift' in New Bomber AFPS 13 Nov 2013 -- The Air Force's long-range strike bomber program continues to ramp up, and senior leaders are determined that the platform will come in on budget and on time, the service's top officer told the Defense Writers Group today.
• Air Force Leader Discusses Opening Communications With China AFPS 13 Nov 2013 -- Opening up lines of communication with China is good for the United States, the region and the world, the Air Force chief of staff said here today.
• Los Angeles-class Submarine USS Tucson Visits Busan NNS 13 Nov 2013 -- Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Tucson (SSN 770) arrived in Busan, Republic of Korea, Nov. 12, as part of a scheduled visit to the Korean peninsula.
• USS Ponce Assists Bahraini Fishermen, Continues to Provide Safety and Security in the Gulf NNS 13 Nov 2013 -- Four Bahraini men, adrift in fishing skiff for two days, were assisted by the Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (AFSBI (I) 15) approximately 30 nautical miles off the coast of Bahrain, Nov. 9.
• Marines conduct external load operations training with Osprey USMC News 13 Nov 2013 -- Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 trained for external load operations Nov. 5 on Ie Shima.
• NATO takes part in Counter-Piracy Week NATO 13 Nov 2013 -- More than 200 participants including representatives from African nations, the shipping industry, legal experts and NATO discussed the continuing threat of piracy off the eastern African coast at an international conference held in Djibouti this week.
• China, U.S. to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster reduction joint drill People's Daily 13 Nov 2013 -- The detachment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) to attend the first joint actual-troop drill of the China-U.S. humanitarian assistance and disaster reduction arrived at the U.S. Bellows barracks in Oahu Island, Hawaii, at 10:00, local time, on November 10, 2013.
• 'Liaoning Ship' completes mission of this leg People's Daily 13 Nov 2013 -- China's first aircraft carrier 'Liaoning Ship' completed test flight and training of this leg, and sailed back to a naval port on November 11, 2013.
• No Submarine-Launched Bulava Missile Tests Seen Until 2014 RIA Novosti 13 Nov 2013 -- The Russian Navy has postponed any further trials of the troubled submarine-launched Bulava ballistic missile until 2014, Navy Commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov said Wednesday.
• Russia to Start Building 5th Borey Nuclear Sub in 2014 RIA Novosti 13 Nov 2013 -- The construction of a fifth Borey-class nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine is expected to begin in late 2014, Russia's navy chief Adm.Viktor Chirkov said Wednesday.
• Turkey asks NATO to extend deployment of Patriot missiles Iran Press TV 13 Nov 2013 -- Turkey has requested NATO to extend the deployment of surface-to-air Patriot missiles on its soil for another year, officials say.
• Russia, Serbia Ink Military Cooperation Agreement RIA Novosti 13 Nov 2013 -- Russia and Serbia signed an agreement Wednesday on military cooperation as part of further development of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 11/13/2013 The White House 13 Nov 2013
• November 13, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 13 Nov 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for November 13, 2013

Other Conflicts

• 13 November 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 13 Nov 2013
• Syrian army regains town south of Damascus Iran Press TV 13 Nov 2013 -- Syrian army forces have regained full control of a strategic town south of the capital Damascus following heavy clashes with foreign-backed militants.
• Settlement plans threaten renewed hopes for Israeli-Palestinian peace, UN envoy warns UN News Centre 13 Nov 2013 -- A senior United Nations official today voiced his growing concern at the series of settlement announcements made by Israel over the past weeks and stressed the need to avoid actions that negatively impact ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
• Coordinated settlement construction must continue: Israel min. Iran Press TV 13 Nov 2013 -- Israel intelligence minister says settlement building in the occupied West Bank must continue in a "coordinated manner."
• PA negotiators resign from talks: Mahmoud Abbas Iran Press TV 13 Nov 2013 -- The acting Palestinian Authority chief, Mahmoud Abbas, says his negotiators have resigned from US-brokered talks with Israelis over Tel Aviv's ongoing settlement construction.
• Palestinian Negotiating Team Resigns VOA 13 Nov 2013 -- Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians appear to have hit another stumbling block, this time with the resignation of the Palestinian negotiating team.
• Congo Ready to Sign Document Formalizing Rebel Defeat VOA 13 Nov 2013 -- The Democratic Republic of Congo said on Wednesday it was ready to sign a "declaration" that reflects the defeat of M23 rebels, despite pulling out of Ugandan-hosted peace talks a day earlier.
• Briefing: Repatriating Somali refugees from Kenya IRIN 13 Nov 2013 -- After months of fitful negotiations, the governments of Kenya and Somalia, and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on 10 November signed a tripartite agreement outlining procedures and legalities for the voluntary repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees who have been living in Kenya for up to 22 years.
• Rohingya refugees sceptical of Burmese reforms IRIN 13 Nov 2013 -- Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh who fled sectarian violence in neighbouring Myanmar in 2012 have little faith in the much heralded democratic reforms taking place at home.
• Militia group takes over oil refinery in western Libya Iran Press TV 13 Nov 2013 -- A Libyan militia group has blockaded a major oil refinery in the country's troubled west, demanding medical care for the injuries they received in the fight against former regime forces.

News Reports

• IAEA could visit Arak plant by Dec. 11: Iran Iran Press TV 13 Nov 2013 -- Iran says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors could visit the Arak heavy water plant, in central Iran, within weeks.
• 'Iran hopes to start building 2nd N-plant in 2014' Iran Press TV 13 Nov 2013 -- Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi has expressed hope that ground will be broken for the nation's second nuclear power plant in early 2014 with Russian cooperation.
• Kerry to Urge No New Iran Sanctions as Talks Continue VOA 13 Nov 2013 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will caution lawmakers Wednesday against imposing new sanctions against Iran while international negotiations over its nuclear program continue.
• Foreign ministry to step up security of overseas missions CNA 13 Nov 2013 -- Foreign Affairs Minister David Lin said Wednesday the ministry will step up communications security at overseas missions to guard against electronic eavesdropping.
• Ukrainian Parliament Fails To Agree Bill To Release Tymoshenko RFE/RL 13 Nov 2013 -- An extraordinary session of Ukraine's parliament has failed to debate a bill to allow former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to seek medical treatment abroad - a move seen as a key condition for Kyiv to gain closer ties with the European Union.
• US Names 2 Nigerian-Based Groups Terrorist Organizations VOA 13 Nov 2013 -- The United States has named Nigerian-based militant groups Boko Haram and Ansaru as foreign terrorist organizations.
• Egypt Court Decrees End Of State Of Emergency RFE/RL 13 Nov 2013 -- A Cairo court has declared the end of the 3-month-old state of emergency and nighttime curfew in Egypt.
• Egypt: As state of emergency expires, Ban stresses respect for freedom of assembly UN News Centre 13 Nov 2013 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stressed the importance of respecting the right to freedom of assembly as well as peaceful protest, as the state of emergency that has been in place for three months in Egypt expires.