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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 26 Mar 2014 [PDF]
• Afghan National Army soldiers conduct advanced training at the Regional Corps Battle School USMC News 26 Mar 2014 -- Several hundred Afghan National Army soldiers from the 215th Corps' newly formed 6th Kandak completed additional specialized training at the Regional Corps Battle School aboard Camp Shorabak, Afghanistan, March 19.
• Afghan National Army soldiers graduate Regional Corps Battle School USMC News 26 Mar 2014 -- More than 1,000 Afghan soldiers graduated from the Regional Corps Battle School aboard Camp Shorabak, Helmand province, Afghanistan, during a ceremony March 20.
• Air Advisors train Afghan pilots and maintainers AFNS 26 Mar 2014 -- Afghan pilots and aircraft maintainers are a vital part of the Afghan National Air Force and increase its operational capabilities, and with the aid of a group of U.S. advisors, they are making huge strides in that direction.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Remarks by the President in Address to European Youth The White House 26 Mar 2014
• Press Conference by President Obama, European Council President Van Rompuy, and European Commission President Barroso The White House 26 Mar 2014
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Secretary Hagel and Secretary Hammond in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 26 Mar 2014 -- Presenters: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond
• Ogden ALC completes organic mods on first F-35 AFNS 26 Mar 2014 -- The Ogden Air Logistics Complex completed the Air Force's first-ever organic depot modifications on an F-35 Lightning II.
• Airmen destroy BLAC ICE AFNS 26 Mar 2014 -- The 435th Contingency Response Group recently joined security forces from Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany for a training course on tactical leadership.
• U.S., British Defense Leaders Discuss Ukraine, NATO AFPS 26 Mar 2014 -- U.S. and United Kingdom defense leaders today reiterated that there must be consequences for Russia following President Vladimir Putin's forced annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
• Air Force Secretary Discusses Service's Top Priorities AFPS 26 Mar 2014 -- Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James today provided a congressional panel with an overview of her top priorities for the Air Force.
• Comptroller: Budget Seeks Balance in Reducing Security Risk AFPS 26 Mar 2014 -- If Congress turns down changes to force structure and military pay and benefits in the Defense Department's fiscal year 2015 budget request, the legislators will have to find $2.1 billion in other cutbacks in 2015 and $31 billion more over five years, Comptroller Robert F. Hale said today.
• Hagel, Dempsey Stress Leaders' Roles in Ethical Issues AFPS 26 Mar 2014 -- Leadership is key to eliminating ethical lapses that have tarnished the reputation of the American military, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said during a Pentagon Channel interview broadcast today.
• Exercise Noble Dina Commences NNS 26 Mar 2014 -- The U.S Navy began the active portion of the regularly-scheduled multinational exercise Noble Dina, along with Greece and Israel in the Mediterranean Sea, March 26.
• NDW Expands Renewable Energy and Alternative Fuel Projects NNS 26 Mar 2014 -- Beyond efforts in Naval District Washington (NDW) to reduce traditional energy consumption and become more efficient, two of the key factors to building a sustainable future are renewable energy and alternative fuels.
• Iron Fist hones 15th MEU skills USMC News 26 Mar 2014 -- At a glance, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit looks like most units aboard Camp Pendleton.
• Additional FY14 civilian workforce shaping now parallel with military programs AFNS 26 Mar 2014 -- Air Force officials announced additional civilian workforce shaping initiatives March 26 in compliance with mandatory funding targets and continuing civilian workforce rebalance to meet skill demands for fiscal 2014 and beyond.
• Pacom, U.S. Forces Korea Commanders Discuss Posture, Risk AFPS 26 Mar 2014 -- Increased risk to American forces in the Pacific due to shrinking defense budgets, regional challenges and partnerships and cyber capability were among the topics that Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III and Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti discussed yesterday before a Senate panel.
• Philippine Sea Turns 25 NNS 26 Mar 2014 -- The guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special birthday dinner on the mess decks, March 23.
• Bonhomme Richard ARG Departs for Ssang Yong NNS 26 Mar 2014 -- Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group departed White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa March 25 to participate in Exercise Ssang Yong 2014.
• Remarks by President Obama and NATO Secretary General Rasmussen Before Meeting The White House 26 Mar 2014
• NATO Secretary General and US President stress commitment to collective defence NATO 26 Mar 2014 -- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and US President Barack Obama stressed the Alliance's strong commitment to collective defence during talks in Brussels on Wednesday (26 March 2014). "Our commitment to the defence of our Allies is unbreakable," said the Secretary General.
• Statement by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen following the meeting with the President of the United States, Barack Obama NATO 26 Mar 2014 -- Thank you very much Mr. President for those very kind words, I'm very grateful for your support throughout my tenure as Secretary General and I look forward to working with you to prepare a substantive summit in Wales in September.
• Russia Dismisses Rumors of Seeking Military Base in Argentina as 'Provocative Lie' RIA Novosti 26 Mar 2014 -- The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday dismissed as a "provocative lie" rumors of Moscow's plans to build a military base in Argentina.
• Over 15,000 Ukrainian servicemen in Crimea pass to Russian military service VoR 26 Mar 2014 -- More than 15,000 servicemen from Ukrainian military units, formations and organisations previously deployed in the Russian Republic of Crimea said they wanted to continue military service in Russian law enforcement agencies, Crimean government told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.
• 'External threat eliminated': self-defense detachments of Sevastopol disbanded VoR 26 Mar 2014 -- Chairman of the Coordinating Council of the Sevastopol city administration Alexey Chaly has signed a decree 'On the cessation of operation of militias' on Tuesday.
• Crimean Military Dolphins to Serve in Russian Navy RIA Novosti 26 Mar 2014 -- The combat dolphin program in the Crimean city of Sevastopol will be preserved and redirected towards the interests of the Russian Navy, an employee at the facility where the dolphins are trained told RIA Novosti.
• Russian Flags Raised at All Crimean Military Units RIA Novosti 26 Mar 2014 -- Russian flags have been raised at all military units in Crimea, less than a week after the Russian leader signed a decree finalizing the reunification of the former Ukrainian region, Russia's military chief said Wednesday.
• N Korea test-fires two medium-range ballistic missiles as Obama hosts summit VoR 26 Mar 2014 -- North Korea test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles Wednesday, prompting a stern US reaction after President Barack Obama hosted a landmark Japan-South Korea summit aimed at uniting the three nations against Pyongyang's nuclear threat.
• North Korea launches two ballistic missiles VoR 26 Mar 2014 -- Today North Korea carried out tests of two ballistic missiles of the Nodong type launched in the direction of the South China Sea, the Yonhap news agency reports.
• India test fires long range Nuclear missile launched from under sea IRNA 26 Mar 2014 -- In a significant step towards completing the nuclear triad available with a few nations, India has successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile launched from an underwater platform with a range of over 2,000 kms.
• March 26, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 26 Mar 2014
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes en route Rome, Italy, 3/26/2014 The White House 26 Mar 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 26, 2014
• Russian arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport skeptical about possibility of US sanctions VoR 26 Mar 2014 -- The Russian state arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport hears about the possibility of US sanctions every year but expects the US senators to be reasonable, Rosoboronexport CEO Anatoly Isaikin said at a press conference on the sidelines of the FIDAE 2014 international aerospace show in Chile.

Other Conflicts

• 26 March 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 26 Mar 2014
• Syria army continues operations against militants Iran Press TV 26 Mar 2014 -- The Syrian army has continued its mop-up operations against foreign-backed militants across the country, inflicting heavy losses on them.
• Turkish army artillery pounds west Syria Iran Press TV 26 Mar 2014 -- Turkish army has fired several rounds of artillery toward western Syria as Ankara seeks to renew its assistance to foreign-backed militants fighting against the Damascus government.
• CIA director says al-Qaeda is seeing Syria 'as a launching pad' Iran Press TV 26 Mar 2014 -- The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency says al-Qaeda militants are seeking to establish bases in Syria to plan attacks on Europe and the United States.
• AU force declares war on CAR 'anti-Balaka' groups Iran Press TV 26 Mar 2014 -- The African Union peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic (CAR) has declared war against the majority Christian vigilante groups.
• Central African Republic: UN officials cite funding, stabilization as priorities UN News Centre 26 Mar 2014 -- United Nations officials in the Central African Republic (CAR) highlighted today the lack of sufficient funding for humanitarian operations and the constant instability as the main challenges in pulling the country out of its current crisis, and urged the international community for support.
• Central African Republic Peacekeepers to Treat Anti-Balaka as 'Enemies' VOA 26 Mar 2014 -- The African peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic said it will now treat the anti-balaka militia groups as 'enemies.'
• FEATURE: Sierra Leone – from ashes of war UN helps plant seeds of peace UN News Centre 26 Mar 2014 -- "With some of the most perfect palm-lined sands on the continent, it won't be long before Sierra Leone takes its place in Europe's packaged beach-holiday scene."
• 'Sierra Leone is a success story built on steady progress,' Security Council told UN News Centre 26 Mar 2014 -- With more than 15 years of United Nations peace operations in Sierra Leone set to wrap up at the end of this month, the top UN official there said today that while the West African nation has gained solid footing on the path to recovery, it will still require sustained international attention and support to address the lingering challenges from a brutal civil war in the 1990s.
• Arab Summit Rejects Recognizing Israel as Jewish State VOA 26 Mar 2014 -- Arab leaders say they will continue to regard Israel as an illegitimate state and have put all blame for troubled peace efforts on the Israelis. Leaders were meeting at the 25th Arab League Summit in Kuwait City which closed Wednesday.
• Ivory Coast Former Minister to Face ICC Judge Thursday VOA 26 Mar 2014 -- Charles Ble Goude, a youth minister in former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo's administration is scheduled to make an initial appearance before a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Thursday, according to Fadi El Abdallah, spokesperson of the ICC.
• Regional insecurity fuels polio in Cameroon IRIN 26 Mar 2014 -- Three new polio cases have been confirmed in Cameroon over the past two weeks, making it the country's first outbreak since 2011 and causing alarm among health officials who link the virus's spread to weak vaccine campaign coverage and displacement following violence in neighbouring northeastern Nigeria and the Central African Republic (CAR).
• Fear stalks Beirut's Shia suburbs IRIN 26 Mar 2014 -- A wave of bomb attacks in the last nine months in Beirut's southern suburbs, where the Shia Hezbollah movement have a strong following, have left residents fearful of a fresh round of conflict and insecurity.
• UN human rights chief presses for investigation into alleged abuses in Sri Lanka war UN News Centre 26 Mar 2014 -- Stressing the need to ensure justice and accountability, the United Nations human rights chief today called for the establishment of an independent and credible investigation into alleged violations committed in 2009 during the final phase of the conflict in Sri Lanka.
• Kenyan Somalis Cry Foul After Order to Return to Camps VOA 26 Mar 2014 -- Kenya has again ordered Somali refugees across the country to return to designated camps, following recent attacks and threats in the country attributed to Somali militants. The Somali community says the directive unfairly punishes innocent people.

News Reports

• Obama Urges West To Remain United On Crimea RFE/RL 26 Mar 2014 -- U.S. President Barack Obama has chided Russia for its use of 'brute force' in Ukraine and vowed that the determined alliance of the United States and Europe will prevail over time.
• US won't use force to return Crimea to Ukraine: Obama Iran Press TV 26 Mar 2014 -- US President Barack Obama says Washington will not use military force against Russia to return the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to Ukraine.
• Ukraine govt. seeks to stage military maneuvers with NATO Iran Press TV 26 Mar 2014 -- Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has reportedly asked the parliament to approve a set of military exercises with NATO, a move that could place US troops in direct proximity with Russian forces in Crimea.
• Obama: West Has No Plans to Use Force in Ukraine VOA 26 Mar 2014 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says he believes democracy and the rule of law will triumph in Ukraine.
• US Congress to Act Soon on Ukraine Aid, Russian Sanctions VOA 26 Mar 2014 -- Prospects are improving for U.S. congressional approval of an aid package for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, as House and Senate lawmakers resolve differences between the chambers. A bill could be ready for President Barack Obama's signature by week's end.
• Obama: US, EU 'United in Our Support' of Ukraine VOA 26 Mar 2014 -- Wrapping up meetings with European officials in Brussels, U.S. President Barack Obama said that Europe is America's closest partner and called for the creation of a united front for Russia to "feel the consequences of its actions in Ukraine."
• Obama Says 'Russia Stands Alone' RFE/RL 26 Mar 2014 -- U.S. President Barack Obama has said during his visit to European Union headquarters in Brussels that 'Russia stands alone' after Moscow's recent conduct in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula
• Ultranationalist's Death Signals Split Between Maidan Leaders – Lawmaker RIA Novosti 26 Mar 2014 -- The killing by Ukrainian law enforcement of a notorious ultranationalist wanted for war atrocities is a sign of an emerging rift in the new leadership in Kiev that illegally seized power in a coup last month, a senior Russian lawmaker said Wednesday.
• Security Council strongly condemns deadly terrorist attack in Yemen UN News Centre 26 Mar 2014 -- The United Nations Security Council condemned the recent attack in Hadramawt, Yemen, in which 20 soldiers were killed, reaffirming that all acts of terrorism are criminal, and urging all UN Member States to cooperate fully with Yemeni authorities so that those responsible can be brought to Justice.
• Bin Laden son-in-law convicted at NYC terror trial Iran Press TV 26 Mar 2014 -- Osama bin Laden's son-in-law was convicted Wednesday in New York of conspiring to kill US residents and providing material support to terrorism.
• Bin Laden son-in-law convicted on terrorism charges at NYC trial VoR 26 Mar 2014 -- Suleiman Abu Ghaith, one of Osama bin Laden's sons-in-law, was found guilty of terrorism-related charges by a federal jury in New York on Wednesday, following a three-week trial that offered an unusually intimate portrait of al-Qaeda's former leader in the days after September 11, 2001. Abu Ghaith, 48, faces life in prison after a jury convicted him of conspiring to kill Americans, conspiring to provide material support for terrorists, and providing such support.
• Egyptian Army Chief Sissi Announces Run for Presidency VOA 26 Mar 2014 -- Egypt's Abdel Fattah al-Sissi said on Wednesday he had resigned from his positions as defense minister and army chief and announced he would run for the presidency in a forthcoming election that he is expected to win easily.
• Egypt's Sissi Appears Virtually Unchallenged in Presidency Bid VOA 26 Mar 2014 -- Egyptian military chief Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has resigned from the military and announced he will run for president. With few viable opponents to challenge the field marshal, his official status as the nation's leader seems all but assured.
• Burma President Affirms Slowly Declining Role for Military VOA 26 Mar 2014 -- Burmese President Thein Sein says his country's military has a vital but slowly decreasing role to play as Burma, also known as Myanmar, transitions to a democracy.
• CIA torture report will head to Obama's desk Iran Press TV 26 Mar 2014 -- US President Barack Obama is to either approve or redact a summary of a lengthy report on CIA torture practices prepared by the US Senate Intelligence Committee after the panel votes to make the summary public.
• Brazil lower house passes anti-spy law Iran Press TV 26 Mar 2014 -- Brazil's lower house of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies, has passed a new anti-spy Internet law in the wake of recent revelations about global spying activities by the United States.
• Unity, faith will lead to enemy's defeat: Leader Iran Press TV 26 Mar 2014 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says a people can defeat its enemies through unity, faith and resistance.
• Decision to block Twitter is Turkey's internal matter — PM Erdogan VoR 26 Mar 2014 -- Commenting on the reaction of the European countries on the decision to close an access to Twitter in Turkey, Prime Minister Erdogan urged the EU to 'mind its own business'. Popular social networking and microblogging service Twitter has been blocked in Turkey because it does not execute the court decisions, according to the Erdogan's interview. It is exclusively the internal matter of Turkey, he stressed.
• Curbing West Africa's Ebola outbreak IRIN 26 Mar 2014 -- As health authorities and aid groups work to contain the spread of Ebola in Guinea which has killed 59 people and infected scores of others since January, suspected cases have emerged in neighbouring Liberia, prompting calls for a regional response.
• Senior U.S. Lawmaker Calls For Natural-Gas Exports To Europe RFE/RL 26 Mar 2014 -- A senior U.S. lawmaker has called for increased natural-gas exports, saying they would help undermine Russia's 'coercive leverage' in Europe.