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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 15 Nov 2013 [PDF]
• Pacific Command Creates Joint Task Force for Philippine Relief AFPS 15 Nov 2013 -- U.S. Pacific Command has established a joint task force to coordinate the Defense Department's relief efforts in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
• Hagel, Task Force Commander Discuss Philippines Relief Operation AFPS 15 Nov 2013 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by phone this evening with Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John E. Wissler, the commanding general of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, to discuss relief operations in support of the government of the Philippines, according to Assistant DOD Press Secretary Carl Woog.
• Military Airlifts Supplies, Displaced People in Philippines AFPS 15 Nov 2013 -- U.S. military assets have delivered approximately 623,000 pounds of relief supplies provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development since the start of Operation Damayan, the relief effort in support of the government of the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.
• Readout of Secretary Hagel's Call with Philippines Recovery Task Force Commander DoD 15 Nov 2013
• VAW 117, GWSG: Fortunate Happenstance NNS 15 Nov 2013 -- Sailors from the 'Wallbangers' of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 117 embarked the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) Nov. 11 just in time to aid the George Washington Strike Group (GWSG) in Operation Damayan.
• Airmen deploy to Philippines in support of Operation Damayan AFNS 15 Nov 2013 -- The 374th Airlift Wing here deployed a C-130 Hercules aircraft Nov. 13, in support of Operation Damayan.
• Readout of Secretary Hagel's Call with Philippines National Defense Secretary Voltaire Tuvera Gazmin DoD 15 Nov 2013
• 15 November 2013 - Press Conference on Humanitarian Situation in Philippines Following Typhoon Haiyan United Nations 15 Nov 2013
• Philippines: Newly open roads, airports allow in more aid but fuel shortage remains UN News Centre 15 Nov 2013 -- With substantial progress in opening up airports and clear roads in typhoon-hit regions of the Philippines, United Nations agencies and partners are scaling up their support of Government efforts to provide relief, but a major fuel shortage is hampering access to millions of affected people.
• Navy Official Details Aid Moving to Philippines AFPS 15 Nov 2013 -- Countries around the world are responding to the Typhoon Haiyan-caused devastation in the Philippines, and aid is rushing to the island nation with the U.S. Navy leading the way.
• Operation Damayan in full swing USMC News 15 Nov 2013 -- By Wednesday morning, U.S. Marines from 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (3rd MEB) had distributed approximately 384,400 pounds of relief supplies and helped 1,735 people displaced by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda find their way to Manila.
• GW Helo Squadrons Prepare to Support Operation Damayan NNS 15 Nov 2013 -- The George Washington Strike Group (GWSG) continues its preparation to aid the Republic of Philippines in response to Super Typhoon Haiyan, Nov. 14.
• George Washington HTs Pump Out Aid NNS 15 Nov 2013 -- Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda tore through the Republic of the Philippines last week and left an estimated 4.2 million people without basic necessities.
• Aid Trickles Into Remote Parts of Philippines VOA 15 Nov 2013 -- Badly needed aid and relief supplies have begun arriving in the hard to reach areas of the central Philippines one week after a super typhoon tore across the region. Philippine officials say the death toll now stands at 3,621, but admit it will likely rise.
• RAF C-17 departs UK for the Philippines UK MOD 15 Nov 2013 -- The C-17 aircraft left RAF Brize Norton for the Philippines to deliver emergency supplies for the Department for International Development.
• HMS Daring conducts surveys of Philippine Islands UK MOD 15 Nov 2013 -- HMS Daring and her helicopter have begun surveying the outlying areas of the Philippines that have yet to be reached by aid organisations.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Hagel Praises Stratcom Organization at Change of Command AFPS 15 Nov 2013 -- The organization responsible for protecting Americans against "the world's most complex and dangerous threats" will continue to get the resources it needs to maintain an effective nuclear deterrent, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today during a change-of-command ceremony for U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.
• Fort Worth Launches First UAV, Demonstrates LCS Capability NNS 15 Nov 2013 -- USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) conducted dynamic interface operations on the Point Mugu Test Range Nov. 5-13 with the Navy's Vertical Takeoff Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) known as the MQ-8 Fire Scout.
• Security Relies on Partnerships, Cooperation, Official Says AFPS 15 Nov 2013 -- Partnerships and international cooperation are vital components of military-to-military contacts across the globe, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs said here yesterday.
• Marines, Bulgarians conduct joint Exercise Peace Sentinel 13 USMC News 15 Nov 2013 -- Marines and sailors with Black Sea Rotational Force 14 trained alongside Bulgarian soldiers from 1st Company, 2nd Battalion, 61st Mechanized Brigade as a part of Exercise Peace Sentinel 13. The two-week long exercise, which began on Oct. 28, included cordon-and-search tactics and battalion-sized defense and raid operations that included dismounted, mounted, and combined-arms tactics.
• Japanese Soldiers Train with U.S. Navy Seabees NNS 15 Nov 2013 -- Naval Air Facility Misawa Seabees conducted bilateral training with soldiers from the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's 2nd Sergeant Unit from Camp Sendai, Nov 14, 2013.
• Exercise Dogu Akdeniz 2013 Comes to an End NNS 15 Nov 2013 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55) returned to Aksaz Naval Base after completing Exercise Dogu Akdeniz 2013, Nov. 14.
• China, Mauritania pledge to enhance military ties People's Daily 15 Nov 2013 -- Senior officials of China and Mauritania held talks in Beijing on Thursday, pledging to enhance military ties.
• China-U.S. first joint actual-troop disaster-relief drill unveiled in Hawaii People's Daily 15 Nov 2013 -- The workshop and the first joint actual-troop drill of China-U.S. military humanitarian assistance and disaster reduction was unveiled at the U.S. Bellows barracks on the Oahu Island, Hawaii, at 10:00, local time, on November 12, 2013.
• November 15, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 15 Nov 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for November 15, 2013
• South Korea Looks to Increase Arms Exports VOA 15 Nov 2013 -- South Korea aspires to become a top player in the global arms industry. But some observers are concerned where those weapons are headed.

Other Conflicts

• 15 November 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 15 Nov 2013
• UN concerned that European Union countries may be denying entry to Syrians, other asylum-seekers UN News Centre 15 Nov 2013 -- The United Nations refugee agency today said it is deeply concerned over reports of some European Union (EU) countries denying entry or forcibly returning asylum-seekers, including people who fled the Syrian conflict.
• Substantial work remains to rid Syria of chemical weapons, says OPCW-UN mission chief UN News Centre 15 Nov 2013 -- While there has been good progress so far in the effort to destroy Syria's chemical weapons, a great deal of work remains, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) heard today, as it approved a detailed destruction plan submitted by the Government.
• Syrian Kurd Self-Rule Declaration Raises Concerns VOA 15 Nov 2013 -- The announcement by the most powerful Kurdish faction in Syria that it has declared self-rule over parts of northeastern Syria has generated angry reactions from Syrian rebels, rival Kurdish Syrian groups and Turkey. Moreover analysts say the Kurdish faction known as the Democratic Union Party or PYD, is tainted by an association with the Assad government in Damascus, and its self-rule declaration could have a negative impact on Kurds in Iraq and Turkey.
• Syria forces retake control of 2 towns in Homs Province Iran Press TV 15 Nov 2013 -- Syrian government forces have regained control of two towns in the western Homs Province, and cleared more areas in the Qalamoun Mountains north of the capital, Damascus.
• Albania Rejects U.S. Request To Destroy Syrian Chemical Weapons RFE/RL 15 Nov 2013 -- Albania has rejected a U.S. request to dismantle Syria's chemical weapons on its soil.
• Albania Rejects US Request to Destroy Syria's Chemical Weapons VOA 15 Nov 2013 -- Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has rejected a U.S. request that Albania host the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.
• South Sudan turns a corner IRIN 15 Nov 2013 -- The 2014-2016 Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) for South Sudan reflects an improving humanitarian situation amid a slowdown in the arrival of new refugees and returnees from Sudan and overall improvements in food security, says a senior UN official.
• Detainee abuses 'monumental' in northern Nigeria IRIN 15 Nov 2013 -- As attacks by militant group Boko Haram (BH) continue to spread terror across northeastern Nigeria, the government's response is also causing widespread fear among civilians. Mass sweep-ups of BH suspects, led by the military's Joint Task Force (JTF), have led to mounting reports of detainees dying or disappearing in custody.

News Reports

• DPR Korea: UN expert calls for justice, reconciliation based on human rights approach UN News Centre 15 Nov 2013 -- Tackling human rights issues in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is crucial to pave the way for justice and reconciliation in the wider Korean Peninsula, a United Nations independent expert stressed today.
• Progress in Iran Nuclear Talks Makes Some US Allies Nervous VOA 15 Nov 2013 -- Talks between six world powers and Iran resume next week in Geneva but the real drama may be occurring elsewhere as the United States tries to reassure Congress and nervous allies that an emerging deal is better than no agreement.
• Iran did not block nuclear agreement: Deputy FM Iran Press TV 15 Nov 2013 -- A member of the Iranian delegation in nuclear talks with six world powers says Tehran did not block an agreement in last week's negotiations in Geneva.
• Are Saudi Arabia, Israel Behind France Scuttling Nuclear Talks? VOA 15 Nov 2013 -- Talks between Iran and a group of six Western nations aimed at freezing Iran's nuclear program are scheduled to resume on November 20th in Geneva. A first round of talks broke down after the so-called P5+1 and Iran failed to agree on a short-term deal that would have eased sanctions on Iran and allowed it to continue low-level enrichment. The US says any eventual deal struck with Iran will be 'failsafe'
• China to Loosen One-Child Policy VOA 15 Nov 2013 -- China says that it plans to ease its one-child policy and abolish a controversial system of re-education through labor that often arbitrarily puts activists and those who would challenge the Communist Party behind bars. The announcement, along with other significant reforms, comes days after China wrapped up a key closed-door policy meeting in Beijing.
• Former President Lee found not guilty of embezzlement CNA 15 Nov 2013 -- Former President Lee Teng-hui was found not guilty Friday in an embezzlement and money laundering case while a protégé of Lee, Liu Tai-ying, was convicted and sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.
• Premier regrets Gambia's decision to cut ties with Taiwan CNA 15 Nov 2013 -- Premier Jiang Yi-huah expressed 'deep shock and regret' Friday after The Gambia announced its decision to break off diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan).
• Gambia's severance of diplomatic ties regrettable: MOFA CNA 15 Nov 2013 -- The Republic of China government is shocked at The Gambia's announcement of the severance of bilateral diplomatic relations and finds the decision regrettable, Deputy Foreign Minister Simon Ko said Friday.
• Ukraine's Choice: East Or West? RFE/RL 15 Nov 2013 -- 'Ukraine at the Rubicon.' 'Kyiv at a geopolitical crossroads.' 'The battle for Ukraine.' The headlines have been dire and the expectations high as the clock ticks down to the European Union's Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius at the end of this month.
• Venezuela parli. backs Maduro rule by decree bid Iran Press TV 15 Nov 2013 -- Venezuela's legislature has voted to back President Nicolas Maduro's bid to rule by decree, a measure which would give him expanded powers over the economy.
• Security Council: bid to defer International Criminal Court cases of Kenyan leaders fails UN News Centre 15 Nov 2013 -- A resolution before the United Nations Security Council on the deferral of the International Criminal Court (ICC) trials of Kenya's President and his deputy failed to pass when it was put to the vote today.
• Cambodia: UN urges prompt investigation into excessive use of force by security forces UN News Centre 15 Nov 2013 -- Recent clashes in Cambodia, in which police were seen beating individuals with truncheons and shooting live ammunition and rubber bullets from close range, must be urgently investigated to ensure full accountability for the use of excessive force, the United Nations human rights office said today.