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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 10 Mar 2014 [PDF]
• Taliban Threatens Afghan Voters VOA 10 Mar 2014 -- Afghanistan's Taliban insurgency has warned Afghans against participating in the April 5 presidential election and ordered its fighters to use "all force" possible to disrupt the election. The Islamist group's statement marks its first formal threat of violence to prevent the election process.
• Kabul govt. blasts US attack on Afghan army Iran Press TV 10 Mar 2014 -- Afghanistan's Defense Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi has said a recent deadly US attack on an Afghan army base was arbitrary in nature.
• U.S. Will Beef Up Air Operations in Poland AFPS 10 Mar 2014 -- More U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons will deploy to Poland in the coming days and weeks, a Pentagon official said here today.
• NATO navy patrols African Horn, seeks new ways to crush Somali pirates VoR 10 Mar 2014 -- NATO vessels patrol the dangerous waters off the Horn of Africa to prevent pirates from seizing passing ships. In the meantime, NATO crews are rehearsing the recapturing of hijacked vessels in a move that involves the use of helicopters. Such exercises are repeated almost daily to keep the crew sharp for actual encounters with the pirates who still threaten the trillion-dollar shipping that passes near the Somali coast.
• U.S. Continues to Aid Search for Missing Malaysian Airliner AFPS 10 Mar 2014 -- The United States continues to assist the Malaysian government in the search for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared the night of March 8 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing.
• USS Kidd joins USS Pinckney in Search Efforts of Flight MH370 NNS 10 Mar 2014 -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) has joined USS Pinckney (DDG 91) in the search efforts of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, March 10.
• Taiwan Coast Guard vessels to help look for missing plane CNA 10 Mar 2014 -- Taiwan sent two Coast Guard vessels Monday to help look for a Malaysia Airlines aircraft that disappeared off the coast of Vietnam early Saturday, as the country's president urged the military and Coast Guard to join international search efforts.
• Taiwan sends military aircraft, frigate on search mission CNA 10 Mar 2014 -- A Taiwanese military frigate and a military plane on Monday were sent to waters between Malaysia and Vietnam to help look for a Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared off the coast of Vietnam early Saturday, the Ministry of National Defense said.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Keel Laid for Future USNS Trenton (JHSV 5) NNS 10 Mar 2014 -- A ceremony celebrating the laying and authentication of the keel of the future USNS Trenton (JHSV 5) was held at the Austal USA shipyard, today.
• Air Force officials announce FY15 force structure changes AFNS 10 Mar 2014 -- Air Force officials released force structure changes today resulting from the fiscal year 2015 President's Budget announced March 4.
• USS Coronado Arrives in San Diego NNS 10 Mar 2014 -- The littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) arrived at its new homeport of San Diego March 10, a few weeks ahead of her commissioning ceremony scheduled for April 5 at Naval Air Station North Island.
• Dempsey: Fiscal 2015 Request Juggles Budget, Risks AFPS 10 Mar 2014 -- It's a fact of life that the depth of budget reductions and the draconian way they are applied will affect military readiness and increase risk, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said March 7 on the PBS "Newshour" program.
• Chairman Stresses Professionalism to Combat Ethical Lapses AFPS 10 Mar 2014 -- The Defense Department needs to hammer home to service members what it means to be members of the profession of arms, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said March 7 on the PBS "Newshour" program.
• Bulgaria, Romania, US navies to stage joint Black Sea drills VoR 10 Mar 2014 -- Bulgarian, Romanian and American navies are preparing to stage a passing military exercise, also known as PASSEX, to check their communication and cooperation capabilities. The war games are slated for March 11 and will be held in the Black Sea, southeast of Romania's city Constanța. This is according to the Bulgarian Defense Ministry.
• MOD announces preferred private sector bidder to join DIO UK MOD 10 Mar 2014 -- MOD is a step closer to bringing in a strategic business partner to help improve the running of the 230,000-hectare defence estate.
• Iran to unveil locally-built submarine, says Navy commander ISNA 10 Mar 2014 -- Iran plans to unveil a home-made submarine dubbed Fateh (Conqueror) submarine in coming months for more maritime safety of Iranian vessels, Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced.
• Report advises nuke security legislation for China People's Daily 10 Mar 2014 -- The Natural Resources Defense Council's China Program issued a report on Monday advising the country to make laws concerning nuclear security as soon as possible.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 3/10/14 The White House 10 Mar 2014
• March 10, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 10 Mar 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 10, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 10 March 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the SpokesMAN for the Secretary-General United Nations 10 Mar 2014
• UN envoy stresses need for support as Libya risks facing 'unprecedented violence' UN News Centre 10 Mar 2014 -- International and well-coordinated support is vital to helping Libya through its democratic transition, a United Nations envoy told the Security Council today, as he described the recent polarization in the country, a dramatic increase in violence, including attacks on the media, as well as difficulties in strengthening the security sector.
• Officials: Libyan Navy Seizes Tanker at Rebel-Held Port VOA 10 Mar 2014 -- Libyan officials say government forces have seized a tanker loaded with crude oil that a separatist militia was attempting to export in defiance of the country's central authorities.
• Libyan forces surround N Korean-flagged oil tanker Iran Press TV 10 Mar 2014 -- Libyan military forces have surrounded a North Korean-flagged oil tanker carrying oil sold without Tripoli's permission in the east of Libya.
• Libya orders military offensives against militias Iran Press TV 10 Mar 2014 -- Libya's parliament orders military operations to liberate militia-held oil ports as insecurity continues to grow across the North African country.
• US Says Oil in Libyan Port Stolen, Warns of Sanctions VOA 10 Mar 2014 -- The United States is warning of consequences related to any unauthorized sales of oil that militia members have loaded onto a North Korean-flagged tanker in a Libyan port.
• US threatens Libyan militias with sanctions for unauthorized oil sales VoR 10 Mar 2014 -- The United States has threatened Libyan militias with sanctions for attempts to illegally sell the oil that belongs to the Libyan National Oil Corporation and its partners, including US companies.
• Libyan government forces seize tanker at rebel-held port - officials VoR 10 Mar 2014 -- Libyan government forces on Monday seized a tanker that had loaded crude at a port under the control of rebels who plan to sell oil independently of the Tripoli government, state-owned National Oil Corp (NOC) said.
• Number of children affected by conflict in Syria has doubled since last year - UN UN News Centre 10 Mar 2014 -- As the conflict in Syria enters its fourth year, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has released a new report that carries alarming news: more than twice as many children are affected by the hostilities than were 12 months ago, and particularly hard hit are up to a million children trapped in areas that are under siege or that are hard to reach with humanitarian assistance due to continued violence.
• Central African Republic: UN probe set to investigate reports of rights violations UN News Centre 10 Mar 2014 -- Underscoring the Central African Republic's (CAR) history of coups, violence and impunity, the head of a United Nations inquiry warned today that the spread of hate speech and the collapse of law and order in the strife-riven country are likely precursors to grave human rights violations, including genocide.
• UN launches probe into rights violations in C. African Republic Iran Press TV 10 Mar 2014 -- Three UN-mandated international investigators have launched a probe into human rights violations in the crisis-hit Central African Republic.
• Israel Displays Arms it Says Were Destined for Gaza VOA 10 Mar 2014 -- Israel has displayed weapons from an intercepted ship it says were being sent from Iran to militants in the Gaza Strip -- a charge denied by Tehran.

News Reports

• Neighboring Nations Wary as Crimea Occupied by Pro-Russian Forces VOA 10 Mar 2014 -- As the buildup of pro-Russian forces in the Crimea region of Ukraine continues, officials in Ukrainian capital Kyiv say that as many as 18,000 occupiers are in the region. The increasingly tense standoff in some ways is reminiscent of the 2008 conflict with Georgia, and other neighbors undoubtedly are taking notice.
• U.S. Wants Evidence Russia Ready To Ease Ukraine Crisis RFE/RL 10 Mar 2014 -- The U.S. State Department says Washington wants to see proof that Russia is prepared to engage seriously on a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine.
• U.S. Ambassador To Ukraine Says Crimea Should Stay In Ukraine US Dept. of State 10 Mar 2014
• Ban urges parties to work for durable solution in Ukraine, as Security Council holds talks UN News Centre 10 Mar 2014 -- With tensions and mistrust growing in Ukraine, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the international community to help the key actors calm the situation and work toward a durable and fair political solution, ahead of closed-door Security Council consultations on the crisis.
• US Pushes to De-Escalate Ukraine Crisis VOA 10 Mar 2014 -- Russia says it has prepared proposals to defuse the Ukraine crisis, but Washington says Moscow needs to show evidence that it wants peace.
• Russia to Unveil Proposed Solution to Ukraine Crisis VOA 10 Mar 2014 -- Russia plans to unveil its own solution to the Ukraine crisis, a plan that is likely to run counter to US proposals.
• Washington React: FBI Helps Ukraine Recover Billions Stolen by Former Regime VOA 10 Mar 2014 -- FBI and U.S. Treasury agents have arrived in Kyiv to aid Ukraine's interim leaders to uncover the financial crimes of the government of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych in an effort to repatriate billions of dollars.
• Russia's Security Council proposes Ukraine settlement plan - Lavrov VoR 10 Mar 2014 -- Russia's Security Council has prepared its own Ukrainian settlement proposals for the American partners in to return the situation in that country to the framework of international law and to take the interests of all Ukrainian citizens into account, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
• OSCE military observers visits to Crimea must be sanctioned by Crimean authorities, not Russia - FM VoR 10 Mar 2014 -- The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed surprise at US envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Daniel Baer's call on Russia to facilitate the OSCE military observers' unrestricted movement in the Crimea.
• US and Chinese presidents discuss Ukraine crisis VoR 10 Mar 2014 -- US President Barack Obama spoke late Sunday with Chinese President Xi Jinping about ways to peacefully resolve a tense crisis over control of Ukraine's Crimea region, the White House said.
• 15,000 rally supporting Ukraine's Russian-speaking minority in Chelyabinsk VoR 10 Mar 2014 -- The Russian city of Chelyabinsk in the southern Urals, which made headlines last year when a meteor blazed above it to burst into pieces and plunge into a nearby lake, has staged a peaceful demonstration in support of Ukraine's Russian-speaking minority and the Crimean republic.
• Military hospital seized in Crimea's Simferopol: Ukraine Iran Press TV 10 Mar 2014 -- Ukraine says gunmen have seized a military hospital in Simferopol, the administrative center of Ukraine's autonomous Crimea region.
• Lavrov Says Kerry Declines Invitation To Russia For Further Talks RFE/RL 10 Mar 2014 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has declined an invitation to visit Russia for further talks on the Ukraine crisis.
• Russian Foreign Ministry Concerned About 'Lawlessness' In East RFE/RL 10 Mar 2014 -- Russia's Foreign Ministry has expressed concern at what it terms the 'lawlessness' affecting Russians and Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine.
• Preparations for Joining Russia Already Underway – Aksyonov RIA Novosti 10 Mar 2014 -- Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov said Monday that preparations for the the southern Ukrainian region to become part of Russia are already underway.
• Chinese, U.S. presidents exchange views on bilateral ties, Ukraine over phone People's Daily 10 Mar 2014 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama exchanged views in a telephone conversation Monday on bilateral ties and the situation in Ukraine.
• Xi, Merkel hold phone talks on ties, Ukraine crisis People's Daily 10 Mar 2014 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday discussed relations between their two countries and the Ukraine crisis in a phone conversation.
• US surveillance to spy on spies, in fear of another Snowden VoR 10 Mar 2014 -- US surveillance plans to introduce a surveillance system which will keep track of the records of about 5 million federal employees with access to state secrets. The officials say it needs to be done to avoid a potential risk to the US interests and protect the government from another Edward Snowden.
• Zarif calls talks with Ashton 'constructive' ISNA 10 Mar 2014 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described as 'useful' his talks with the visiting EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton in Tehran.
• Iran FM terms talks with Ashton 'constructive' Iran Press TV 10 Mar 2014 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif has praised as "constructive" his latest discussions with visiting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
• Russian official to hold talks on new Iran nuclear plant VoR 10 Mar 2014 -- An official of Russia's state atomic energy agency is to visit Iran on Tuesday for talks on building a second nuclear power plant, Iranian media reported.
• Central Election Committee Reports on Kim Jong Un's Election as Deputy to SPA KCNA 10 Mar 2014 -- The election of deputies to the 13th Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK was successfully held in the DPRK.
• Death Anniversary of Kim Il Observed KCNA 10 Mar 2014 -- A national memorial service took place at the Central Youth Hall on Monday on the occasion of the 30th death anniversary of Kim Il, a revolutionary martyr.
• Kim Jong-un unanimously elected to North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly VoR 10 Mar 2014 -- The leader of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un, has been unanimously elected to the Supreme People's Assembly, according to a report, circulated by the Korean Central News Agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Monday.
• Mysterious Travelers on Malaysia Flight Raise Questions on Passport Security VOA 10 Mar 2014 -- Two of the passengers sitting next to each other on the Malaysia Airlines flight that mysteriously disappeared Saturday were traveling with stolen passports. That chilling fact has raised questions about the security of international travel, and why countries might fail to use security tools that are availble through international agencies.
• After Maldives high court removes election officials, Ban urges respect for rule of law UN News Centre 10 Mar 2014 -- United Nations Secretary-General today expressed concern about the situation in the Maldives following the decision of the Supreme Court to remove the Chair and the Vice Chair of the Elections Commission and to sentence the Chair for contempt of court.