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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 24 Jan 2014 [PDF]
• Drone strike kills three Al Qaeda suspects in Yemen - army Voice of Russia 24 Jan 2014 -- A US drone struck a vehicle in Yemen's eastern province of Marib overnight killing three al-Qaeda suspects, a military source said on Friday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Hagel, French Counterpart Discuss Mutual Interests, Challenges AFPS 24 Jan 2014 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met today with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to address shared interests and security challenges both nations face and to reinforce the oldest U.S. alliance.
• Joint Press Conference by Secretary Hagel and Minister Le Drian in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 24 Jan 2014 -- Presenters: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian
• HS-5 Transitions to HSC-5 NNS 24 Jan 2014 -- Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron FIVE (HS-5) transitioned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron FIVE (HSC-5) during a ceremony Jan. 24 at Naval Station Norfolk.
• CNSL Visits Rota Ahead of First Destroyer NNS 24 Jan 2014 -- Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic (SURFLANT) Rear Adm. Pete Gumataotao visited Naval Station Rota today ahead of the arrival of four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers that will be permanently forward deployed to the region by the end of next year.
• USS Donald Cook to Support NATO Defense Initiative NNS 24 Jan 2014 -- M. Elaine Bunn, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy, visited the guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) today at Naval Station Norfolk to evaluate the ship's missile defense system.
• US, Pakistan Work to Mend Strained Relations VOA 24 Jan 2014 -- The United States and Pakistan are trying to start a new chapter in their long-strained relationship. The two nations will resume their Strategic Dialogue on Monday, and they are hoping to end years of acrimony over such issues as drone strikes and the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
• Lejeune Marines start new rotation of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa USMC News 24 Jan 2014 -- Marines and sailors originally with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., arrived at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, Jan. 8, 2014, to assume the new rotation of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa.
• 45th Space Wing supports successful NASA launch AFNS 24 Jan 2014 -- The 45th Space Wing provided flawless Eastern Range support for NASA's successful launch of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-L mission aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 here at 9:33 p.m. Jan. 23.
• Multi-ship Exercise Koa Kai Underway Near Hawaii NNS 24 Jan 2014 -- Seven Hawaii-homeported surface ships and two San Diego-based surface ships will participate in the integrated maritime exercise Koa Kai 14-1 near Hawaii Jan. 24 through Jan. 31.
• Bonhomme Richard Conducts Ammo On-load NNS 24 Jan 2014 -- The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) conducted an ammo on-load Jan.22 and 23 in preparation for its next patrol.
• Hagel Vows to Restore Confidence in Nuclear Mission AFPS 24 Jan 2014 -- A day after ordering an independent review of the military's nuclear force amid allegations of cheating on proficiency exams by Air Force officers overseeing the nation's ballistic nuclear missiles, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today vowed to restore confidence in the Air Force's nuclear mission.
• Slovenia thanked for commitment to NATO as it marks 10th anniversary of entry NATO 24 Jan 2014 -- NATO Secretary General commended Slovenia for its strong commitment to the Alliance and contributions to NATO missions and operations over the past ten years during talks with Slovenian leaders on Friday (24 January 2014). "This year we mark the tenth anniversary of Slovenia's accession to NATO. Your accession, together with six other nations, has reinforced regional and Euro-Atlantic security," the Secretary General said after his talks with Prime Minister Alenka Bratušek.
• Russia Begins Nuclear-Powered Missile Cruiser Overhaul RIA Novosti 24 Jan 2014 -- The refit of one of Russia's four heavy nuclear-powered missile cruisers has begun after years of delays, the country's largest shipbuilder said Friday.
• Russian Carrier Group Conducting Exercises in Mediterranean RIA Novosti 24 Jan 2014 -- A Russian carrier group that entered the Mediterranean earlier this month has begun a series of naval aviation exercises, a navy spokesman said Friday.
• Rear-Admiral: PLA Navy needs to step up ocean-going training People's Daily 24 Jan 2014 -- A taskforce under the command of the PLA Navy South China Sea Fleet left a naval port in Sanya in south China's Hainan province on Jan. 20 to conduct combat readiness training in the South China Sea, the West Pacific, and the East Indian Ocean.
• China's naval helicopters finish low-altitude flight training People's Daily 24 Jan 2014 -- Shipboard helicopters with a patrolling Chinese flotilla successfully completed low-altitude flight training missions in the South China Sea on Friday night.
• China's military furthers 'mass line' campaign People's Daily 24 Jan 2014 -- Senior Chinese military officials on Thursday called on the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to carry out the 'mass line' campaign to build a strong military.
• January 24, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 24 Jan 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 24, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 24 January 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 24 Jan 2014
• China warns foreign planes entering defense zone Iran Press TV 24 Jan 2014 -- Beijing has once again warned foreign military planes against entering its newly declared Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over an area of East China Sea.
• Japan World War I Remarks Fuel China Tensions VOA 24 Jan 2014 -- This week Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe compared his country's tense relationship with China to that of England and Germany before the outbreak of World War I.
• Syrian Government, opposition to meet on Saturday, UN-Arab League envoy says UN News Centre 24 Jan 2014 -- Representatives of the Syrian Government and opposition groups have agreed to meet tomorrow for the first time ever in the same room, the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab States said in Switzerland after another day of bilateral talks with both sides, which he described as "encouraging."
• Syria rejects SNC demand for transitional government Iran Press TV 24 Jan 2014 -- Syria has ruled out the formation of a transitional government in the violence-wracked country as the Geneva II talks on the Syria crisis inch closer to a deadlock.
• Syria sides have not discussed core issues: Brahimi Iran Press TV 24 Jan 2014 -- The UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi says the country's opposing sides have not discussed core matters following two days of talks in Geneva.
• UN Envoy: Syria Talks to Resume on Saturday VOA 24 Jan 2014 -- Representatives of the Syrian government and opposition are to meet face-to-face for the first time Saturday in Geneva, after days of mutual threats to withdraw from the talks.
• Central African Republic: despite insecurity, UN provides food for hundreds of thousands UN News Centre 24 Jan 2014 -- The United Nations today called for security to be re-established along the main roads in strife-torn Central African Republic (CAR) to allow access for vital aid and humanitarian staff as 38 trucks with a month's supply of food for 155,000 people remained blocked at the frontier.
• Troops deployed to protect aid convoys in CAR IRIN 24 Jan 2014 -- As humanitarian needs mount amid unrelenting violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), getting relief supplies into and across the country is proving to be one of the main challenges for aid agencies there.
• Dozens of Muslims killed in CAR: Amnesty International Iran Press TV 24 Jan 2014 -- Dozens of Muslims in the Central African Republic (CAR) have been killed in separate attacks by Christian militias on mosques, as the deadly violence continues in the country.
• UN hopes South Sudan ceasefire will help alleviate plight of conflict-affected civilians UN News Centre 24 Jan 2014 -- As United Nations officials welcome the signing of an agreement to end the fighting in South Sudan, humanitarian agencies are continuing their efforts to assist scores of civilians in need as a result of more than a month of violence.
• S Sudan rebels accuse government of post-ceasefire attacks Iran Press TV 24 Jan 2014 -- Tensions are mounting again in South Sudan as rebels have accused the government forces of launching fresh attacks despite a recent ceasefire between the two sides.
• S Sudan looters steal food that can feed 220,000 people Iran Press TV 24 Jan 2014 -- The World Food Program (WFP) says looters in South Sudan have stolen more than 3,700 tons of food, an amount enough to feed 220,000 people for a month.
• South Sudan Rebels Accuse Government of Breaking Cease-fire VOA 24 Jan 2014 -- South Sudanese rebel forces say they were attacked Friday by government forces, one day after the two sides signed a cease-fire agreement to end weeks of fighting. The deal is seen as just the beginning of a long, difficult process of reconciliation.
• UNMISS, Aid Organizations Welcome South Sudan Ceasefire VOA 24 Jan 2014 -- The head of the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) joined international aid organizations and groups working with refugees Friday to hail the hours-old ceasefire agreement for South Sudan, voicing hope that it would hold and give the people of the young country 'the peace they deserve.'
• 65,000 people displaced in W Iraq over past week: UNHCR Iran Press TV 24 Jan 2014 -- The United Nations says more than 65,000 people have fled raging violence fueled by al-Qaeda-linked militants in the western cities of Fallujah and Ramadi over the past week.
• Fighting Resumes In Anbar As Thousands Of Iraqis Flee Homes RFE/RL 24 Jan 2014 -- Fighting has intensified in the central Iraqi city of Ramadi as tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in restive Anbar Province.
• Fresh clashes uproot 140,000 people in Iraq's Anbar province - UN agency UN News Centre 24 Jan 2014 -- The United Nations refugee agency said today that more than 65,000 people had fled the conflict in the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi in central Iraq's Anbar province over the past week, bringing the total number of people uprooted since fighting began at the end of 2013 to over 140,000.
• S Korea, DPRK hold sub-panel talks on Kaesong complex Voice of Russia 24 Jan 2014 -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held the sub-panel talks Friday to discuss operation of electronics passage system and adoption of the Internet at the joint industrial complex in Kaesong, the DPRK' s border town.
• Fighting in northern Nigeria sparks new refugee exodus to nearby States, UN reports UN News Centre 24 Jan 2014 -- Nearly 6,000 people have fled fighting in Nigeria to neighbouring Cameroon and Niger in the past 10 days after reporting that several people had been killed, their villages bombed and at least two villages burned to the ground, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said today.

News Reports

• White House 'disagrees' with review board's finding on US spying Iran Press TV 24 Jan 2014 -- The administration of US President Barack Obama has said it disagrees with the findings of an independent review group that showed Washington's phone data collection program is illegal.
• Snowden Wants to Return to US, But Only After Reforms RIA Novosti 24 Jan 2014 -- US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden said Thursday that he would like to return to his native country but that current whistleblower laws there make this option impossible.
• US oversight board says NSA spying program illegal Voice of Russia 24 Jan 2014 -- The US National Security Agency's telephone metadata program is illegal and should be shut down, a government privacy board recommended in a report released Thursday.
• 'Whistleblower protection laws in US do not protect me, no chance to have fair trial' - Snowden Voice of Russia 24 Jan 2014 -- 'One of the things that has not been widely reported by journalists is that whistleblower protection laws in the US do not protect contractors in the national security arena," former NSA contractor Edward Snowden said at his second Q&A session on Thursday.
• CIA paid $15 million to Poland to host secret prison, Warsaw refuses to comment Voice of Russia 24 Jan 2014 -- The Polish authorities refuse to comment on reports saying that Warsaw received 15 million dollars to host CIA secret prisons used to interrogate al-Qaeda suspects, allegedly operating in the country from 2002-2003, the Washington Post reports.
• Yanukovych Pledges Gov't Reshuffle As Protests Spread In West RFE/RL 24 Jan 2014 -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych says the government will be reshuffled at a special parliamentary session scheduled for January 28 as opposition protesters continued seizing city halls in several towns and cities in western Ukraine.
• Kyiv Protesters Jeer Truce Offer, Build More Barricades RFE/RL 24 Jan 2014 -- Tensions remain high in Kyiv with protesters denouncing a government offer for a truce if demonstrators refrain from violence and remove their street barricades.
• Ukraine's President Vows Amnesty, Gov't Reshuffle RIA Novosti 24 Jan 2014 -- In a bid to ease growing tensions in the country, Ukraine's president announced on Friday that the country's parliament would next week consider pardoning detained political activists and reshuffling the government's top ministers.
• Ukraine Protesters Reinforce Barricades as Talks Break Down VOA 24 Jan 2014 -- Talks between the Ukrainian president and the opposition aimed at ending days of violent anti-government protests appear to have broken down without agreement. The demonstrations erupted two months ago after President Viktor Yanukovich refused to sign an agreement bringing the country closer to the European Union - instead opting to sign deals with Russia.
• Egypt: Ban condemns series of terrorist attacks in Cairo UN News Centre 24 Jan 2014 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the wave of terrorist attacks in Greater Cairo, which reportedly killed at least six people and resulted in a large number of casualties earlier today – on the eve of the third anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.
• Egyptian Capital Reeling From Multiple Bombings VOA 24 Jan 2014 -- A morning of blasts across Cairo has put an already tense city further on edge on the eve of the anniversary of the nation's 2011 revolution.
• At least three dead, dozens injured in Cairo police HQ bombing Voice of Russia 24 Jan 2014 -- At least three people killed and 37 others injured in powerful car bomb blast near the Cairo Security Directorate, the Interior Ministry reported.
• Amano says IAEA inspectors to visit Iran's Gachin mine Iran Press TV 24 Jan 2014 -- Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the inspectors of the organization will visit Iran's Gachin uranium mine in the coming days.
• UN atomic watchdog endorses plan to ensure peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme UN News Centre 24 Jan 2014 -- The recently concluded action plan aimed at allaying international concerns about Iran's nuclear programme is an important development, the head of the United Nations atomic watchdog said today, while adding that there is still a long way to go in this effort.
• U.S. Will Help With Olympics Security If Needed, Hagel Says AFPS 24 Jan 2014 -- Top Defense Department officials have offered the Russian government U.S. help with security during the Feb. 7-23 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, but have received no requests, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said this afternoon.
• China reports over 100 H7N9 cases since last fall CNA 24 Jan 2014 -- China has reported more than one hundred human infections of the avian influenza A (H7N9) virus since last fall, including this year's first reported case in Beijing, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Friday.
• China reports 9 new H7N9 human cases People's Daily 24 Jan 2014 -- Nine human H7N9 bird flu cases were newly reported in China on Friday, including one in Beijing, one in Guangdong Province and seven in Zhejiang Province, forcing cities in Zhejiang to close their live poultry markets.