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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 09 Jul 2014 [PDF]
• Afghan National Police Advisor team completes advising mission in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan USMC News 09 Jul 2014 -- The Marines of the Afghan National Police Advisor Team returned to Camp Leatherneck from Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, June 27.
• Afghan Political Crisis Raises Fears of Violence VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is headed to Afghanistan on Friday, where a political crisis is raising fears of instability and violence.
• Afghanistan: Ground combat taking 'devastating' civilian toll says UN, reporting sharp rise in casualties UN News Centre 09 Jul 2014 -- The nature of the Afghan conflict has added yet another grim dimension as ground combat among the warring parties surpassed improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as the leading cause of conflict-related death and injury to Afghan civilians in the first six months of 2014, the United Nations reported today.
• UN: Afghanistan Civilian Casualties Hit Record High VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- A new United Nations report finds a record number of civilians have been killed and injured in Afghanistan in the first half of this year.
• Afghan Election Official Says Abdullah Should Help Fraud Probe RFE/RL 09 Jul 2014 -- Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission has called on presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah to work with authorities who are investigating his allegations of widespread election fraud.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Press Briefing at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia DoD 09 Jul 2014 -- Presenters: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel; Rear Admiral John Kirby, Press Secretary
• Airmen, aircraft continue Greenland mission AFNS 09 Jul 2014 -- Approximately 70 Air National Guard Airmen and two ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules completed the fourth rotation in the Arctic region to support the National Science Foundation, June 27-30 here.
• Planners Set Scene for Pacific Exercise Scenario AFPS 09 Jul 2014 -- U.S. 3rd Fleet planners conducted a scene-setter here July 5 and 6 for the multinational and interagency participants of the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenario of the Rim of the Pacific exercise.
• Remarks by Secretary Hagel at a Troop Event, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia DoD 09 Jul 2014 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
• USAFE-AFAFRICA releases investigation results on HH-60 accident AFNS 09 Jul 2014 -- U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa officials released the results of the investigation into the January 7 crash of an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter near Cley next the Sea, United Kingdom, resulting in the death of the four crew members on board.
• New boots for all Marines during fiscal year 2015 USMC News 09 Jul 2014 -- With the release of Marine Administrative Message 299/14, the Marine Corps will replace the Temperate Weather Marine Corps Combat Boot with the Hot Weather and Temperate Weather Rugged All-Terrain boot, beginning in fiscal year 2015, the new boots will be issued to recruits and officer candidates.
• RIMPAC Sets the Scene for HA/DR NNS 09 Jul 2014 -- U.S. 3rd Fleet (C3F) conducted a two-day scene setter here for the multinational and interagency participants of the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) scenario of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2014 July 5-6.
• Vella Gulf Kicks Off Exercise Breeze NNS 09 Jul 2014 -- The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf helped kick-off the at-sea phase of the Bulgarian-led maritime training exercise in the Black Sea, July 9.
• 65 years of NATO UK MOD 09 Jul 2014 -- Secretary of State Philip Hammond talks about the important role the UK has played at the heart of NATO.
• Remarks at the Sixth Round of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue US Dept. of State 09 Jul 2014
• China, U.S. pledge to break confrontation, deepen cooperation People's Daily 09 Jul 2014 -- China and the United States on Wednesday opened high-profile strategic talks, pledging to break old patterns of confrontation and build a new model of major-power relations.
• Xi says problems in China-U.S. relations not afraid People's Daily 09 Jul 2014 -- Sino-U.S. cooperation will achieve things that are beneficial to both countries and the world, while confrontation will be disastrous, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday at an annual high-level dialogue.
• Xi proposes ways to handle China-U.S. frictions People's Daily 09 Jul 2014 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China and theUnited States should properly handle frictions and contradictions in their bilateral relations, so as to forge a new model of major-country relationship.
• China, US to push ahead with military ties People's Daily 09 Jul 2014 -- Chief of General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Fang Fenghui met with visiting commander of U.S. Pacific Command Samuel Locklear on Tuesday and they pledged to control disputes and push ahead with relations between the two militaries.
• Xi: US, China Confrontation Would Be 'Disaster' VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- U.S. and Chinese officials have opened talks in Beijing, where Chinese President Xi Jinping says Washington and Beijing are working to avoid confrontation that he says would be a 'disaster.'
• Russia to Defend National Interests 'Persistently but Correctly' - Putin RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2014 -- Russia will always defend its interests "persistently but correctly," Russia's President Vladimir Putin said at the meeting with Russian Civic Chamber members Wednesday.
• North Korea fires another two missiles into sea VoR 09 Jul 2014 -- North Korea on Wednesday fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles into the sea in the latest in a series of launches interspersed with spurned peace overtures to South Korea. A spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said the two missiles were fired from the western province of Hwanghae into the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
• North Korea Fires More Missiles Into the Sea VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the ocean off its east coast, the fourth such test in under two weeks.
• July 9, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 09 Jul 2014
• Gaggle by Press Secretary Josh Earnest en route Dallas, TX, 07/09/14 The White House 09 Jul 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 09, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 9 July 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 09 Jul 2014
• 9 July 2014 - Press Conference by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at United Nations Headquarters United Nations 09 Jul 2014
• UN's Ban: Mideast 'Cannot Afford Another Full-blown War' VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- With dozens of people reported killed, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is calling the latest surge of violence between Israel and the Palestinians one of the most critical tests the Middle East has faced in years, and warned against any further escalation of hostilities in and around the Gaza Strip.
• World Leaders React to Growing Crisis Between Israel, Hamas VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- Israel escalated its air assaults against Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Wednesday, having struck at more than 400 targets that led to nearly 40 Palestinian deaths in the past two days.
• Volatility Across Region Complicates Israeli-Palestinian Conflict VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- Israeli warplanes are continuing to pound targets in Gaza, as Hamas militants fire rockets deep into Israeli territory. The violence was sparked by the abduction and murder of three Israelis in Gaza last month, and the apparent revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager.
• With Gaza on knife's edge, Ban calls for restraint, urges parties to avert 'full-blown war' UN News Centre 09 Jul 2014 -- Warning that Gaza is on a knife's edge, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today the situation could spiral quickly beyond anyone's control, and urged the international community to work with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to avert further escalation "in a region that can ill-afford another full-blown war."
• Ban says Israel's construction of West Bank wall violates international law, fuels Mid-East tensions UN News Centre 09 Jul 2014 -- At a special meeting to mark the 10th anniversary of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory ruling declaring illegal Israel's construction of a separation wall in the West Bank, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today called for a halt to the current violence between Israelis and Palestinians, while also the need all Member States to comply with international law.
• Israel Escalates Gaza Offensive in Day 2 VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- Israel has escalated attacks on the Gaza Strip in the second day of a major offensive. Palestinian officials say at least three dozen people have been killed in Gaza this week.
• Israeli Army Attacks 160 Targets in Gaza Strip Overnight RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2014 -- Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked 160 targets in the Gaza Strip overnight, continuing a large-scale military campaign against Palestinian militants, the army press service said Wednesday.
• Civilians Fear Mideast Violence Could Turn Into Full-scale War VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- Violence in the Middle East is escalating at a time when there are no new peace talks in sight.
• 'Hamas has missiles capable of reaching deeper into Israel' Iran Press TV 09 Jul 2014 -- Israeli sources say Tel Aviv is shocked by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas having rockets capable of striking deeper into Israel than ever before.
• More rockets fired at Tel Aviv after Israeli attacks VoR 09 Jul 2014 -- Militants in Gaza fired more rockets at Tel Aviv on Wednesday, targeting Israel's heartland after Israeli attacks in the enclave that Palestinian officials said have killed at least 27 people. No wounded were reported in the rocket barrages, on the second day of an increased Israeli offensive in the Hamas-dominated Gaza Strip. Missiles from Israel's Iron Dome defence system shot into the sky to intercept the projectiles, Reuters reports.
• ANALYSIS: Iraq's minorities under fire IRIN 09 Jul 2014 -- "The sound of the shelling was terrifying. In my street no-one was left. We were the last family to leave," explained Janda, an Assyrian Christian from Iraq.
• Iraq finds bodies of 53 men killed execution-style Iran Press TV 09 Jul 2014 -- Iraqi security officials have found dozens of bodies of men bound and executed by the ISIL terrorists in a predominately Shia Muslim village south of the capital, Baghdad.
• Iran Denies Sending Russian Fighter Jets to Iraq - Reports RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2014 -- The Iranian authorities have denied reports saying the country sent three Russian Sukhoi Su-25 jets to Iraq, Mehr news agency said Wednesday citing a representative of Iran's Foreign Ministry Marzieh Afkham.
• Iran Sends Three Russian Attack Aircraft to Iraq to Fight Militants RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2014 -- The Iranian authorities have sent three Russian Sukhoi Su-25 jets to Iraq to be used to fight militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), the New York Times reported, citing sources in the administrations of the US and Iraq.
• Iraqi Kurds Warn Baghdad While Moving Toward Independence Vote VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- Kurdish leaders cautioned Baghdad they will order their Peshmerga fighters to retaliate if Iraqi security forces launch any strikes on Kurdish-controlled territory.
• Ukraine's President Vows to Take Back East from Pro-Russia Rebels VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has vowed to retake remaining rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine, but says government forces will exercise restraint.
• DoD Official Expresses Concern Over Russian Intentions AFPS 09 Jul 2014 -- Days after the Ukrainian government abandoned a ceasefire and began an offensive against pro-Russian forces in the country's east, a senior Defense Department official said today that the United States is concerned Russian troops may be preparing a counteroffensive in support of Moscow's separatist allies.
• Pro-Russians in Donetsk vow to fight Ukraine army Iran Press TV 09 Jul 2014 -- The security chief of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic has pledged to fight the Ukrainian army.
• Fighting between Ukrainian army, self-defense forces under way near Lugansk airport VoR 09 Jul 2014 -- Clashes between Ukrainian government forces and militia are taking place on Wednesday evening near the Lugansk airport controlled by the Ukrainian army.
• South Sudan Displaced Mark Independence Day In Safety of UN Camps VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- Members of one group of South Sudanese stayed away from Wednesday's independence day celebrations in Juba.
• Crisis, Conflict Overshadow S. Sudan's 3rd Independence Day VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- Three years since it won independence, South Sudan is struggling. An ongoing political struggle, inter-ethnic fighting and a deepening humanitarian crisis have pushed the world's youngest nation into chaos.
• UN envoy condemns Al-Shabaab attack on Somali presidential palace UN News Centre 09 Jul 2014 -- The top United Nations envoy in Somalia has condemned last night's attack on the seat of the Federal Government in Mogadishu, the latest in a series of attacks by Al-Shabaab militants against the country's political institutions.
• Security Council voices concern over political, security challenges facing West Africa UN News Centre 09 Jul 2014 -- While noting the progress made in addressing political and security issues in West Africa, the members of the United Nations Security Council today voiced concern over challenges such as transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, terrorism and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
• Challenges facing Lebanon highlight urgent need to fill presidential vacuum - UN envoy UN News Centre 09 Jul 2014 -- The United Nations envoy for Lebanon today stressed the urgent need for the country's leaders to agree on the election of a new president as soon as possible in light of the situation on the ground, which is marked by renewed terrorist threats and the growing refugee population resulting from the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
• UN in Central African Republic condemns attack on civilians sheltering in church UN News Centre 09 Jul 2014 -- In what it termed a 'brutal' attack, the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic (CAR) today condemned the killing of dozens of displaced people at the site of Saint Joseph Cathedral and the Bishop's residence in Bambari.
• Yemen: UN relief official alarmed as renewed clashes displace thousands in country's north UN News Centre 09 Jul 2014 -- The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen has voiced alarm at the recent escalation of violence in Amran Governorate which has displaced thousands of families in the past few days.
• DRC refugees and the limits of durable solutions IRIN 09 Jul 2014 -- Facilitating the return of conflict-displaced refugees to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the key components of regional stabilization efforts.

News Reports

• Bushehr N. plant no. 1 reaches full capacity after fuel reload ISNA 09 Jul 2014 -- Reactor No. 1 of the Bushehr nuclear power plant has reached its full capacity after a scheduled fuel reload and planned maintenance, NIAEP-ASE, a joint company formed by the Nizhny Novgorod Engineering Company Atomenergoproekt and Atomstroyexport, said.
• Iran determined to reach nuclear deal but not at any cost Iran Press TV 09 Jul 2014 -- Iran says it is determined to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement with the six world powers, but 'not at any cost.'
• Bushehr 1st reactor reaches full capacity: Russia Iran Press TV 09 Jul 2014 -- Reactor number one of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran has reached its full capacity after a scheduled fuel reload and planned maintenance, an affiliated company of the Russian contractor of the facility says.
• Iran not to compromise on N-rights: FM Iran Press TV 09 Jul 2014 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Iranian negotiating team will not compromise on the nation's rights in the course of talks with six world powers over Tehran's nuclear energy program.
• Iran accepts no limits to nuclear research: Official Iran Press TV 09 Jul 2014 -- Tehran will not accept any restrictions on the research and development (R&D) work in its peaceful nuclear energy program, an Iranian official says.
• Report: FBI, NSA Monitored Muslim-Americans' Emails VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- The emails of at least five prominent Muslim-Americans were targeted by the FBI and the National Security Agency, according to information in new documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
• NSA, FBI spied on innocent Muslim Americans - latest Snowden leaks VoR 09 Jul 2014 -- The National Security Agency has been spying on Muslim-Americans - civil rights activists, lawyers and even a political candidate, according to new information leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, and published by Glenn Greenwald. Among the targets were the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-the top Muslim civil rights organization in the United States-and a former Bush Administration official who worked for the Department of Homeland Security and held a top-secret security clearance during the time he was under surveillance.
• France to Crack Down on Would-be Jihadists VOA 09 Jul 2014 -- France's leftist government has introduced legislation to stop would-be jihadists from leaving the country, and posing security threats when they return home. The measures reflect mounting international concern about Westerners joining the fighting in countries like Syria and Iraq.
• France adopts new anti-jihadist law VoR 09 Jul 2014 -- France on Wednesday presented a bill aimed at strengthening anti-terrorism laws to stop increasing numbers of aspiring jihadists from travelling to combat in Syria. The new bill, presented by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to the council of ministers, came as a 48-year-old woman was charged under anti-terrorism laws after visiting Syria thrice where her son is fighting.
• Snowden asks Russia to extend asylum Iran Press TV 09 Jul 2014 -- Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has formally asked Russia to extend his asylum, which expires on July 31.
• Snowden seeks to avoid extradition to US, appeals to extend stay in Russia VoR 09 Jul 2014 -- Former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has asked the Russian Federal Migration Service (FMS) to extend his stay in Russia, his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said. 'A procedure stipulated by the Russian law exists; we have gone through the procedure of getting temporary asylum. It ends on July 31, 2014. So we have submitted documents necessary to appeal for extending his stay in Russia,' Kucherena told reporters on Wednesday.
• Germany probes 2nd spy case allegedly involving US Iran Press TV 09 Jul 2014 -- German authorities say they are investigating a second espionage case reportedly involving the United States, just a week after the arrest of a German intelligence employee.
• Obama kept unaware of spying scandal in Germany Iran Press TV 09 Jul 2014 -- President Barack Obama was not aware of the new US spying scandal in Germany when he placed a call to Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, according to an article published by The New York Times on June 8.
• Berlin suspects another secret agent in ties with US intelligence VoR 09 Jul 2014 -- Searches have kicked off in Germany at the home and workplace of a German secret service agent suspected of having ties with US intelligence. If Berlin's suspicions are confirmed, this will be the second case in a week of an American spy being detectged. According to Western media, this could lead to tensions in relations between the two countries.
• Interview: Historian Says Mitrokhin Archive Shows Value Of Human Intelligence RFE/RL 09 Jul 2014 -- As a senior KGB archivist, Vasily Mitrokhin meticulously collected thousands of documents for more than a decade and organized them for another eight years before defecting to the United Kingdom in 1992. The Cambridge-based Churchill Archives Center is now releasing large portions of his trove to the public for the first time.
• Russia to Invest $60-70 Bln in Gas Pipeline to China - Kremlin RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2014 -- The construction of Power of Siberia gas pipeline to supply Russian gas to China is expected to begin shortly, at a cost to Russia of $60-70 billion, Kremlin Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday during his visit to China.
• Ukraine Denies Siphoning Russian Gas - Energy Minister RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2014 -- Ukraine is not siphoning off transit gas to Europe and has no plans to do so, Ukraine's Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan told journalists Wednesday.
• Russian Upper House Ratifies Cuban Debt Write-Off of $35.2 Bln RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2014 -- Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, on Wednesday ratified an agreement to write off $35.2 billion of Cuba's debt allocated by the Soviet Union.
• Russia's New Angara Space Rocket Test Flight Successful - Defense Ministry RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2014 -- Russia's new Angara rocket, powered by engines using so-called "green" fuels, successfully completed its suborbital test flight Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.