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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 05 Mar 2014 [PDF]
• Pakistan, Taliban Talks Enter Decisive Stage VOA 05 Mar 2014 -- Despite ongoing attacks, Pakistan government representatives met Wednesday with Taliban representatives to try to restart stalled peace talks aimed at ending the country's bloody insurgency.

Defense Policy / Programs

• 6 F-15s, KC-135 to augment NATO mission in Baltics AFNS 05 Mar 2014 -- Following Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's announcement today during Senate testimony that the United States is augmenting its participation in NATO's air policing mission in the Baltics and will increase joint training through its aviation detachment in Poland, a defense official provided additional information.
• Official Provides Details on U.S. Augmentation in Baltics AFPS 05 Mar 2014 -- Following Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's announcement today during Senate testimony that the United States is augmenting its participation in NATO's air policing mission in the Baltics and will increase joint training through its aviation detachment in Poland, a defense official provided additional information.
• Hagel: Severe Budget Cuts Will Compromise National Security AFPS 05 Mar 2014 -- Congressional failure to fund the Defense Department above levels required by sequestration in fiscal years 2015, 2016 and beyond will compromise national security, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here today.
• Official Encourages Dialogue Between Pentagon, Industry AFPS 05 Mar 2014 -- To ensure on-time, on-cost delivery of quality products and services to the warfighter, a Pentagon official encouraged clear and ongoing dialog between Defense Department decision-makers and industry leaders in a conference here yesterday.
• Locklear Warns of Growing Challenges in Asia-Pacific Region AFPS 05 Mar 2014 -- The top U.S. military commander for the Asia-Pacific region told Congress today that growing challenges posed by China's rising military power, an increasingly dangerous and unpredictable North Korea, escalating territorial disputes and humanitarian aid efforts after natural disasters are putting the U.S. military in Asia at greater risk.
• New network technologies to support expeditionary signal battalions Army News 05 Mar 2014 -- In preparation for the Army's Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE, 14.2 this spring, the 86th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, or ESB, is training with new tactical communications equipment that is smaller in size for easy transport, yet significantly increases capability.
• Armored Combat Earthmover receives modernization USMC News 05 Mar 2014 -- The first four new and improved M9 Armored Combat Earthmovers have arrived on Camp Lejeune, N.C. They might look the same from the outside, but the legacy armored tractors have been completely overhauled.
• Dempsey: Budget Cuts, Global Challenges Raise Risk to Nation AFPS 05 Mar 2014 -- Global security threats are not fading, even as the Defense Department looks for ways to balance worldwide security demands with diminished resources, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
• Air Force Official: Budget Request Repositions Force AFPS 05 Mar 2014 -- The Air Force's fiscal year 2015 budget request repositions the force to focus on future challenges and opportunities, while continuing to recover readiness lost during sequestration in fiscal 2013, the service's budget director said yesterday at a Pentagon news conference.
• US Marines, Spanish pilots conduct bilateral carrier landings USMC News 05 Mar 2014 -- As part of a larger effort to increase international cooperation, U.S. Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response conducted a bilateral carrier qualification with their Spanish counterparts from Maneuver Helicopter Battalion #4 (BHELMA IV) aboard USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44), Feb. 25, 2014.
• BHR Sailors and 31st MEU Marines Train for NEO NNS 05 Mar 2014 -- Sailors aboard amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) and Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conducted a non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) drill while underway off the coast of Okinawa, March 4.
• USS La Jolla Departs for Western Pacific Deployment NNS 05 Mar 2014 -- The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS La Jolla (SSN 701) departed Joint Base Pearl-Harbor Hickam March 4, amidst farewells from family and friends, for a deployment to the Western Pacific region.
• Russia Reinforces Armenian Base With Overhauled MiG-29 Fighter Jets RIA Novosti 05 Mar 2014 -- Russia has strengthened its airbase in Armenia with a batch of overhauled MiG-29 fighter jets, a military official said Tuesday.
• Russia Plans 2 More Ballistic Missile Tests in March RIA Novosti 05 Mar 2014 -- Russia is planning to carry out two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles this month in addition to Tuesday's successful launch, the Kazakh military said.
• Russia's Defense Minister Denies Reports of Troops in Ukraine RIA Novosti 05 Mar 2014 -- Despite widespread evidence to the contrary, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday that reports of Russian soldiers in Ukraine were "complete nonsense."
• No need for nerves over China's defense spending People's Daily 05 Mar 2014 -- Chinese authorities on Wednesday announced the fastest yearly growth in the country's defense budget in three years.
• China Focus: China defense budget to increase 12.2 pct in 2014 People's Daily 05 Mar 2014 -- China plans to raise its defense budget by 12.2 percent to 808.2 billion yuan (about 132 billion U.S. dollars) in 2014, according to a draft budget report submitted to the national legislature for review on Wednesday.
• PLA not 'Boy Scouts': China defends military spending People's Daily 05 Mar 2014 -- China on Wednesday blasted Japan's criticism of its increasing military spending, saying the moderate growth in China's defense budget is reasonable and in line with the country's economic conditions.
• Commentary: Misplaced concerns about China's military spending People's Daily 05 Mar 2014 -- The Chinese government on Wednesday revealed plans to raise its defense budget by 12.2 percent to 808.2 billion yuan (about 132 billion U.S. dollars) in 2014.
• China defense budget to increase 12.2 pct in 2014 People's Daily 05 Mar 2014 -- China plans to raise its defense budget by 12.2 percent to 808.2 billion yuan (about 132 billion U.S. dollars) in 2014, according to a draft budget report submitted to the national legislature for review on Wednesday.
• Amid Regional Worries, China Plans 12 Percent Boost in Defense Spending VOA 05 Mar 2014 -- China plans to boost defense spending to $130 billion, a 12 percent increase.
• China announces rise of 12.2 per cent in annual military budget VoR 05 Mar 2014 -- Premier Li Keqiang announced a rise of 12.2 per cent in China's annual military budget, saying it was needed to fund an ongoing modernization drive.
• Facts & Figures: China's 2014 draft budget report Xinhua 05 Mar 2014 -- The Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the State Council, on Wednesday submitted a report on the implementation of 2013 central and local budgets and on the draft budgets for 2014 to the second session of the 12th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
• China's military threat to Taiwan not decreasing: report CNA 05 Mar 2014 -- China still poses a military threat to Taiwan and is continuously boosting its combat capability to a point where it can mount a full attack on the island, according to a new report submitted Wednesday.
• North Korea defends missile tests Iran Press TV 05 Mar 2014 -- North Korea has defended its recent missile and rocket tests, describing them as "ordinary military practice," local media say.
• North may conduct nuclear test: S Korean official Iran Press TV 05 Mar 2014 -- South Korean Defense Minister claims that North Korea could conduct a nuclear test as tensions continue to grow on the troubled Korean Peninsula.
• North Korea fires seven more short-range projectiles VoR 05 Mar 2014 -- North Korea fired off seven more short-range projectiles, estimated to be artillery shells, Tuesday in its east coast, Yonhap News Agency reported.
• Army cleared to fly next-generation eye-in-the-sky UK MOD 05 Mar 2014 -- Watchkeeper, the Army's next-generation unmanned aerial system, has been cleared to begin military flight training with the Royal Artillery.
• Iranian armed forces equipped with ballistic missiles ISNA 05 Mar 2014 -- Iranian armed forces received overwhelming amount of four types of ballistic missiles and an aerial system in a ceremony attended by Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan.
• Army receives mass produced ballistic missiles IRNA 05 Mar 2014 -- Defense Ministry on Wednesday announced that it has handed over mass produced ballistic missiles to the Iranian Army.
• Mass delivery of Iran ballistic missiles to Armed Forces Iran Press TV 05 Mar 2014 -- Iran's Defense Ministry has announced the delivery of a massive consignment of indigenous ballistic missiles to the country's Armed Forces.
• March 5, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 05 Mar 2014
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney and Labor Seretary Tom Perez en route Hartford, CT, 3/5/2014 The White House 05 Mar 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 05, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 5 March 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 05 Mar 2014
• OPCW-UN mission chief welcomes recent progress on chemical removal from Syria UN News Centre 05 Mar 2014 -- A recent acceleration of efforts by Syria and the submission of a revised timeline for removing toxic agents bode well for meeting the 30 June 2014 deadline for destroying the country's chemical weapons programme, the official charged with overseeing the venture said today after briefing the United Nations Security Council on progress to date.
• Attacks, sieges of civilian areas leading to mass casualties, starvation in Syria - UN panel UN News Centre 05 Mar 2014 -- Widespread attacks and sieges on civilian areas in Syria by pro-Government forces are leading to mass casualties, malnutrition and starvation, says a United Nations-appointed human rights panel, which also cited inaction by the Security Council as an enabler for the escalating violence.
• UN: Chemical Weapons Used in Syria From Military Stockpile VOA 05 Mar 2014 -- U.N. human rights investigators say chemical weapons used in two attacks in Syria last year appear to come from Syrian military stockpiles.
• Syria submits new plan to ship its most dangerous chemicals abroad by April - UN VoR 05 Mar 2014 -- Syria has shipped out about a third of its chemical weapons stockpile and has submitted a new plan to ship its most dangerous chemicals abroad by April, a UN spokesman said here on Tuesday.
• US$103 million appeal to help Anbar IDPs IRIN 05 Mar 2014 -- The UN has launched an emergency appeal for US$103 million to fund the response effort in Iraq's Anbar Province, where fighting between government forces and Islamic insurgents and other militant groups has displaced more than 400,000 people and reportedly killed hundreds in the last two months.
• ASEAN Military Chiefs Endorse Early South China Sea Code VOA 05 Mar 2014 -- Military chiefs from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, have renewed their group's call for an early conclusion to talks over a Code of Conduct in the disputed South China Sea.
• Remarks After Meeting of International Support Group on Lebanon US Dept. of State 05 Mar 2014
• Israel troops take position off Lebanon border Iran Press TV 05 Mar 2014 -- Israeli soldiers have reportedly taken position near the southern Lebanese border town of Maroun al-Ras, shortly after violating Beirut's airspace.
• Security Council extends partial arms embargo on Somalia through October UN News Centre 05 Mar 2014 -- The United Nations Security Council today unanimously agreed to extend a partial weapons ban on Somalia for eight months amid reports that Al-Shabaab and other armed groups are able to divert arms and ammunition intended for Government forces.
• UN committee urges Security Council to act on 'alarming' developments in East Jerusalem UN News Centre 05 Mar 2014 -- A United Nations committee on Palestinian rights today called on the Security Council to act quickly to address "alarming" developments in East Jerusalem, including increasing incursions by Israeli extremists and political leaders on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
• Israeli Navy Seizes Gaza-Bound Iranian Arms VOA 05 Mar 2014 -- The Israeli military says it seized a ship in the Red Sea Wednesday that was carrying dozens of advanced Iranian-supplied rockets destined for Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
• With political drawdown in Sierra Leone, UN shifts to development-focused presence UN News Centre 05 Mar 2014 -- The United Nations today launched a new phase of support in Sierra Leone with the transitioning of its political mission to a more development-focused UN presence, a sign of the West African nation's sustained recovery from a brutal civil war and an example to follow for countries still grabbling with conflict.
• INTERVIEW: UN humanitarian official urges action to help South Sudan avoid collapse UN News Centre 05 Mar 2014 -- The top United Nations humanitarian official in South Sudan is sounding the alarm about the dire situation in the country, warning that the world's youngest nation could collapse by year's end if urgent action is not taken to help see its people through the current crisis.

News Reports

• President Putin's Fiction: 10 False Claims about Ukraine US Dept. of State 05 Mar 2014
• Questions on Ukraine the West chooses not to answer RT.com 05 Mar 2014 -- Ukrainian and Western refusal to answer Moscow's hard questions explains Russia's tough stance on the crisis in Kiev.
• Tensions Rise in Crimea Amid Diplomatic Efforts VOA 05 Mar 2014 -- International efforts to defuse the situation in Ukraine will continue Thursday after a series of meetings Wednesday that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said made some progress. Meanwhile, tension over Russia's military moves boiled over in parts of eastern Ukraine.
• Remarks With British Foreign Secretary William Hague, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Deshchytsia at Top of Tripartite Agreement Ministerial US Dept. of State 05 Mar 2014
• 5 March 2014 - Press Conference by Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson at United Nations Headquarters United Nations 05 Mar 2014
• Armed men in Crimea threaten UN envoy; Ban dispatches human rights official to Ukraine UN News Centre 05 Mar 2014 -- The United Nations has confirmed that Senior Advisor Robert Serry is in good shape physically after being threatened today during his visit to Crimea, Ukraine, by armed men who ordered him to leave the region.
• Senior U.S. Diplomat Warns Russia Not To 'Test International Community' RFE/RL 05 Mar 2014 -- The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says Russia will face 'much deeper political and economic isolation' if it seeks a military solution to the crisis in the Ukrainian region of Crimea.
• Russians seize Ukraine's Crimea missile units: Report Iran Press TV 05 Mar 2014 -- Russian forces have reportedly seized two Ukrainian missile defense units in Ukraine's southern Crimea region.
• Crimea Rejects Talks with Ukraine Leadership RIA Novosti 05 Mar 2014 -- The recently appointed head of the southern Ukrainian republic of Crimea says his government refuses to negotiate with newly installed central authorities in the capital, Kiev.
• Russia Insists on Formation of Ukraine Coalition Government RIA Novosti 05 Mar 2014 -- Russia's foreign minister said Wednesday that a February 21 agreement to create a coalition government in Ukraine is immutable and must be the basis for peace in the country.
• Ukrainian Navy Flagship Diverted Away from Crimea RIA Novosti 05 Mar 2014 -- The flagship of the Ukrainian Navy was diverted from returning to its home port in Crimea and will dock in Odessa instead, a military source told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
• OSCE to Send Military Mission to Ukraine RIA Novosti 05 Mar 2014 -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Wednesday that it would send 35 unarmed military personnel to Ukraine to dispel concerns about "unusual military activities" in the south of the country.
• Lavrov, Kerry Agree That Ukraine Should Uphold Peace Accord RIA Novosti 05 Mar 2014 -- The top diplomats of Russia and the United States agreed at their meeting on Wednesday that they should help Ukraine to implement the EU-brokered reconciliation deal.
• Hagel: US Pledges to Stand with Ukrainian People VOA 05 Mar 2014 -- The United States has canceled military exercises with Russia over its actions in Ukraine, while boosting military contacts with NATO partners and other nations in Eastern Europe.
• US, UK, Ukraine Urge Direct Kyiv-Moscow Talks VOA 05 Mar 2014 -- The United States, Britain, and Ukraine have called for direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow, saying they are crucial to resolving the conflict in Ukraine's Crimean region.
• Russia Wags The Dog With Ukraine Disinformation Campaign RFE/RL 05 Mar 2014 -- Getting the real story of what is going on in Ukraine is hard enough. And the Russian media seems intent on making it even harder.
• Hagel, Dempsey Outline U.S., Partner Approach to Ukraine AFPS 05 Mar 2014 -- In advance of their budget testimony this morning before a Senate panel, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey outlined Defense Department activities pertaining to the crisis in Ukraine.
• NATO, EU Ambassadors hold joint informal talks on Ukraine NATO 05 Mar 2014 -- The North Atlantic Council (NAC) held a joint informal meeting with counterparts from the European Union's Political and Security Committee (PSC) at ambassadorial level on Wednesday (5 March 2014) to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
• EU Presents Ukraine Package, Freezes 'Misappropriated' Assets RFE/RL 05 Mar 2014 -- The European Commission has presented an economic aid package for Ukraine that is worth a total of 11 billion euros ($15 billion) over the next few years.
• ARC Government: three anti-aircraft missile regiments of Ukraine's Armed Forces join Crimean side VoR 05 Mar 2014 -- Three anti-aircraft missile regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine took side of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, reports the Crimean government. 'More than 700 soldiers and officers declared their readiness to defend the population of Crimea', forwards ITAR-TASS the statement of the representative of the Crimean autonomy.
• OSCE sends military observers to Crimea VoR 05 Mar 2014 -- The United States and 14 other nations on Tuesday are sending a military observer mission intended to monitor the tense Crimea region, amid tensions in Ukraine, according to a US official.
• Situation in Ukraine may have negative effect on Customs Union - Putin VoR 05 Mar 2014 -- President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the crisis in Ukraine could have a negative effect on the Customs Union linking Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and called for measures to protect the three nations' producers and exporters. 'There might be negative effects for the Customs Union as well, so we should all think together on what needs to be done to protect our producers and exporters and work out parameters of cooperation with Ukraine,' Putin said during a meeting of the Higher Eurasian Economic Council attended by the presidents of Belarus and Kazakhstan.
• Germany, France to come up with pro-Russian plan on settling Ukraine crisis - French FM VoR 05 Mar 2014 -- French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that Berlin and Paris intended to come up with a road map plan aimed at settling the Ukrainian crisis. 'The plan stipulates the withdrawal of troops, disarming of militants, compliance with the Constitution and early elections,' Fabius said. He stressed that Ukraine should work both with the EU and Russia.
• Iran to receive 2nd installment of frozen assets IRNA 05 Mar 2014 -- Iran will receive the second installment of its frozen assets abroad within the next two days, Head of Central Bank of Iran Valiollah Seif said on Wednesday.
• Nuclear official: Agreement possible only when Iran's rights guaranteed IRNA 05 Mar 2014 -- Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Behrouz Kamalvandi stressed that agreement with the 5+1 will take place only when the rights of the Iranian nation are guaranteed.
• US must learn lesson from futile sanctions: Iran's Zarif ISNA 05 Mar 2014 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reaffirmed the peaceful nature of the Islamic Republic's nuclear energy program, saying the US must learn a lesson from futile sanctions imposed on Tehran.
• Iran rejects reports on extending talks with Sextet for extra 6 months ISNA 05 Mar 2014 -- Iranian envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Reza Najafi rejected reports that Iran and the G5+1 are likely to extend talks for another 6 months.
• Iran will never give up nuclear enrichment right: Zarif Iran Press TV 05 Mar 2014 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Tehran will never give up its right to nuclear enrichment for peaceful purposes.
• Iran's IAEA envoy says developments in N-talks positive Iran Press TV 05 Mar 2014 -- Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says there have been positive developments regarding the implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal.
• US: Iran Must Address Nuclear Arms Suspicions VOA 05 Mar 2014 -- A U.S. envoy told Iran Wednesday it can expect substantial relief from sanctions choking its economy only if it clears up suspicions that it worked on nuclear arms. But Tehran said claims that it did so are 'baseless.'
• North Korea Rejects Seoul's Proposal on Reunion Talks VOA 05 Mar 2014 -- North Korea has rejected South's Korea's proposal for talks on resuming reunions between families separated by the 1950s Korean War.
• DPR Korea: Security Council extends expert panel assisting sanctions committee UN News Centre 05 Mar 2014 -- The Security Council today extended for another 13 months the mandate of the panel of experts dealing with United Nations sanctions imposed on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for testing nuclear arms.
• US gov't takes Sprint to court for overcharging surveillance by $21 million VoR 05 Mar 2014 -- The US Justice Department has accused Sprint of overcharging the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration and other law enforcement agencies by more than 50 percent for facilitating call surveillance, media reported. The allegedly inflated charges resulted in extra costs of $21 million from January 2007 to July 2010, according to the legal complaint filed Monday.
• CIA faces new inquiry amid clashes on US controversial surveillance program VoR 05 Mar 2014 -- The CIA's attempt to keep the details of a defunct detention and interrogation program secret has started a battle between the agency and members of US Congress and led to an investigation by the CIA's internal watchdog into the conduct of its employees.
• Proposed budget for NASA includes money to keep ISS running through at least 2024 VoR 05 Mar 2014 -- The proposed 2015 federal budget for NASA includes money to keep the International Space Station running through at least 2024, NASA said Tuesday.
• Venezuela police make 41 arrests in weekend demos Iran Press TV 05 Mar 2014 -- Police in Venezuela have detained 41 protesters amid the ongoing rival rallies which have so far left 18 people dead in the Latin American country, Press TV reports.
• Turkey PM ready to 'quit power' if AK fails to win polls Iran Press TV 05 Mar 2014 -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is ready to leave power if his ruling Justice and Development party (AK) fails to win the upcoming local elections.
• Analysis: Reconciliation looks remote in Egypt IRIN 05 Mar 2014 -- The seven months since July's overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi in Egypt have been among the most violent and divisive in recent times, analysts say, as much of society polarizes along pro-Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and pro-army lines.