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Defense Policy / Programs
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Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 12 Feb 2014 [PDF]
• US officials mull bypassing Karzai on security deal Iran Press TV 12 Feb 2014 -- Senior US intelligence and military officials attempt to bypass Afghan President Hamid Karzai after he refused to sign a controversial bilateral security agreement with Washington.
• Worsening Afghan humanitarian situation but lower appeal IRIN 12 Feb 2014 -- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today launched this year's Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) in Kabul, Afghanistan, identifying a worsening humanitarian situation but reducing the appeal to $406 million from last year's $474 million.
• Guard Units Prepare for Possible Widespread Storm Operations AFPS 12 Feb 2014 -- National Guard personnel from Alabama through Pennsylvania and the Northeast were gearing up for duty today due to predicted ice and snow storms.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DOD Official Reports on Security Clearance Process AFPS 12 Feb 2014 -- The Defense Department has taken several initiatives to control security clearances in response to a mass shooting by a contract employee at the Washington Navy Yard last September, a DOD official told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee yesterday.
• USS Rentz and Joint Task Force-Bravo Conclude Three Days of Deck Landing Qualifications NNS 12 Feb 2014 -- The Oliver Hazard Perry Class frigate USS Rentz (FFG 46) and personnel attached to Joint Task Force-Bravo (JTF-B) concluded three days of deck landing qualifications Feb. 11 off the coast of Latin America.
• WEST 2014 Continues With Panel Discussions NNS 12 Feb 2014 -- The Western Conference and Exposition continued Feb. 12 with panel discussions on the future of the U.S. Navy at the San Diego Convention Center.
• Air Force Secretary Outlines Plan to Address 'Systemic Problems' AFPS 12 Feb 2014 -- Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James today shared her observations from her visit with airmen across the ICBM community following revelations of a proficiency-test cheating scandal at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., last month.
• 'Backbone' of Real Thaw 14 pushes through final week of exercise AFNS 12 Feb 2014 -- Whether loading training munitions by day or turning wrenches at night, maintainers from the 31st Fighter Wing are continuing to support the 555th Fighter Squadron during their inaugural participation in Real Thaw 14, an international exercise hosted by the Portuguese air force here.
• Special Ops Forces in Transition, Pentagon Official Says AFPS 12 Feb 2014 -- Like the rest of the Defense Department, the special operations community is in transition, and officials are working on how best to shape the force for the future, a senior Pentagon official said here yesterday.
• Military Power Aids Diplomacy, Defense Official Says AFPS 12 Feb 2014 -- Military power can be a critical part of diplomacy and the true test of influence in compelling action without use of force, a senior Pentagon official said at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln last night.
• McRaven: People, Technology, Partners are Socom Priorities AFPS 12 Feb 2014 -- At U.S. Special Operations Command, taking care of special operators and their families, using technology to increase the safety of exacting special ops, and expanding partnerships of all kinds worldwide are priorities, the Socom commander said here yesterday.
• 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit Marines train for urban combat USMC News 12 Feb 2014 -- A team of Marines lurk through the jungle near a building held by an enemy force. Machine gun fire tears through the air from a rooftop, answered by suppressing fire from Marines in Humvee turrets nearby. With the enemy's attention diverted, the Marines charge the building.
• Coastal Command Boat (CCB) Arrives in Bahrain NNS 12 Feb 2014 -- The Coastal Command Boat (CCB) arrived in its homeport of Bahrain Feb. 8.
• NATO Military Committee acknowledges Georgia's progress in defence reforms NATO 12 Feb 2014 -- The Military Committee, NATO's highest military authority, conducted its first ever visit to Georgia on 11-12 February 2014, to get a first-hand impression of Georgia's ambitious defence reforms and to commend its substantial contribution to NATO-led operations and missions.
• NATO Secretary General thanks Prime Minister Gruevski for strong contribution to NATO operations NATO 12 Feb 2014 -- The NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski at NATO headquarters on Wednesday (12 February) for a meeting with the North Atlantic Council and praised the excellent cooperation between the Alliance and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia¹.
• Russia Arms Air Regiment in Far East With Su-35S Fighter Jets RIA Novosti 12 Feb 2014 -- The Russian Air Force received 12 advanced Su-35S multirole fighters Wednesday to be deployed with an air regiment based in Russia's Far East.
• Former Navy commander sentenced to 6-years for espionage CNA 12 Feb 2014 -- A former Navy commander was handed a relatively lenient sentence of six years by the Taiwan High Court's Kaohsiung Branch Court Wednesday for 'preparing to' conduct espionage activities for Beijing.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 2/12/2014 The White House 12 Feb 2014
• February 12, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 12 Feb 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 12, 2014
• Russia supplies first batch of Mi-17B-5 helicopters to India Voice of Russia 12 Feb 2014 -- Russia has delivered the first batch of 19 military transport helicopters Mi-17B-5 to India, as part of the contract to supply 59 helicopters of this type, an official representative of the Russian delegation at Singapore Airshow 2014 said.

Other Conflicts

• 12 February 2014 - DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 12 Feb 2014
• Security Council, senior UN officials say conflict parties must respect, protect civilians UN News Centre 12 Feb 2014 -- With civilians now routinely targeted and subjected to indiscriminate brutality in most current conflicts - from the civil war in Syria to ethnic and political strife in Central African Republic and South Sudan - the Security Council joined senior United Nations officials today to once again urge greater protection for the countless men, women and children caught in the crossfire of war.
• Syria: More aid gets into besieged Homs as more evacuees leave, UN reports UN News Centre 12 Feb 2014 -- More relief moved in today for Syrians trapped in the Old City of Homs for nearly two years without aid, and more evacuees moved out, as Government and opposition delegates met in Geneva in United Nations-sponsored talks seeking to end the bloody conflict.
• White House Defends Obama on Syria, After McCain Criticism VOA 12 Feb 2014 -- The White House has strongly defended President Barack Obama against criticism by a prominent Republican senator who accused Obama of failing to fulfill pledges to act to prevent mass atrocities, including killings in Syria.
• Syria forces regain strategic town of Jarajir near Lebanon Iran Press TV 12 Feb 2014 -- Syrian government forces have regained full control of a strategic town near neighboring Lebanon's border.
• Russia Accuses US of Manipulation Over Syria Resolution RIA Novosti 12 Feb 2014 -- Recent statements by the US leader on Russia and Syria are an attempt to manipulate public opinion and force Russia to support a "counterproductive" UN resolution, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday.
• Russia Plans Veto of Security Council Resolution on Syria VOA 12 Feb 2014 -- A Russian official said a draft U.N. Security Council resolution on humanitarian aid for Syria has been crafted as a precursor for military intervention, and that Russia will not let it pass.
• No Progress at Syria Talks VOA 12 Feb 2014 -- Talks in Geneva between Syria's government and opposition continue, despite no sign of progress.
• Homs evacuations resume as Syria peace talks falter Voice of Russia 12 Feb 2014 -- The evacuation of civilians and delivery of aid to besieged rebel-held areas of Syria's third city Homs resumed on Wednesday, as peace talks in Geneva struggled to make headway.
• US trying to force in counterproductive resolution against Syria - Russian FM Voice of Russia 12 Feb 2014 --US peremptory claims about Syria being to blame for the aggravation of the humanitarian crisis and its assessment of Russia's activities is clearly an attempt to create conditions for forcing in a counterproductive resolution, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Wednesday.
• Taiwan's top China policy planner speaks in China about ROC CNA 12 Feb 2014 -- Taiwan's top China policy planner spoke about the Republic of China (ROC) during a visit Wednesday to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, where he paid his respects to the man hailed as the founding father of modern China.
• Chinese news media reports prominently on Wang-Zhang meeting CNA 12 Feb 2014 -- Several Chinese news media reported prominently on Wednesday a landmark meeting in Nanjing a day earlier between the heads of cross-Taiwan Strait affairs on each side of the strait.
• Wang Yu-chi lays wreath at mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen CNA 12 Feb 2014 -- Taiwan's top China policy planner Wang Yu-chi said the Republic of China founded by Sun Yat-sen 103 years ago is still alive after he paid his respects to Sun at father of modern China's mausoleum in Nanjing on Wednesday morning.
• Taiwan Official Visits Sun Yat-sen's Tomb in China VOA 12 Feb 2014 -- Taiwan's top cross-strait official visited the burial ground of Sun Yat-sen Wednesday, the founder of modern China and a man who is respected in both Taipei and Beijing. During his visit, the Mainland Affairs Council chairman, Wang Yu-chi, used the opportunity to not only pay respects, but also make mention of Taiwan's democratic accomplishments.
• Muslims Under Threat in CAR VOA 12 Feb 2014 -- The United Nations and international human rights groups say militias in the Central African Republic, known as the anti-Balaka, are carrying out an 'ethnic cleansing' of the country's Muslim minority. Muslims are being targeted as payback for abuses committed by the recently ousted Seleka rebel coalition. Muslim residents in the western town of Boali have been living in a church for protection for the past month.
• Séléka Rebellion in CAR Sparks Cycle of Violence VOA 12 Feb 2014 -- Every day brings reports of new atrocities in the Central African Republic (CAR), where fighting between Muslims and Christians has left at least two thousand dead and displaced more than 800-thousand others.
• Food airlifts begin in Central African Republic amidst worsening insecurity UN News Centre 12 Feb 2014 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today began to airlift food into the Central African Republic where 1.25 million people are affected by violence that the top UN refugee official now fears is "ethnic-religious cleansing".
• French Defense Chief in CAR Amid Warnings of Ethnic Cleansing VOA 12 Feb 2014 -- France's defense minister says the Central African Republic must not be allowed to split, as warnings continue from human rights groups that massive ethnic cleansing is taking place in the conflict-torn country.
• UN launches emergency food airlift to CAR Iran Press TV 12 Feb 2014 -- The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has launched an airlift of emergency food supplies to the crisis-hit Central African Republic (CAR).
• Briefing: Who are the anti-balaka of CAR? IRIN 12 Feb 2014 -- On 10 February, Gen Francisco Soriano, commander of Sangaris, the French peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), condemned the anti-balaka militia as the main enemy of peace in the country, and vowed that the mission would concentrate its efforts against them. His statement came just before Amnesty International charged international peacekeepers with having failed to prevent the ethnic cleansing of Muslim civilians in western CAR.
• Why is Japan's Abe Seeking Better Ties with Russia's Putin? VOA 12 Feb 2014 -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is trying hard to improve relations with Russia, a neighbor with whom Tokyo has yet to sign a peace treaty after the end of World War II.
• Sniffing out danger: Dogs join UN peacekeepers in South Sudan to protect civilians UN News Centre 12 Feb 2014 -- Standing on his hind legs to peer at a United Nations vehicle in South Sudan, he poked his head under the hood and sniffed, brown curls shaking around as he searched for explosives.
• Ban welcomes start of South Sudan political talks, urges adherence to recent ceasefire UN News Centre 12 Feb 2014 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the start yesterday of the South Sudan political talks between the Government and the opposition, and stressed the need for the parties to adhere to the ceasefire signed last month.
• Cameroon and Nigeria take on task of laying down a border IRIN 12 Feb 2014 -- Twelve years after an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling demarcated the Cameroon-Nigeria border, the UN and the governments of Cameroon and Nigeria are making headway in physically laying down the border and helping develop the long-marginalized oil-rich Bakassi region. But while many positive lessons can be drawn from the Nigeria-Cameroon demarcation process, when it comes to development, there remains much work to do, say Bakassi residents.
• Suspected Boko Haram Gunmen Kill Dozens in Nigerian Town VOA 12 Feb 2014 -- Suspected Boko Haram extremists have attacked a town in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 39 people and burning down hundreds of homes.
• Iraq Forces close to clearing Anbar of militants: PM Iran Press TV 12 Feb 2014 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says government troops are approaching the final elimination of militants in Anbar Province.
• Renewed tension disrupts UN construction projects in Gaza Strip UN News Centre 12 Feb 2014 -- More than 20 vital United Nations construction projects for schools and housing in Gaza are stalled, and social and economic conditions are worsening due to the closure of crossings with Israel as clashes have increased, the top UN envoy for the Middle East warned today.

News Reports

• Iran only discusses N. issue in talks with 6 powers, says Afkham ISNA 12 Feb 2014 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman reiterated that the country's talks with the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany only focuses on nuclear issue and does not include other matters.
• Nuclear issue only topic on agenda of Iran-sextet talks: Afkham Iran Press TV 12 Feb 2014 -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry says the country's "peaceful" nuclear energy program will be the only issue on the agenda of nuclear talks between Tehran and the Sextet of world powers.
• Iran ready for 'decisive' war with US, Israel - army chief Voice of Russia 12 Feb 2014 -- Armed forces chief of staff General Hassan Firouzabadi has warned the Islamic republic's arch-foes that Iran is prepared for a 'decisive battle' if attacked, Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.
• N. Korea Demands Pay Raise for Kaesong Workers VOA 12 Feb 2014 -- North Korea is demanding a pay raise for at least some of its workers in the special Kaesong industrial complex, where South Korean firms manufacture products using labor provided by Pyongyang.
• Thailand to hold election re-runs in April Iran Press TV 12 Feb 2014 -- Thailand is set to hold election re-runs in late April in constituencies where voting was obstructed by anti-government protesters.
• China's troubled Jade Rabbit lunar rover declared dead on moon's surface Voice of Russia 12 Feb 2014 -- China's troubled Jade Rabbit lunar rover has died on the surface of the moon, state media reported Wednesday, in a major setback for the country's ambitious space programme.