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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• DOD Assists Nigerian Kidnapping Search With Fixed-wing Aircraft AFPS 13 May 2014 -- The Defense Department began fixed-wing intelligence flights late yesterday to assist the Nigerian government in finding more than 200 kidnapped young women, Defense Department spokesman Army Col. Steven Warren said here today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Comptroller Notes Progress in DOD Financial Management AFPS 13 May 2014 -- Despite financial uncertainties, the Defense Department has made significant progress in improving financial management, DOD Comptroller Robert F. Hale told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today.
• DISA Director Discusses Future of Joint Information Environment AFPS 13 May 2014 -- Budget and social trends are spurring the military's fine-tuning of command and control, cloud computing and mobile security the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency said yesterday.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Salman DoD 13 May 2014
• Media Availability with Secretary Hagel en route to Saudi Arabia DoD 13 May 2014 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
• Blue Ridge Strengthens Long-Standing Friendship with Thailand NNS 13 May 2014 -- U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) along with embarked staff, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 12 and Marines from Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Pacific successfully concluded a three-day visit to Thailand, May 13, strengthening ties and engaging with the local community.
• F-35 flies first training sortie at Luke AFB AFNS 13 May 2014 -- An F-35 Lightning II took to the sky over the West Valley here, May 5, in what was the first local training sortie for the fifth-generation fighter jet.
• Exercise Eager Tiger 2014 off to a roaring start AFNS 13 May 2014 -- Exercise Eager Tiger 2014 officially kicked off May 11, 2014 at an air base in northern Jordan, bringing together U.S. and Jordanian military forces and giving them the chance to participate in friendly competitions while expressing their commitment to regional security and stability.
• Hagel Arrives in Saudi Arabia for Defense Ministerial AFPS 13 May 2014 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived here today to participate in a Gulf Cooperation Council defense ministerial conference.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Meeting with Saudi Vice Minister of Defense Salman bin Sultan DoD 13 May 2014
• Japan-based US drones to spy on China: Media report Iran Press TV 13 May 2014 -- Japanese media reports say the United States seeks to deploy a fleet of drones in Japan to monitor the Chinese military activities in the troubled Asia-Pacific region.
• NATO and partners step up work on Women, Peace and Security NATO 13 May 2014 -- NATO and its partners from the Euro-Atlantic Council (EAPC) on Tuesday (13 May 2014) released a revised policy on Women, Peace and Security, which aims to step up the implementation of gender-related measures in NATO civilian and military structures, as well as in NATO-led operations and missions. "A more focused, inclusive and forward-leaning approach is what we need to take our efforts forward. The policy provides us with the necessary tools to further enhance the integration of a gender perspective, notably in the fields of crisis management, cooperative security and NATO-led operations," said Mari Skaare, NATO's Secretary General's Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security.
• Venezuela Tests Russian Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems RIA Novosti 13 May 2014 -- Venezuela has conducted successful tests of Russian Grad and Smerch multiple rocket launchers, Operational Strategic Commander in Chief, General Vladimir Padrino Lopez said Tuesday.
• Russian-Kazakh Joint Air Defense Shield to be used only in times of war - Astana official VoR 13 May 2014 -- Kazakhstan and Russia are planning to build their Joint Air Defense Shield in order to defend the territorial integrity and independence of both states, Kazakh Deputy Defense Minister Okas Saparov has said.
• All Russian warships get opportunity to undergo scheduled repairs in Sevastopol VoR 13 May 2014 -- From now on, the Russian warships on a mission in the Mediterranean will undergo scheduled maintenance at the Ship Repair Yard 13 of the Black Sea Fleet, a spokesman for the Russian Navy told Interfax-AVN on Monday. 'The first Russian warship to have arrived at the Black Sea Fleet's base in Sevastopol is the large anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Levchenko of the Russian Northern Fleet.
• Russia's Black Sea Fleet to Receive 30 New Ships by 2020 – Navy Commander RIA Novosti 13 May 2014 -- Russia's Black Sea Fleet will be strengthened with some 30 warships, submarines and auxiliary vessels in the next six years, the head commander of the Russian navy said Tuesday.
• Russia to Station Aircraft, Ships Throughout Crimea – Navy Chief RIA Novosti 13 May 2014 -- The Russian Black Sea Fleet will have a sophisticated network of naval and airbases in Crimea following the region's reunification with Russia, the country's chief naval commander said Tuesday.
• National strategy for maritime security UK MOD 13 May 2014 -- The UK's national strategy for maritime security has been launched today (13 May 2014).
• Statement on ICC preliminary examination into Iraq allegations UK MOD 13 May 2014 -- The International Criminal Court is looking at allegations of historic detainee abuse in Iraq. Attorney General responds for the government.
• Russia Ready to Continue Helicopter Supplies to India RIA Novosti 13 May 2014 -- The Russian Helicopters company is ready to supply additional helicopters to India, Russia's largest partner on military and technical cooperation, CEO Alexander Mikheyev told reporters Wednesday.
• Trip reflects militaries' will to seek closer ties People's Daily 13 May 2014 -- Fang Fenghui, chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, will start his first trip to the United States on Tuesday, as a guest of Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff.
• China says US emboldening Beijing's neighbors Iran Press TV 13 May 2014 -- Chinese government has accused the United States of emboldening Asian nations in their territorial disputes with Beijing.
• Press Briefing by the Press Secretary Jay Carney, 5/13/14 The White House 13 May 2014
• May 13, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 13 May 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 13, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 13 May 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 13 May 2014
• Syria: UN-Arab League Envoy Brahimi resigns UN News Centre 13 May 2014 -- With the international community "hopelessly divided" over how to end more than three years of bloodshed in Syria, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced that he has regretfully accepted the resignation of Lakhdar Brahimi, the Joint United Nations-League of Arab States Special Representative on the crisis.
• UN Special Envoy to Syria Resigns VOA 13 May 2014 -- The United Nations and Arab League special envoy to Syria, Lakdar Brahimi, has resigned.
• As China Cracks Down in Xinjiang, Uighurs Turn Up in SE Asia VOA 13 May 2014 -- Ethnic Uighur Muslims in China have long had tense relations with the government, which they accuse of policies aimed at their political and cultural marginalization. For years, some Uighurs have fled China to live abroad. But as China carries out another security crackdown in Xinjiang, activists say rising numbers are arriving in Southeast Asia, where they face an uncertain future.
• Nigerian Parents ID Daughters on Boko Haram Video VOA 13 May 2014 -- The father of one of the nearly 300 schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria says he recognized his daughter in a video released by militant group Boko Haram.
• Nigeria Wants Help to Find Girls, Contain Boko Haram VOA 13 May 2014 -- As protesters gear up to mark a full month since hundreds of girls were kidnapped by Islamist militants, Nigerian officials are calling on the international community to not only help find the girls, but develop a long-term plan to 'contain' the insurgency.
• US deploys surveillance aircraft over Nigeria in search for kidnapped schoolchildren VoR 13 May 2014 -- The US has deployed manned surveillance aircraft over Nigeria to assist in efforts to find schoolchildren kidnapped in April by Boko Haram extremists, a senior Obama administration official told journalists.
• Emotions Running High in Vietnam Over China Dispute VOA 13 May 2014 -- Tension is rising in Vietnam with protests reported nationwide amid the country's dispute with Beijing over a Chinese oil drilling platform deployed near the Paracel islands.
• China urges U.S. to 'reflect on' its acts on South China Sea People's Daily 13 May 2014 -- BEIJING, May 13 -- China on Tuesday urged the United States to reflect on its acts on the South China Sea.
• The South China Sea issue-a test for ASEAN People's Daily 13 May 2014 -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers issued a statement on the South China Sea issue in Myanmar on May 10.
• The Philippines' tough stance can only end in embarrassment People's Daily 13 May 2014 -- This year, the Philippines' conduct on the South China Sea issue has been bewildering: At first, it pretended to be a victim of China's 'threat of force', complained that China was preventing it from supplying the warship beached on the Ren'ai Reef, and accused China of refusing to accept arbitration on the issue. Then before the quest for sympathy had even had a chance to run its course, the Philippines suddenly adopted a hard line. On May 6, 2014, armed personnel from the Philippines detained a Chinese fishing boat around the Half Moon Shoal in the Nansha Islands, and on the same day a senior military official of the Philippines announced a so-called 'Defense Plan of the South China Sea' through Japanese media channels.
• Chasing bullets in the DRC IRIN 13 May 2014 -- Her job is to track and trace small arms and ammunition in Africa's conflict zones.
• Ivoirian refugees return to homelessness IRIN 13 May 2014 -- Tens of thousands of western Côte d'Ivoire residents who fled deadly election turmoil three years ago have returned home, where survival is a daily struggle as more than half of them remain homeless.
• Bringing perpetrators of serious crimes to justice vital for Libya's transition - ICC Prosecutor UN News Centre 13 May 2014 -- Ensuring that there is no impunity for those alleged to have committed serious crimes in Libya is crucial to bring lasting peace to the country, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) stressed today, as she lamented the slow progress to date in this vital aspect of the democratic transition.
• Anbar IDPs in Baghdad fear for their safety IRIN 13 May 2014 -- Displaced families who have fled the ongoing violence in Iraq's troubled Anbar Province say anti-Anbar hostility is leaving many too scared to register with the authorities, pushing them into the shadows and cutting them off from aid and public services.

News Reports

• Russia Retaliates Over Sanctions - from Space VOA 13 May 2014 -- Russia says it will withdraw support for the International Space Station by the end of the decade, in response to U.S. sanctions imposed on Moscow for annexing Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
• No more US GPS stations in Russia from June 1 - Russian vice premier VoR 13 May 2014 -- Russia will suspend the work carrid out by US GPS stations sited within its borders if no agreement is reached to set up GLONASS ground stations in the US, said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin to the press.
• Kerry to Russia: Don't Interfere in Ukraine Poll VOA 13 May 2014 -- In another sign of support for Ukraine and warning to Russia, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that with upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine, its people should be able to forge their own destiny.
• 7 soldiers killed in Ukraine clashes Iran Press TV 13 May 2014 -- Seven Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and seven more injured during clashes with pro-Russia protesters near the east Ukrainian city of Krematorsk.
• Kiev refuses to engage in dialogue: Moscow Iran Press TV 13 May 2014 -- Russia has accused the pro-Western interim leaders in Ukraine of refusing to negotiate with pro-Moscow activists in the south and east of the country.
• Kiev Says No Need to Resume Geneva Talks on Ukraine RIA Novosti 13 May 2014 -- Ukraine sees no need to hold a new four-party meeting with the EU, Russia and the US until the agreements reached in Geneva on April 17 are implemented, the director of the Department of Information Policy at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
• Luhansk 'People's Governor' Injured in Assassination Attempt After Independence Referendum RIA Novosti 13 May 2014 -- The People's Governor of Luhansk Region in eastern Ukraine was injured Tuesday in an assassination attempt, two days after an independence referendum in the region, Southeastern Army spokesman Vasiliy Nikitin told RIA Novosti.
• Ukraine's Military Reform Temporarily Put On Hold RIA Novosti 13 May 2014 -- Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov has temporarily suspended the program to reform the country's armed forces, according to a decree published on the Ukrainian parliament's website Tuesday.
• Kiev to Continue Special Operation in Southeastern Ukraine – Interim Leader RIA Novosti 13 May 2014 -- The Kiev regime is set to continue the special operation against federalists in the country's southeast following referendums in the region on Sunday, acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov said Tuesday.
• EU Further Expands Sanctions List Over Ukraine's Crisis RFE/RL 13 May 2014 -- The European Union has expanded its sanctions over Ukraine's crisis after pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk declared independence from Ukraine and separatists in Donetsk asked Moscow to allow their self-declared "republic" to join the Russian Federation.
• EU Steps Up Diplomatic Efforts To Resolve Ukraine Crisis RFE/RL 13 May 2014 -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said it is 'critically important' to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.
• 6 Soldiers Killed in E. Ukraine Ambush VOA 13 May 2014 -- Six Ukrainian soldiers were killed and eight wounded on Tuesday when their armored column was ambushed by pro-Russian separatists near Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukrainian, the Defense Ministry said.
• Ukraine Parliament sets up committee to investigate Odessa, Mariupol bloodshed VoR 13 May 2014 -- The Ukrainian Parliament backed Tuesday the motion to set up a temporary investigative committee to inquire into the cases of civilian deaths in Odessa, Mariupol, Krasnoarmiisk, as well as other Ukrainian southern and eastern cities, Ukraine's UNIAN news agency reported.
• Ukraine's acting PM promises to repay gas debts if Moscow reverts to old prices VoR 13 May 2014 -- Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has reassured Brussels of Kyiv's readiness to pay gas bills within ten day if Gazprom (MOEX: GAZP) signs a document extending the old gas price at $268 per 1,000 cubic meters.
• Seven Ukraine's troops killed, eight wounded in military convoy attack near Kramatorsk - Defense Ministry VoR 13 May 2014 -- The number of Ukrainian paratroopers from the 95th Airmobile Brigade killed in a Tuesday battle with self-defense forces near Kramatorsk, the Donetsk region, has risen to 7, the Ukrainian Security Service reported.
• May 11 referendums should be treated as signals of deep Ukraine statehood crisis - Moscow VoR 13 May 2014 -- Moscow believes that the May 11 referendums held in Ukraine's Donetsk and Lugansk regions should be taken as confirmation of the depth of the crisis in Ukraine. 'The referendums recently held in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine should be perceived as a clear signal to Kiev indicating a deep crisis of mutual understanding, [a crisis] of Ukraine's own statehood in the broad sense of the word,' the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following a meeting between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and head of the European Union Delegation to Russia, Vygaudas Usackas.
• Donetsk and Lugansk Republics begin unification talks - Donetsk People's Republic co-chairman VoR 13 May 2014 -- The People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk have started talks on unification. On Monday, co-chairman of the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, unveiled the two republics' plans to unite. 'Yesterday, our republics initiated unification. There have to be preliminary talks. The decision will be made by the leadership,' Pushilin said. The talks began on Tuesday morning.
• Elections Seen Giving Moscow Bigger Anchor In European Parliament RFE/RL 13 May 2014 -- European Parliament elections later this month are likely to see a surge by fringe parties both on the right and left, leaving Vladimir Putin's Russia as one of the potential winners.
• Panama Sets Trial Date for Crew Members of N. Korea Cargo Ship VOA 13 May 2014 -- The three crew members of a North Korean vessel seized by Panama last July for carrying undeclared weapons have had their trial date set for next month, according to a Panamanian official.
• N Korea warns Seoul official of 'steep price' for saying DPRK should 'simply disappear' VoR 13 May 2014 -- A state-run North Korean website on Tuesday warned a South Korean official that he would pay a 'steep' price for suggesting the isolated nation should simply disappear.
• NSA tampers with US-made internet routers Iran Press TV 13 May 2014 -- The US National Security Agency has been secretly intercepting US Internet servers heading overseas in an attempt to spy on all data transactions of targeted customers.
• NSA, GCHQ Spy on, Discredit Dissenters Challenging Gov't Power – Glenn Greenwald RIA Novosti 13 May 2014 -- The US and British surveillance agencies routinely spy on political opponents of their governments and employ controversial techniques to discredit them, according to an extract from a new book published in The Guardian Tuesday by journalist Glenn Greenwald, an associate of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
• Metadata may be only basis for killing people - ex-director of CIA and NSA VoR 13 May 2014 -- The former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden confirmed that metadata is used as the basis for killing people in the course of the recent discussion regarding the National Security Agency's surveillance programs. He declared that during a debate at Johns Hopkins University.
• NSA bugs exported US-made network equipment VoR 13 May 2014 -- The National Security Agency covertly installs back-door surveillance bugs into routers intended for foreign markets, according to the new book "No Place to Hide" penned by the journalist Glenn Greenwald.