• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 31 Jan 2014 [PDF]
• Uncertainty delays Afghan refugee return IRIN 31 Jan 2014 -- A slowdown in the number of Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan is expected to continue in 2014, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), as Afghans at home and abroad look to the year ahead with some uncertainty.
• Dambusters final flight UK MOD 31 Jan 2014 -- An RAF squadron famous for carrying out one of the most daring raids of the Second World War has flown its final Afghanistan mission.
• Air Force Completes Airlift of Rwandan Peacekeepers AFPS 31 Jan 2014 -- The Air Force has finished airlifting Rwandan peacekeeping troops into the Central African Republic, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said today.
• Ramstein AB Airmen lead Rwandan port operations AFNS 31 Jan 2014 -- In an effort to confront destabilizing forces and violence within the Central African Republic, France and the African Union have requested U.S. support to move Rwandan forces into the region.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Statement by DNI Clapper on the Nomination of Vice Adm. Michael S. Rogers to be the Next Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and NSA Director Director of National Intelligence 31 Jan 201
• US surveillance: 'It's going to take some time' to win back confidence - Obama Voice of Russia 31 Jan 2014 -- In an interview with CNN US President Barack Obama acknowledged that the country's surveillance programs damaged the confidence of Americans as well as other nations. 'It's going to take some time' to win back that confidence, he said.
• DoD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers for Fiscal 2014, Through December 2013 DoD 31 Jan 2014 -- The Department of Defense announced today recruiting and retention statistics for the active and reserve components for fiscal 2014, through December 2013.
• USS Donald Cook Departs Norfolk for Permanent Station in Rota, Spain NNS 31 Jan 2014 -- USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) departed her homeport of Norfolk, Va. Jan. 31 on her way to Rota, Spain, as the first of four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to be stationed there.
• Navy Announces Contract Award for NAVSEA Headquarters Building Repairs NNS 31 Jan 2014 -- The Navy awarded a $44.2 million firm-fixed-price task order under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract for the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Headquarters at the Washington Navy Yard, Jan 31.
• Sites Announced for Environmental Impact Statement for Potential Missile Defense Site DoD 31 Jan 2014 -- Pursuant to Congressional direction to complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a potential additional missile defense site in the continental United States, the Missile Defense Agency has completed an extensive evaluation of sites announced by the Department of Defense in September, 2013.
• 'Fighting Bengals' provide support for Exercise Lava Viper USMC News 31 Jan 2014 -- Marines with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224 wrapped up their support of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment's Exercise Lava Viper at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, Jan. 29, 2014.
• USS Lake Erie Completes its Role in Koa Kai NNS 31 Jan 2014 -- Guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) completed its part in exercise Koa Kai 14-1 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Jan. 29.
• USS Santa Fe Returns to Pearl Harbor NNS 31 Jan 2014 -- Smiles of excitement could be seen from the submarine piers for the crew of USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) as family and friends gathered to welcome back the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam following a deployment to the Western Pacific region, Jan. 28.
• Theodore Roosevelt Conducts Supply Replenishment from Above NNS 31 Jan 2014 -- The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) successfully conducted a vertical replenishment (VERTREP) at sea after receiving supplies from the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Kanahwa (T-AO 196) Jan. 30.
• Koa Kai Prepares the Minds and Bodies of Sailors aboard USS Halsey NNS 31 Jan 2014 -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) is slated to return to its homeport of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Jan. 31 from a six-day underway.
• UK and France agree closer defence co-operation UK MOD 31 Jan 2014 -- The UK and France have agreed to strengthen defence co-operation following a summit at RAF Brize Norton today.
• Russian Women Urged to Join Army Ranks RIA Novosti 31 Jan 2014 -- More women should serve in the Russian army as professional soldiers, Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said Friday.
• Russia to Give Kazakhstan Air Defense Systems Free-of-Charge RIA Novosti 31 Jan 2014 -- Russia is set to supply fellow former Soviet nation Kazakhstan with S-300 air defense systems free-of-charge, a top Russian military official said Friday.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 1/31/14 The White House 31 Jan 2014
• January 31, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 31 Jan 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 31, 2014
• Russia Arms Sales Grew Sharply in 2012 – Report RIA Novosti 31 Jan 2014 -- Russian defense companies saw a large increase in arms sales in 2012 due to growing domestic procurement, an independent think tank said Friday.

Other Conflicts

• 31 January 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 31 Jan 2014
• AU: Standby Force Needed to Respond to Conflicts VOA 31 Jan 2014 -- The African Union summit wrapped up Friday with a call to fast-track an African standby force to better respond to conflicts across the continent. AU leaders say the recent violence in South Sudan and the Central African Republic underscores the need for rapid intervention.
• U.S. Concerned About Chemical Weapons Delay RFE/RL 31 Jan 2014 -- The United States has expressed disquiet over the fact that the Syrian government is behind schedule on handing over its chemical weapons materials for destruction.
• Syria Talks End WIth No Concrete Results RFE/RL 31 Jan 2014 -- The first round of peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition has ended in Geneva without a breakthrough.
• US 'Deeply Concerned' Over Syrian Chemical Arms Delay RIA Novosti 31 Jan 2014 -- US officials said Thursday that they are "concerned" about delays by Syrian President Bashar Assad's government in handing over its chemical weapons to be destroyed under a deal brokered by Russia and the United States.
• 'No progress to speak of' as first round of UN-sponsored Syrian peace talks ends UN News Centre 31 Jan 2014 -- Syrian Government and opposition delegates today wrapped up what United Nations officials hope will be just the first stage of talks to end the country's civil war, with the chief mediator reporting no breakthrough to stop the "unspeakable suffering" of the Syrian people, including access for humanitarian aid.
• Gaps 'Wide' as Syria Talks Wrap Up First Round VOA 31 Jan 2014 -- U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi wrapped up the first round of Syria peace talks in Geneva Friday reporting little progress on key issues of how to end the fighting and get much-needed humanitarian aid to besieged areas.
• US: Assad Must Meet Chemical Weapons Deadline VOA 31 Jan 2014 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Syria is not meeting international obligations to destroy its chemical weapons under a deal brokered by the United States and Russia. Kerry is meeting foreign and defense ministers at a security conference in Munich.
• UN Asks West To Admit More Syrian Refugees VOA 31 Jan 2014 -- On average every week, 11,000 new Syrian refugees arrive in Lebanon. As the flow of those fleeing Syria's civil war shows no sign of abating, the top U.N. refugee official in Lebanon says Western countries must relieve the pressure and admit more Syrians.
• France, Britain share intelligence on Syria jihadists Voice of Russia 31 Jan 2014 -- France and Britain said Friday they would work together tracking down jihadists who travel to Syria to fight with Islamic extremists then pose a security threat when they return home.
• Russia, Japan Start Peace Treaty Talks in Tokyo RIA Novosti 31 Jan 2014 -- Senior Russian and Japanese diplomats started consultations Friday in Tokyo in a bid to end a territorial row that has kept the two nations from signing a World War II peace treaty.
• Central African Republic clerics lobby for peace IRIN 31 Jan 2014 -- The archbishop and the imam make an impressive double act, picking up each other's cues, and batting topics back and forth between them. The Central African Republic's (CAR) two most prominent religious leaders arrived in London this week to raise awareness of the catastrophic events in their country and to rally support for a more active international engagement in the crisis.
• UN official urges halt to displacement of Palestinians as Israel continues demolitions UN News Centre 31 Jan 2014 -- A senior United Nations relief official today called for a halt to the displacement of Palestinians in the Jordan Valley, after 66 people, including 36 children, were uprooted in the latest round of Israeli demolitions in the area.
• A housing crisis yet demolitions in East Jerusalem IRIN 31 Jan 2014 -- The threatened demolition of apartment blocks in East Jerusalem is adding new pressure to the city's housing crisis, with hundreds facing the prospect of losing their homes and Palestinian residents saying they face discrimination in city planning.
• Central African Republic: UN calls on donors to close massive funding gap UN News Centre 31 Jan 2014 -- Unless additional funding is secured for the Central African Republic (CAR), nearly two million desperate people will be forced to go without food and basic necessities, the United Nations said today, as regional leaders attending an African Union summit in Ethiopia discuss ways to stop the ongoing fighting.
• Poland deploys military forces to CAR Iran Press TV 31 Jan 2014 -- A Polish military contingent is set to be deployed to the Central African Republic (CAR) to join French forces in the war-ravaged country.
• Protecting South Sudan's internally displaced must be priority, says UN rights expert UN News Centre 31 Jan 2014 -- The congestion at United Nations bases in South Sudan has started to create risks for the 85,000 displaced civilians seeking shelter there, but they must not be forced or induced to leave, a United Nations independent human rights expert today warned.
• S Sudan factions urged to respect ceasefire deal Iran Press TV 31 Jan 2014 -- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) mediation team has urged both sides of the conflict in South Sudan to respect and quickly implement the recently signed ceasefire deal.
• UK provides airlift support to UN Mission in South Sudan UK MOD 31 Jan 2014 -- An RAF C-17 containing emergency blast wall protection for the UN Mission in South Sudan has today been deployed to Juba.
• DR Congo: amid military gains, root causes of violence must be addressed, says UN official UN News Centre 31 Jan 2014 -- An action plan to stabilize the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has made important progress thanks to the support United Nations peacekeepers have given the Congolese army in the fight against rebel groups, but military means alone are not the solution, a top UN official said today.
• Amid escalating tensions, UN's Somalia envoy urges calm in Baidoa UN News Centre 31 Jan 2014 -- The top United Nations envoy in Somalia today voiced his concern over escalating tensions in Baidoa surrounding a federal State-building conference, calling for calm and dialogue by all parties as they address legitimate concerns.

News Reports

• In wake of unrest, UN welcomes dialogue between Ukrainian President and opposition UN News Centre 31 Jan 2014 -- The United Nations human rights office today welcomed the start of dialogue between President Viktor Yanukovych and the opposition in Ukraine following weeks of violent unrest, as well as the abolition this week of laws restricting the exercise of fundamental rights.
• Set aside illusions on Iran nuclear program, Zarif tells West Iran Press TV 31 Jan 2014 -- Iran foreign minister has called on Western governments to set aside illusions that sanctions forced the Islamic Republic to negotiate on its nuclear energy program, Press TV reports.
• Iran to declare positions at Munich confab: Zarif Iran Press TV 31 Jan 2014 -- Iran foreign minister says Tehran is determined to elaborate on its positions in the international arena during the 50th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany.
• Minorities targeted in Bangladesh political violence IRIN 31 Jan 2014 -- Following attacks on religious minorities - mostly Hindus - activists in Bangladesh are calling for increased protection to forestall further violence in the majority Muslim country.
• Thai anti-government protests go on ahead of polls Iran Press TV 31 Jan 2014 -- Thai anti-government demonstrators have once again taken to the streets of the capital city of Bangkok ahead of Sunday's controversial general elections.
• Thai Government Faces Challenges as Country Prepares for Polls VOA 31 Jan 2014 -- Thailand's ruling party is virtually assured of a victory in Sunday's elections, but that alone is not likely to end the country's political crisis. Legal challenges after the vote also pose a threat to the governing party, despite popular support.
• Thailand: protests continue as country braces for elections Voice of Russia 31 Jan 2014 -- Thai anti-government demonstrators promise to keep up rallies as the country is bracing for the contested election. With just two days before the set date protesters are blockading buildings where ballot papers are being stored.
• Egypt: UN human rights office voices concern at growing clampdown, attacks on media UN News Centre 31 Jan 2014 -- Voicing deep concern about the growing threats and attacks on members of the media in Egypt, the United Nations human rights office today urged the authorities to investigate reports of violence against them and to promptly release all journalists imprisoned for carrying out their legitimate activities.