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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghanistan Releases 'Dangerous' Detainees VOA 13 Feb 2014 -- Afghanistan has released a group what U.S. forces have described as "dangerous" prisoners from a maximum security prison. That move is likely to further erode relations between the two countries.
• US calls release of 65 Taliban fighter suspects 'deeply regrettable' VoR 13 Feb 2014 -- Afghan policemen escort prisoners following the Afghan President Hamid Karzai's order
• U.S. Angered By Afghan Release Of 65 Accused Militants RFE/RL 13 Feb 2014 -- The United States says Afghanistan's decision to release 65 accused militants from a former U.S. prison near Kabul is 'deeply regrettable.'
• Karzai Says U.S. Must Respect Kabul's Sovereignty RFE/RL 13 Feb 2014 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the release of prisoners by Afghan authorities considered by the United States to pose a security threat was 'of no concern' to Washington.
• U.S. Pressing Kabul On Security Pact RFE/RL 13 Feb 2014 -- The United States says it is pressing Afghanistan to sign a security agreement to allow U.S. troops to remain in that country.
• US-led war displaces thousands of Afghans: UN report Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2014 -- A United Nations report says hundreds of thousands of Afghans have been internally displaced since the US-led forces invaded the country in 2001, Press TV reports.
• Karzai tells US to 'stop harassing' Afghan judicial authorities Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2014 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the US has to 'stop harassing' his country's judicial authorities and "respect Afghanistan's sovereignty" amid a row over the Afghan prisoner release.
• Statement by the NATO Secretary General on Afghan prisoner release NATO 13 Feb 2014 -- I am gravely concerned by the decision of the Afghan authorities to release 65 detainees who are alleged to have been involved in killing and wounding Afghan civilians, Afghan security forces, and ISAF forces.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Airmen, Soldiers sharpen search and rescue skills together AFNS 13 Feb 2014 -- Joint-service combat search and rescue training missions were held for the first-time Jan. 28 to Feb. 11 at Cellina Meduna training grounds near Maniago, Italy.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Meeting With King Abdullah II of Jordan DoD 13 Feb 2014
• P-8A Poseidon Showcased at Singapore Air Show 2014 NNS 13 Feb 2014 -- Sailors assigned to the 'War Eagles' of Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 showcased the P-8A Poseidon aircraft during the Singapore Air Show 2014.
• Chief of Naval Operations Stresses Integrity to All Sailors NNS 13 Feb 2014 -- The Navy will continue to work on two defense secretary-directed reviews, including one to ensure that ethical behavior is paramount in the service, Navy Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, chief of naval operations, said in a video blog posted this week.
• USS Virginia Completes Six Month Deployment NNS 13 Feb 2014 -- Attack submarine USS Virginia (SSN 774) returned home to Groton, Conn., Feb. 13 after completing a scheduled six-month overseas deployment in the European operating region.
• Fleet Engagement Team Completes Visit to Pacific Northwest NNS 13 Feb 2014 -- Hundreds of Sailors stationed on installations and tenant commands across the Pacific Northwest participated in seminars conducted by members of the Navy Personnel Command (NPC) Fleet Engagement Team (FET), Feb. 10-13.
• HSC-25 Rescues 10 Fishermen from Sinking Vessel NNS 13 Feb 2014 -- Sailors from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 conducted a search and rescue operation and rescued 10 fishermen from a sinking commercial fishing vessel that ran aground in Apra Harbor near Spanish Steps Feb. 13 at approximately 6 p.m.
• North Atlantic Council highlights importance of maritime security in visit to NATO Maritime Command NATO 13 Feb 2014 -- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen together with the Chairman of the Military Committee and Ambassadors from the North Atlantic Council discussed naval operations and the future of maritime security during a visit to NATO's Maritime Headquarters at the Northwood base in the United Kingdom on Thursday (13 February 2014).
• Russian Air Force to Get 21 Su-30 Fighter Jets in 2014 RIA Novosti 13 Feb 2014 -- Russia's air force will receive 21 Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighter jets in 2014, the Irkut aircraft maker said Wednesday.
• India Proposes Joint Maintenance of Aircraft Carrier With Russia RIA Novosti 13 Feb 2014 -- India has proposed servicing a Russian-built aircraft carrier delivered to the country last month together with Russia's Sevmash shipyard over the next 40 years, the shipbuilder said Thursday.
• Xi urges army's implementation of 'mass line' People's Daily 13 Feb 2014 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has made instructions to the army, calling for further implementation of China's 'mass line' guideline.
• Defense capacity off-limits in talks: Iran MP Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2014 -- A senior Iranian lawmaker has rejected US claims that Iran's defense capabilities would be part of the nuclear negotiations, saying the nation's missile program is not a threat to the region.
• Ma feels that 215,000-man military still too large for Taiwan CNA 13 Feb 2014 -- Despite efforts to streamline the nation's armed forces, the 215,000-man strong military is still too large at 0.9 percent of Taiwan's total population, according to President Ma Ying-jeou.
• Possible nuclear storage sites UK MOD 13 Feb 2014 -- Five nuclear facilities across the UK have been identified as potential sites to store waste from disused nuclear-powered submarines.
• Defence Secretary responds to Major Projects Report UK MOD 13 Feb 2014 -- The cost of 10 of MOD's 11 biggest equipment programmes fell by almost £50 million in the last year, according to an independent audit.
• February 13, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 13 Feb 2014

Defense Industry

• Russia Plans to Build 150 Aircraft in 2014 RIA Novosti 13 Feb 2014 -- Russian aircraft makers are expected to manufacture about 150 military and civilian aircraft in 2014, a government official said Thursday.

Other Conflicts

• 13 February 2014 - DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 13 Feb 2014
• Cape Ray Arrives in Spain to Await Syrian Chemical Mission AFPS 13 Feb 2014 -- The MV Cape Ray has arrived at Rota, Spain, for a port visit while en route to aid in removal of Syrian chemical materials, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said.
• Russian Resolution Focuses on Fighting Terror in Syria – Minister RIA Novosti 13 Feb 2014 -- Russia's new UN Security Council draft resolution on the crisis in Syria is centered around anti-terrorism efforts, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
• UN-Arab League envoy says Russia, US pledge to help unblock stalled Syria talks UN News Centre 13 Feb 2014 -- The United Nations/Arab Joint Special Representative for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said officials from Russia and the United States today promised to keep working with the UN to unblock stalled Syrian peace talks, as food and medical supplies continue to reach people in long-besieged Homs.
• US, Russia Pledge to Unblock Syria Talks VOA 13 Feb 2014 -- The United States and Russia have pledged to help unblock stalled negotiations between Syria's two warring sides, International Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said on Thursday.
• Syria: Ceasefire in Homs extended for three more days - governor VoR 13 Feb 2014 -- A humanitarian ceasefire in the Syrian city of Homs was extended on Thursday for three more days, the city's governor.
• Moscow hopes UN SC to approach constructively Russia's resolution on Syria VoR 13 Feb 2014 -- Russia is hoping that partners in the UN Security Council will approach constructively the humanitarian draft resolution on Syria submitted by Moscow, the Russia Foreign Ministry said.
• Russia, US pledge to unblock Syria talks - Brahimi VoR 13 Feb 2014 -- The United States and Russia have pledged to help unblock stalled negotiations between Syria's two warring sides, international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said on Thursday.
• UN to boost troops in DRC's troubled Katanga Province IRIN 13 Feb 2014 -- The UN mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) plans to send more troops to the southern province of Katanga, its top official has told IRIN, to respond to the humanitarian crisis unfolding there, even as peacekeepers continue to combat elusive groups along the borders with Uganda and Rwanda.
• Rebels execute 70 in east DR Congo: UN mission Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2014 -- The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) says more than 70 men and women have been killed in the country's restive east.
• 1,000 Muslims Reported Trapped in CAR Town VOA 13 Feb 2014 -- A medical aid group says nearly 1,000 people, most of them Muslim, are trapped and being threatened by militiamen in the western Central African Republic.
• Bangui archbishop condemns Christian militia attacks on Muslims Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2014 -- A Christian cleric in the Central African Republic has condemned Christian militia for carrying out attacks on Muslim civilians in the crisis-hit country.
• UN emergency fund allocates another $10 million for Central African Republic aid effort UN News Centre 13 Feb 2014 -- The United Nations has allocated an additional $10 million from its emergency humanitarian fund to support the most critical relief operations in Central African Republic (CAR), where hundreds of thousands have been uprooted by violence across the country.
• When will the donor floodgates open for Madagascar? IRIN 13 Feb 2014 -- The ups and downs of Madagascar's political fortunes and crises have been reflected in the often uncertain livelihood and prospects of Vonjiniaina Eliane Rafanomezantsoa, 33.
• South Sudan's crisis ripples across region IRIN 13 Feb 2014 -- A cessation of hostilities agreement signed by parties to the conflict in South Sudan has led to a considerable reduction in violence, although some fighting has taken place recently in Unity and Lakes states.
• Somalia: Ban, UN envoy condemn attack near Mogadishu airport UN News Centre 13 Feb 2014 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) strongly condemned an attack near the airport in Mogadishu that resulted in a number of deaths and injuries, as well as damage to a UN vehicle.
• Bosnia By The Numbers: Bureaucracy Amid Bad Times RFE/RL 13 Feb 2014 -- Since the Dayton accords were signed in 1995, a fragile peace has existed in Bosnia-Herzegovina. But the unique system created by the accords has also created a mammoth bureaucracy that some blame for the recent unrest in the country.
• Security Council extends UN mission in Burundi untill December 2013 UN News Centre 13 Feb 2014 -- The Security Council today renewed until the end of the year the United Nations mission helping Burundi recover from decades of ethnic war, despite the Central African country's request to end it earlier, as it moves towards crucial elections amid political violence and intra-party tensions.
• Wang-Zhang meet is new milestone in cross-strait ties: president CNA 13 Feb 2014 -- President Ma Ying-jeou said Thursday that the meetings this week between Taiwan's and China's respective cross-Taiwan Strait policymakers represent a new milestone in relations between the two sides.
• Militants seize part of N Iraq town, nearby villages Iran Press TV 13 Feb 2014 -- Al-Qaeda-linked militants have seized part of the Salahuddin provincial town of Sulaiman Bek and nearby villages in northern Iraq.
• Pakistan's Bugti return home after nine years' displacement IRIN 13 Feb 2014 -- Eighty-year-old Bakhtia Khan has finally gone home to Dera Bugt in Balochistan, Pakistan, after having fled nearly nine years ago during clashes between the army and Bugti tribal fighters.

News Reports

• US Says Snowden Copied Security Password from Co-worker VOA 13 Feb 2014 -- U.S. investigators have concluded that former national security contractor Edward Snowden collected some of the huge cache of surveillance documents he has disclosed by copying the password of a coworker who since has resigned.
• Snowden used NSA co-worker's password to access secret files - report VoR 13 Feb 2014 -- A civilian employee at the National Security Agency has been disciplined after admitting he gave intelligence leaker Edward Snowden his personal encryption details, NBC News reported Thursday.
• White House Announces Voluntary Cybersecurity Framework AFPS 13 Feb 2014 -- The Obama administration has released a voluntary framework developed by hundreds of companies, several federal agencies and many international contributors as a how-to cybersecurity guide for organizations in the business of running the nation's critical infrastructure.
• 'Mask' Malware Called 'Most Advanced' Cyber-espionage Operation VOA 13 Feb 2014 -- Researchers at the Internet security firm Kaspersky Lab say they have uncovered what they're calling "one of the most advanced global cyber-espionage operations to date."
• Petr Poroshenko: the dark horse of the Ukrainian politics VoR 13 Feb 2014 -- Petr Poroshenko, the chocolate king of Ukraine and one of the country's wealthiest people, is more and more often called the most likely candidate for the post as prime minister. The man who founded one of the most successful confectionary corporations Roshen and who is worth about a billion and a half USD has been mostly involved in politics rather than business over the past decade.
• What Is 'Zelyonka' And Why Does Ukraine's Opposition Keep Getting Doused In It? RFE/RL 13 Feb 2014 -- Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the chairman of Ukraine's opposition Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) faction, donned a crisp white shirt before traveling to Kharkiv on February 12 to visit jailed ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
• EU Calls For Dialogue, Coalition Government In Ukraine RFE/RL 13 Feb 2014 -- A top European Union official has called on Ukrainian leaders and the opposition to take urgent measures to form a coalition government as a way out a nearly three-month-long political crisis.
• US Launches Global Effort to Bolster Outbreak Preparedness VOA 13 Feb 2014 -- Controlling disease outbreaks that threaten global public health is the goal of a new, 26-nation partnership launched in Washington. The United States is leading a group of countries and international organizations to help improve the world's ability to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats.
• China's lunar rover 'wakes up': spokesman People's Daily 13 Feb 2014 -- China's moon rover Yutu is awake after its troubled dormancy but experts are still trying to find out the cause of its abnormality, a spokesman with the country's lunar probe program said on Thursday.
• Chinese Lunar Rover, Thought Lost, Comes Back to Life RIA Novosti 13 Feb 2014 -- China's maiden lunar rover, which had earlier been declared lost due to technical problems, has unexpectedly revived itself, the country's state media reported Thursday.