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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 17 Dec 2013 [PDF]
• Nato advisers provide clean water to Afghan village AFNS 17 Dec 2013 -- Members of the 838th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group Commander's Emergency Response Program conducted a site visit to a project at the Old Russian Village, a village near Shindand Air Base, Afghanistan on Dec. 2.
• Afghanistan is advancing towards stability as international force draws down - UN envoy UN News Centre 17 Dec 2013 -- Despite volatility and uncertainty, Afghanistan continues to make progress in enhancing its stability as the drawdown continues for the international forces that have sought to bring security there for the past 12 years, the top United Nations envoy in the strife-torn country said today.
• Taliban reject talk offer by Pakistani prime minister Iran Press TV 17 Dec 2013 -- A pro-Taliban spokesman has rejected a recent offer by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to hold peace talks with militant groups operating across the violence-wracked country.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Intel Office Realignment Addresses Future Challenges AFPS 17 Dec 2013 -- The office of the undersecretary of defense for intelligence is reorganizing and streamlining its programs to better prepare for future strategic challenges, the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence told reporters yesterday.
• Minuteman III test missile launches from Vandenberg AFNS 17 Dec 2013 -- A team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen successfully launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile Dec. 17 at 4:36 a.m. PST from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
• Close-air support key to strategic success AFNS 17 Dec 2013 -- Before the sun rises, the sound of an F-16 Fighting Falcon can be heard taking off, breaking the dull silence of the morning as they participate in a two week close-air support training exercise with various squadrons and units.
• DOD Official Examines Federal Facilities Security Practices AFPS 17 Dec 2013 -- In the wake of the Sept. 16 shooting spree at the Washington Navy Yard, officials have initiated evaluations to gauge the ability to deter, withstand and recover from the full range of threats at military installations, a senior Defense Department official said today at a Senate hearing called to examine physical security at federal facilities.
• Marines conduct rotary wing operations aboard USS Ronald Reagan USMC News 17 Dec 2013 -- Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361 departed Camp Pendleton, Calif., to conduct rotary-wing operations aboard the USS Ronald Reagan Dec. 6.
• USS Roosevelt Sailors Complete COMPTUEX NNS 17 Dec 2013 -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) completed its final pre-deployment exercise with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, Dec. 15.
• NASA, Navy Team Up For Capsule Recovery NNS 17 Dec 2013 -- Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 is training and preparing for NASA's unmanned Exploration Flight Test-One (EFT-1) for the Orion spacecraft, scheduled for early next year off the coast of Southern California.
• AF, Marines, Navy take part in 3-day surge during Exercise Forager Fury II AFNS 17 Dec 2013 -- Various units from the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps came together to exercise their ability to conduct combat operations across the Pacific by participating in a nonstop operations surge Dec. 10 to Dec. 13 on Guam and the nearby island of Tinian.
• Marines test SMAW Mod 2 with new modular ballistic sight USMC News 17 Dec 2013 -- Assault Marines and combat engineers from The Basic School on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., tested a new model of the shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapon, or SMAW Mod 2 on Quantico's Range 15 in late November. They were the first Marines to fire the weapon upgraded with a new modular ballistic sight.
• Arleigh Burke Completes COMPTUEX NNS 17 Dec 2013 -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) completed its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) Dec. 14.
• Basic Military Intelligence Engagement with SP-MAGTF Africa 13 USMC News 17 Dec 2013 -- A Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 13 contact team travelled to Sierra Leone to conduct a basic military intelligence familiarization at the Peacekeeping Mission Training Center in Hastings, Sierra Leone, from Dec. 2-6.
• New Russian Ballistic Missile Sub to Join Fleet RIA Novosti 17 Dec 2013 -- The second new Borey class ballistic missile submarine will enter Russian Navy service on Saturday, a defense industry source has told RIA Novosti.
• Russian Missile Forces to Field New Heavy Missile by 2020 - Commander RIA Novosti 17 Dec 2013 -- Russia's Strategic Missile Force will deploy a new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile no later than 2020, its commander said on Tuesday.
• NATO Members Alarmed by Russian Nuclear Missile Deployment RIA Novosti 17 Dec 2013 -- Western officials have reacted with alarm at Russia's deployment of tactical missiles on areas bordering NATO members states, describing it as a potentially destabilizing move.
• Iran Air Defense Force unveils new indigenous radar Iran Press TV 17 Dec 2013 -- Iran Air Defense Force has unveiled a powerful indigenously designed and manufactured radar system named Arash.
• Iran Expects Russia to Fulfill S-300 System Contract – Ambassador RIA Novosti 17 Dec 2013 -- Iran believes its contract to buy S-300 missile defense systems from Russia is legitimate and expects it to be fulfilled, Iran's ambassador to Russia said Tuesday.
• Taiwan seeks recovery of frozen funds from frigate scandal CNA 17 Dec 2013 -- Taiwan is seeking to reclaim US$340 million from Swiss accounts belonging to former Taiwanese Navy Captain Kuo Li-heng and arms broker Andrew Wang, the men behind a corruption scandal linked to the 1991 procurement of Lafayette-class frigates from France, Taiwanese investigation authorities said Tuesday.
• December 17, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 17 Dec 2013
• Press Briefing by the Press Secretary, 12/17/2013 The White House 17 Dec 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 17, 2013

Other Conflicts

• 17 December 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 17 Dec 2013
• Syrian army mop-up continues across country Iran Press TV 17 Dec 2013 -- The Syrian army has conducted successful mop-up operations in several areas across the Arab country, inflicting heavy losses on foreign-sponsored militants fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
• Syria conference to open 22 January in Montreux, UN confirms UN News Centre 17 Dec 2013 -- The long-sought international peace conference on Syria is set to begin on 22 January with a one-day meeting in the Swiss town of Montreux, the United Nations confirmed today.
• AU 'deeply concerned' over South Sudan clashes Iran Press TV 17 Dec 2013 -- The African Union (AU) says it is 'deeply concerned' over the recent outbreak of clashes between rival military factions in South Sudan, which has left dozens of people killed.
• Amid fighting in South Sudan, senior UN officials urge protection for all communities UN News Centre 17 Dec 2013 -- Amid reports of continued clashes today in South Sudan, senior United Nations officials are calling for restraint and protection of civilians, regardless of their communities.
• Fresh Gunfire in Juba After Alleged Coup Attempt VOA 17 Dec 2013 -- Fighting continued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, Tuesday, just one day after the president accused supporters of his political rival of attempting a coup. According to the government, at least 26 people have been killed in the violence, while thousands of civilians have been displaced
• As situation worsens, UN refugee agency sends more staff to Central African Republic UN News Centre 17 Dec 2013 -- The United Nations refugee agency said today it has deployed additional emergency teams in the Central African Republic (CAR), where some 210,000 people have been forcibly displaced by violence in the last two weeks in the embattled capital, Bangui.
• Making sense of the DRC declarations on M23 IRIN 17 Dec 2013 -- The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the former rebel group known as the M23 Movement signed declarations on 12 December formalizing agreements to end hostilities in eastern DRC.
• Transfer of responsibility on Operation Althea UK MOD 17 Dec 2013 -- 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland has taken over the UK's commitment to the EU stabilisation mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
• West Africa remains 'fragile' and needs ongoing support, UN envoy tells Security Council UN News Centre 17 Dec 2013 -- Despite commendable efforts by leaders of West African countries, the region remains fragile and continues to require ongoing support from the United Nations and the international community, particularly to stem the rise of organized crime, a UN envoy today told the Security Council.

News Reports

• Snowden Offers Brazil Spying Info in Exchange for Asylum VOA 17 Dec 2013 -- Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden wrote an open letter to the people of Brazil, published Tuesday in the newspaper Folha de São Paulo. In the letter he asks for asylum, the second time he's done so.
• US Judge Rules NSA Phone Spying Is Likely Illegal RIA Novosti 17 Dec 2013 -- A US federal judge on Monday ruled that the US government's mass collection of telephone data is probably illegal, a decision praised by fugitive intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, who first disclosed the surveillance program.
• Russia, Ukraine reach trade deal on bonds, gas price Iran Press TV 17 Dec 2013 -- Russia and Ukraine have reached a strategic economic and trade agreement under which Kiev is given significant discounts on Russian gas price and billions of dollars in credit.
• Putin Pledges Billions, Cheaper Gas To Yanukovych RFE/RL 17 Dec 2013 -- Russia has promised Ukraine $15 billion in loans and cheaper natural gas amid ongoing protests in Kyiv calling for closer ties with the European Union rather than Moscow.
• For Ukraine's Neighbors, Euromaidan Is A Revolution For All RFE/RL 17 Dec 2013 -- Among the dozens of tents lining Ukraine's Independence Square is one bearing the distinctive red-and-white five-cross flag of Georgia.
• Russia Promises Ukraine Cheaper Gas, $15 Billion Loan VOA 17 Dec 2013 -- Russia has promised to reduce the price of natural gas exports to Ukraine by a third and lend it $15 billion, as pro-European Union demonstrations continue in the capital Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.
• FM: Pressures lead to production of 18,000 centrifuges IRNA 17 Dec 2013 -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that pressures exerted on Iran by the West not only were not effective but also they have led to the production of some 18,000 centrifuges in the country.
• Iran, G5+1 to resume expert talks ISNA 17 Dec 2013 -- A senior member of Iranian nuclear negotiating team Abbas Araqchi said Iran and the G5+1 have agreed to resume expert nuclear talks.
• Iran dissatisfied with US over deal implementation: Official Iran Press TV 17 Dec 2013 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham says Tehran has informed US Secretary of State John Kerry of the Islamic Republic's dissatisfaction with Washington over the implementation process of the Geneva interim deal.
• Iran, Sextet will continue nuclear talks: Araqchi Iran Press TV 17 Dec 2013 -- A senior Iranian nuclear negotiator says the Islamic Republic will continue talks with the six major world powers on its nuclear energy program.
• Stage set for final nuclear deal: Advisor to Leader Iran Press TV 17 Dec 2013 -- A top advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has underlined Iran's resolve to continue its nuclear talks with the Sextet of world powers, saying the ground is prepared for a final deal.
• National Memorial Service Held to Mark 2nd Anniversary of Demise of Kim Jong Il KCNA 17 Dec 2013 -- A national memorial service was held solemnly in Pyongyang on Tuesday, the second anniversary of demise of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
• Kim Jong Un Visits Kumsusan Palace of Sun KCNA 17 Dec 2013 -- Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, together with Ri Sol Ju, visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on Tuesday, the 2nd anniversary of demise of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.
• Promises, Promises: Moscow's Record Of Broken Aid Pledges RFE/RL 17 Dec 2013 -- When Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych in Moscow on December 17, many believed he was likely to make some kind of aid pledge designed to shore up his embattled ally and keep Kyiv in the Kremlin's orbit.
• Health official urges caution as more H7N9 cases reported in China CNA 17 Dec 2013 -- People traveling to China should take health precautions as 10 more H7N9 avian flu cases have been reported there since October, Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center said Tuesday.
• Security Council extends UN counter-terrorism body for another four years UN News Centre 17 Dec 2013 -- The Security Council today extended the mandate of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) – an expert body that functions as a United Nations special political mission – for another four years.
• Philippines: UN ramps up aid for 6 million child victims of Typhoon Haiyan UN News Centre 17 Dec 2013 -- With the lives of nearly six million children disrupted by the typhoon that devastated the Philippines a month ago, 1.4 million of whom lost their family homes, the United Nations is forging ahead with long-term programmes to restore schooling, protection, vaccination and other child services.
• Final Deal Signed To Send Azerbaijani Gas To Europe RFE/RL 17 Dec 2013 -- The consortium developing Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz-2 natural-gas project has signed a final investment agreement, paving the way for the first deliveries to Europe.