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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghan Election: Antisocial Networking Prompts Calls For Twitter, Facebook Ban RFE/RL 23 Jun 2014 -- As the political stalemate deepens in Afghanistan, social media has become a stage for hate speech and provocative remarks between supporters of rival candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani.
• Afghan Election Chief Resigns VOA 23 Jun 2014 -- Afghanistan's chief election official resigned Monday, following allegations of fraud in the country's runoff presidential race just over a week ago.
• Weapons Company Marines conduct security patrol in Afghanistan USMC News 23 Jun 2014 -- During the late evening hours under the cover of darkness, Marines and sailors with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, donned their gear, mounted in Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles and convoyed approximately four hours south of Camp Leatherneck.
• Infantrymen stand by ready to assist during Afghan election runoff USMC News 23 Jun 2014 -- The April 5 presidential elections in Afghanistan proved to be tremendously successful yielding the highest voter turnout of recent years. A runoff election was required to determine a final victor, and the Marines of 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, stood by ready to assist their Afghan Counterparts if needed, June 14.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Statement from Rear Adm Kirby on Secretary Hagel's telephone call today with Israeli Minister of Defense DoD 23 Jun 2014
• Nimitz to Move to Bremerton in 2015 NNS 23 Jun 2014 -- U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) will move to Bremerton, Washington, in 2015 for 16 months to conduct a scheduled large-scale maintenance period.
• Syring: Missile Test Important Step for Missile Defense System AFPS 23 Jun 2014 -- The Missile Defense Agency and its joint partners completed the first intercept using the second-generation exoatmospheric kill vehicle, or EKV, during a test over the Pacific Ocean yesterday afternoon.
• Airmen wrap up African partnership program AFNS 23 Jun 2014 -- U.S. and African partners concluded a weeklong collaboration event with eight regional air forces in Dakar, Senegal June 20, aimed at strengthening relationships between the air forces and encouraging an exchange of ideas.
• AF builds partnership with Baltic states AFNS 23 Jun 2014 -- Airmen from the 435th Contingency Response Group arrived at Lielvarde Air Base, Latvia June 16, to participate in the Air Force-specific portion of Saber Strike 2014.
• Kadena squadrons relocate to Guam for training AFNS 23 Jun 2014 -- Service members, aircraft and equipment from the 44th Fighter Squadron, 909th Air Refueling Squadron and 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron temporarily repositioned to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, June 18, as part of an aviation training relocation mission.
• Saber Strike Co-director Highlights Benefits for Partners AFPS 23 Jun 2014 -- Exercise Saber Strike 2014, which ran from June 9 to June 20, was beneficial to the United States, the Baltic states and the other partner nations that participated, the exercise's co-director said.
• NATO Foreign Ministerial to focus on Ukraine, Afghanistan, Wales Summit NATO 23 Jun 2014 -- NATO's support to Ukraine and the implications of Russia's actions, the future of Afghanistan and preparations for the NATO Summit in Wales top the agenda of a two-day meeting of the Alliance's 28 foreign ministers which starts on Tuesday (24 June 2014).
• Radar Station in Russia's Kaliningrad Goes on Experimental Combat Duty RIA Novosti 23 Jun 2014 -- Russia has put the Kaliningrad early warning radar station on experimental combat duty, the press service of the Federal Agency for Special Construction (Spetsstroy) told RIA Novosti Monday.
• Drones to Assess Combat Readiness of Russia's Central Military District RIA Novosti 23 Jun 2014 -- Drones are to be deployed for a snap check of combat readiness in Russia's Central Military District, a spokesman for the Central Military District, Colonel Yaroslav Roshchupkin told journalists Monday.
• Source: Russia Offered Baltics Cheaper Gas for NATO Exit VOA 23 Jun 2014 -- Lithuania's president says that Russia, in an effort to maintain influence over territories that were once part of the Soviet Union, has set out to make the Baltic states "unreliable partners" for NATO and the European Union.
• China amends law to protect military facilities People's Daily 23 Jun 2014 -- A draft legal amendment to improve the security of military facilities was tabled for its second reading by China's top legislature on Monday.
• PLA starts artillery drills People's Daily 23 Jun 2014 -- Nearly 20,000 artillerymen from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday commenced a 100-day military exercise code named 'Firepower 2014.'
• Senior Chinese military official warns against Japanese militarism People's Daily 23 Jun 2014 -- A senior Chinese military official said on Sunday that all peace-loving people should keep alert about Japan's further inclination toward a wrong and dangerous path and the revival of its militarism.
• June 23, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 23 Jun 2014
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 6/23/2014 The White House 23 Jun 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 23, 2014
• Destroyer deal boosts jobs in Portsmouth UK MOD 23 Jun 2014 -- A £70 million contract to support the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyers will secure more than 100 engineering jobs.

Other Conflicts

• 23 June 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 23 Jun 2014
• UN peacebuilding forum examines progress, challenges in assisting post-conflict nations UN News Centre 23 Jun 2014 -- While international aid is necessary to help countries emerging from conflict to consolidate peace and embark on much-needed development, it is vital to help them generate their own resources and capacities, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson stated today, as he addressed the first annual session of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission.
• Meeting With Embassy Baghdad Staff US Dept. of State 23 Jun 2014
• Remarks by John Kerry, Secretary of State at the US Embassy in Baghdad US Dept. of State 23 Jun 2014
• Kerry: Militants Pose 'Existential' Threat to Iraq VOA 23 Jun 2014 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday pledged 'intense' support for Iraq against the 'existential threat' posed by a major militant offensive pushing toward Baghdad from the north and west.
• Shiite-majority Iraq town Tal Afar, airport seized by Sunni militants VoR 23 Jun 2014 -- The strategic Shiite-majority north Iraq town of Tal Afar and its airport were in the hands of Sunni Arab militants on Monday after days of heavy fighting, a local official and witnesses said.
• Khamenei accuses US in using Iraq conflict to destabilize country VoR 23 Jun 2014 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the current Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei strongly opposes the interference of United States in Iraq's internal issues. While meeting with Iran's judicial officials in the country's capital on Sunday, the former Iran's President Khamenei declared that the US and its Western allies are to blame for the ongoing unrest and violence in Iraq.
• Iran lashes out against U.S. intervention in Iraq crisis People's Daily 23 Jun 2014 -- Iran 'strongly' opposes a U.S. intervention in neighboring Iraq, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday, as armed Sunni insurgents continue to seize Iraqi cities and thwart security forces.
• U.S. mulls airstrikes in Iraq, but no clear path forward People's Daily 23 Jun 2014 -- the militants are Sunni -- and further moves by the rebels would involve fighting Shiite Iraqi Army units and tough remobilized militias such as the Mahdi Army also now defending their sectarian turf, White noted.
• Iraqi army soldiers recapture 2 border crossings Iran Press TV 23 Jun 2014 -- Iraqi security forces have retaken control of two border crossings in their latest battles against Takfiri militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
• Iraqi army flushes out ISIL terrorists from Diyala Iran Press TV 23 Jun 2014 -- Iraqi army forces have flushed Takfiri militants out of a major district near the city of Baqubah in Diyala Province.
• ISIL Seizes More Towns, Border Posts In Western Iraq RFE/RL 23 Jun 2014 - Sunni militants have seized more towns in western Iraq, as well as two more strategic border crossings -- into Syria and Jordan - in their latest advances against Iraqi government forces.
• Kerry Pledges 'Intense And Sustained' Support For Iraqi Forces RFE/RL 23 Jun 2014 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says U.S. support for Iraqi security forces will be 'intense and sustained,' allowing government troops to confront Islamic militants more effectively.
• What Drives Sunni Anger In Iraq? RFE/RL 23 Jun 2014 -- As Sunni insurgents have swept across northern Iraq, they have sought to win support by portraying themselves as the liberators of the country's Sunni population.
• Putin discusses Ukraine's peace plan with Merkel, Hollande People's Daily 23 Jun 2014 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his support for Ukraine's peace settlement plan in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, the Kremlin said on Sunday.
• Russia backs national dialog in Ukraine: Lavrov Iran Press TV 23 Jun 2014 -- Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced that Moscow supports efforts aimed at launching a national dialog in Ukraine.
• EU Ministers Threaten Further Sanctions On Russia RFE/RL 23 Jun 2014 -- Several European foreign ministers are threatening further sanctions if Russia fails to both cooperate with Ukraine's proposed peace plan and halt interference in the country's east.
• Poroshenko's Plan B Stipulates Continuation of Military Action – Presidential Aide RIA Novosti 23 Jun 2014 -- A detailed plan B elaborated by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko as an alternative to his peace plan for the conflict in the country's east details the possible continuation of military action against independence supporters, Presidential Aide Yuriy Lutsenko said Monday.
• Independence Supporters in Ukraine's East Unwilling to Recognize Kiev's Unilateral Ceasefire RIA Novosti 23 Jun 2014 -- Independence supporters in eastern Ukraine have refused to recognize Kiev's unilateral ceasefire, one of the leaders of the independence supporters said Monday.
• Ukraine Separatist Leader: Rebels Will Observe Temporary Cease-fire VOA 23 Jun 2014 -- A leader of the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine says rebel forces will observe the unilateral cease-fire that President Petro Poroshenko declared Friday as the first step in a broader peace plan.
• Ukraine Volunteer Militia Deploys to East During Cease-fire VOA 23 Jun 2014 -- More volunteers with Ukraine's Donbas Battalion, a pro-government militia that recently merged with the National Guard, were preparing to deploy to the restive east Monday - in the middle of a temporary cease-fire declared just days earlier by the country's new president. The deployment comes at a time when they are technically not allowed to launch operations against pro-Russian separatist fighters.
• Ukraine's gov't, self-defense agree ceasefire till June 27 VoR 23 Jun 2014 -- The Ukrainian government and eastern militias agreed on Monday to a ceasefire, which will be in effect until 10 am on June 27 The former Ukrainian president, Leonid Kuchma, was speaking at a briefing after peace talks in Donetsk in which he had represented the government, Interfax reports.
• Ukraine army puts minefields outside Slavyansk, casualties among civilians reported VoR 23 Jun 2014 -- Ukrainian government forces have put minefields outside Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, said the defense minister of the Donetsk People's Republic.
• Kiev bombards Shchastye town in Lugansk Iran Press TV 23 Jun 2014 -- Ukraine's army has resumed its artillery bombardments against the town of Shchastye in Lugansk.
• Ukraine's helicopter crashes in Kharkov Iran Press TV 23 Jun 2014 -- Three people have been killed after a Ukrainian helicopter crashed in the country's Kharkov region.
• Ukraine has plan B if ceasefire proposal fails: Poroshenko Iran Press TV 23 Jun 2014 -- Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has outlined additional details of his peace plan, making it clear that the initiative has an alternative if the ceasefire proposal fails.
• Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on Syria DoD 23 Jun 2014
• Last Batch of Chemical Stockpiles Exits Syria – OPCW RIA Novosti 23 Jun 2014 -- The Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed Monday the withdrawal of the last consignment of chemical stockpiles from Syria.
• Removal of Syria's chemical weapons material complete, announces OPCW-UN mission UN News Centre 23 Jun 2014 -- The Joint Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations (OPCW-UN) announced today that the removal of Syria's chemical weapons material is now complete.
• UAE Jails 7 Men for Funding Syrian Militants VOA 23 Jun 2014 -- A court in the United Arab Emirates has handed down sentences to seven men convicted of operating an al-Qaida linked terror cell within the country and channeling funds to militants fighting the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad.
• Security Council calls on Libyans to ensure peaceful holding of parliamentary polls UN News Centre 23 Jun 2014 -- The United Nations Security Council today called on all parties in Libya to ensure the free and fair holding of the parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 June, stressing that the polls are an important step in the country's democratic transition.
• Analysis: Looking beyond IGAD in South Sudan IRIN 23 Jun 2014 -- The northeast African regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has been working to get the opposing sides in South Sudan to implement multiple ceasefire and peace process commitments to try to end the crisis in South Sudan, but fighting has continued with little progress towards ending the impasse.
• South Sudan peace negotiations halt Iran Press TV 23 Jun 2014 -- Peace negotiations between the South Sudanese government and rebels have adjourned, as a months-long crisis rages in the country.
• U.S. Humanitarian Assistance in Response to the Crisis in the Central African Republic US Dept. of State 23 Jun 2014
• UN political chief urges restraint by Israelis, Palestinians amid volatility on the ground UN News Centre 23 Jun 2014 -- Amid a "critical" security situation on the ground, the United Nations political chief today called on Israelis and Palestinians to exercise maximum restraint and find a way to return to negotiations.
• US Withholds Judgment on China Oil Rigs VOA 23 Jun 2014 -- The United States says it will withhold judgment for now on the intended destination of four new Chinese oil rigs in the disputed South China Sea. It appears that Beijing is stepping up its exploration for oil and gas two months after positioning a giant drilling platform in waters also claimed by Vietnam.
• Nigeria Official Condemns University Bomb Blast VOA 23 Jun 2014 -- A spokesman for Nigeria's government condemned perpetrators of Monday's bomb blast that left at least eight people dead and many injured at the Bayero University's School of Hygiene in Kano.
• PLA official rips Tokyo's 'historical distortions' People's Daily 23 Jun 2014 -- Japan's latest historical revisionist move is fueling the tension above the East China Sea, making a political settlement more unlikely, senior officials and experts warned on Sunday.

News Reports

• Potential Surveillance Reforms Spark Unease in Australia RIA Novosti 23 Jun 2014 -- A new bill to be introduced to Australian parliament in July granting new digital surveillance abilities and plans to develop a mandatory data collection regime, have triggered controversy over privacy, The Guardian reports Monday.
• Acceptance of Additional Protocol by Iran conditional: AEOI Spokesperson IRNA 23 Jun 2014 -- Accepting Additional Protocol by Iran is conditional, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi said on Monday.
• Russian Expats Wrestle With Dual-Citizenship Dilemma RFE/RL 23 Jun 2014 -- A new Russian law criminalizing the failure to declare foreign passports has raised fears of a fresh Kremlin crackdown on opponents at home, but Russian expatriates technically excluded from the statute are now scrambling to determine whether they must comply as well.
• Another N. Korean Fisherman Rescued in S. Korean Waters VOA 23 Jun 2014 -- Another North Korean fisherman has been rescued in South Korean waters, according to Seoul's Ministry of Unification.
• Pak Pong Ju Makes Field Survey of Taean Heavy Machine Complex KCNA 23 Jun 2014 -- DPRK Premier Pak Pong Ju made a field survey of the Taean Heavy Machine Complex.