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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 08 Aug 2014 [PDF]
• Update on Humanitarian Assistance Operations Near Sinjar, Iraq DoD 08 Aug 2014 -- Tonight, the U.S. military conducted another successful airdrop of food and water for thousands of Iraqi citizens threatened by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Mount Sinjar, Iraq.
• Background Briefing by Senior Administration Officials on Iraq The White House 08 Aug 2014
• US Planes Strike ISIL Artillery in Iraq VOA 08 Aug 2014 -- The U.S. military continued to attack militants from the Islamic State group near Irbil Friday, conducting two additional air strikes to help defend the city where U.S. personnel are assisting Iraqi government forces.
• Pentagon Spokesman Explains Objectives of Iraq Operations AFPS 08 Aug 2014 -- U.S. air operations in Iraq reflect a commitment to relieving the humanitarian issue in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region and to protecting American personnel, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said today.
• Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby DoD 08 Aug 2014 -- The U.S. military continued to attack ISIL targets near Erbil today conducting two additional air strikes to help defend the city where U.S. personnel are assisting the Government of Iraq.
• US begins airstrikes against ISIL targets in Iraq: Pentagon Iran Press TV 08 Aug 2014 -- The United States has conducted its first airstrikes against ISIL terrorists in northern Iraq, the Pentagon has announced.
• Navy F/A-18s Strike ISIL Targets NNS 08 Aug 2014 -- Two U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets assigned to Carrier Air Wing 8 embarked on USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) strucks Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant targets near Erbil, Iraq, Aug. 8.
• US Planes Strike ISIL Artillery in Iraq VOA 08 Aug 2014 -- U.S. military aircraft have conducted a strike on Islamist militant artillery used against Kurdish forces defending Irbil, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday.
• Pentagon: U.S. Aircraft Hit Islamic State Artillery In Iraq RFE/RL 08 Aug 2014 -- A Pentagon spokesman says U.S. military aircraft have conducted an air strike directed at Islamic State artillery used against Kurdish forces defending the northern city of Irbil.
• Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby on Airstrikes in Iraq DoD 08 Aug 2014 -- At approximately 6:45 a.m. EDT, the U.S. military conducted a targeted airstrike against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists.
• Media Availability with Secretary Hagel on Iraq in Delhi, India DoD 08 Aug 2014 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
• Officials Call ISIL Determined, Capable Foe AFPS 08 Aug 2014 -- The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is a regional threat with aspirations to become a worldwide terrorist organization, senior administration officials speaking with reporters on background said last night.
• Obama Authorizes Targeted Air Strikes In Iraq RFE/RL 08 Aug 2014 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says he has authorized the military to carry out air strikes in Iraq against Islamic militants, if needed, to protect U.S. military and diplomatic personnel and in the northern city of Irbil.
• Interview: Analyst Predicts U.S. Air Strikes A 'Short-Term Measure' In Iraq RFE/RL 08 Aug 2014 -- The United States has ordered warplanes back into the Iraqi skies to help halt the advance of Islamic State militants.
• Afghan presidential candidates agree to political deal, UN mission confirms UN News Centre 08 Aug 2014 -- The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today said that it welcomes a political agreement reached between Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and looks forward to their pledged progress on moving ahead to form a national unity government.
• Afghan Presidential Rivals Sign Unity Deal VOA 08 Aug 2014 -- Rival Afghan presidential candidates have agreed to end their election dispute and begin working towards a national unity government.
• Afghan Presidential Rivals Agree To Unity Government RFE/RL 08 Aug 2014 -- Afghanistan's rival presidential candidates have agreed to form a national unity government following disputed elections.
• California Guardsmen Aid in Wildfire Battle AFPS 08 Aug 2014 -- In what has become a nearly annual mission for the California National Guard, Army and Air Force aviators are dousing wildfires across Northern California, where they soon may be joined by Army Guard firefighting hand crews on the ground.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Altus breaks ground for KC-46A construction AFNS 08 Aug 2014 -- Officials broke ground on a new construction project on Altus Air Force Base, Okla., Aug. 7.
• Wing Harrier squadron conducts first East Coast AMRAAM exercise USMC News 08 Aug 2014 -- Pilots and crew from several 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing squadrons, including Cherry Point's Marine Attack Squadron 223, conducted a live-fire air-to-air missile exercise off the coast of Virginia Aug. 7. During the exercise a naval aviator with the squadron fired one AIM-120A advanced medium-range air-to-air missile, engaging and destroying an ADM-141 tactical air launched decoy.
• VP-30 Receives 15th Low Rate Initial Production P-8A Aircraft, Deliveries Remain on Schedule NNS 08 Aug 2014 -- The U.S. Navy delivered the 15th P-8A Poseidon aircraft Aug. 5 to Fleet Replacement Squadron, VP-30, at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida.
• US, Singapore Navies Wrap Up 20th CARAT Singapore NNS 08 Aug 2014 -- The 20th annual exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Singapore concluded with a closing ceremony at Changi Naval Base, Aug. 8.
• Southern Command Kicks Off Panama Canal Defense Exercise AFPS 08 Aug 2014 -- Panamax 2014, an annual U.S. Southern Command-sponsored multinational exercise focused on ensuring the defense of the Panama Canal, kicks off today at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi DoD 08 Aug 2014
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Meeting with Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj DoD 08 Aug 2014
• 11th MEU concludes first training evolution USMC News 08 Aug 2014 -- For decades, Marine Expeditionary Units have operated alongside their Amphibious Ready Group counterparts throughout the world's oceans as forward-deployed crisis response forces. In the first stop along the 11th MEU's WESTPAC 14-2 deployment, Marines and sailors of the MEU demonstrated their expeditionary nature, and continued their preparation for the uncertainty of world events by way of multiple training events aboard Training Area Bellows, Hawaii.
• Vella Gulf Conducts Exercise with Turkish Navy NNS 08 Aug 2014 -- The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) conducted a division tactics exercise with the Turkish navy fast attack craft TCG Tuzla (P 1200) in the Black Sea, Aug. 8.
• Forward-Deployed CSG Concludes Successful Three-Month Patrol NNS 08 Aug 2014 -- George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GWCSG) returned to its forward-operating location at Fleet Activities Yokosuka Aug. 8, after completing a three-month patrol of the 7th Fleet area of operations.
• Russian Deputy Prime Minister Suggests Resuming MiG-31 Interceptor Aircraft Production RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- The production of MiG-31 interceptor aircraft should resume, as they could prove effective for another 15 years, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Friday.
• Su-25 Attack Aircraft Production May Resume at Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- The Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP) may resume the production of Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jets, the plant's managing director Leonid Belykh said.
• First Ice-Class Tanker to Launch Friday in Far East RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- An ice-class tanker, Sakhalin, with a deadweight of 3,100 tons is to be launched in the Primorsky Territory on Friday, becoming the first in its class to have been built in Russia's Far East, according to the Nakhodka Shipyard website.
• Russian Arctic Helicopter Ready for Deliveries in 2015 - Source RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- Deliveries of the Mi-8AMTSh-VA helicopters, a variant of the Mi-8 medium twin-turbine transport helicopter modified for use in the Arctic, may begin as early as next year, Leonid Belykh, managing director of the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP), said Friday.
• Canada Starts Supplies of Non-Lethal Military Equipment to Ukraine RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- Canada announced it started to provide Ukraine with non-lethal military equipment in "yet another action that Canada is taking to help the people of Ukraine put an end to the insurgency," Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement.
• China says Japan's defense policy contradictory to improving ties People's Daily 08 Aug 2014 -- Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday expressed 'strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition' to Japan's latest defense white paper, saying Japan's move was contradictory to its stated desire to improve bilateral ties.
• US suspects Israel stole nuke material Iran Press TV 08 Aug 2014 -- Declassified US documents from the 1970s suggest intelligence officials in the United States believe Israelis stole nuclear bomb-grade uranium from a nuclear facility in Pennsylvania.
• August 8, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 08 Aug 2014
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 8/8/14 The White House 08 Aug 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 08, 2014

Other Conflicts

• Israel resumes pounding Gaza Strip after truce expiry Iran Press TV 08 Aug 2014 -- Israel has resumed pounding the Gaza Strip, shortly after the expiry of a 72-hour-long truce between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas.
• Cairo negotiations fail to extend Gaza truce Iran Press TV 08 Aug 2014 -- A three-day truce between Israel and the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas expires as indirect talks in Cairo on new border arrangements for the blockaded Gaza Strip hit a deadlock.
• Hamas Resumes Rocket Fire on Israel After End of Ceasefire RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- Hamas militants have renewed rocket fire into Israel after three-day ceasefire ended in the Gaza Strip on Friday.
• Gaza: as hostilities resume, Ban urges 'swift' return to ceasefire, negotiations UN News Centre 08 Aug 2014 -- Amid renewed hostilities in Gaza, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called firmly on the parties to the conflict not to resort to further military action but "swiftly find a way back to respect of the humanitarian ceasefire and continue negotiations in Cairo."
• Fighting Resumes as Gaza Truce Expires VOA 08 Aug 2014 -- Palestinian militants resumed firing rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip and Israeli jets responded with airstrikes early Friday, as a three-day cease-fire officially expired.
• Northern Iraq: UN voices concern about civilians' safety, need for humanitarian aid UN News Centre 08 Aug 2014 -- Gravely concerned for the physical safety of civilians in northern Iraq and the humanitarian situation in areas now controlled by the group, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the United Nations human rights office today called on the international community and the Governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan region to protect people affected by the fighting.
• Iraq's Displaced Top One Million VOA 08 Aug 2014 -- The International Organization for Migration reports fighting in Iraq between Islamic State rebels and Kurdish Peshmerga military has pushed the number of internally displaced people in Iraq to over one million. IOM says this is the highest number of IDPs in Iraq since the Islamist advance began in January.
• Kyiv To Put Sanctions On Russian Citizens, Companies Engaged In 'Terrorism' RFE/RL 08 Aug 2014 -- Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says the Ukrainian government is proposing that sanctions be imposed by Ukraine against 172 citizens from Russia and other countries and 65 Russian companies who are financing 'terrorism' in the country.
• Russia Arrests Five Ukrainian Servicemen on Suspicion of War Crimes RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- A court in Russia's Rostov region authorized on Friday the arrest of five Ukrainian servicemen who had been detained on suspicion of crimes against the civilian population in eastern Ukraine.
• Kiev Says Ready to Extend Ceasefire in MH17 Crash Area RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- The Kiev government said Friday it was ready to extend the ceasefire regime near the crash site of the Malaysian Boeing in war-torn eastern Ukraine upon receiving a request from a multinational commission investigating the disaster.
• Donetsk People's Republic Appoints New Prime Minister RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- The Supreme Council of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) approved field commander Alexander Zakharchenko as the republic's new prime minister, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported Friday.
• Ukraine: UN alarmed by intensifying clashes, mounting casualties in country's east UN News Centre 08 Aug 2014 -- A senior United Nations human rights official today declared the situation in Eastern Ukraine "extremely alarming" with intensifying fighting, mounting casualties and serious damage to infrastructure.
• Ukrainian Forces Battle Separatists Along Border; Kyiv Proposes New Sanctions VOA 08 Aug 2014 -- Ukrainian government forces battled Russian-backed separatists in eastern regions Friday, a top official said, as Kyiv proposed sanctions against dozens of Russian companies and individuals.
• ISIL claims to have taken Syria military headquarters Iran Press TV 08 Aug 2014 -- A video has surfaced in social media showing purported ISIL militants claiming to have seized a military headquarters in north-central Syria.
• UN agency provides assistance for hundreds fleeing town near Lebanon's border with Syria UN News Centre 08 Aug 2014 -- As violence escalates in Lebanon, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) and its partners are distributing humanitarian supplies in the north-eastern Bekaa Valley to both Lebanese and Syrian refugees who had fled the town of Arsal, close to the Syrian border.
• Khmer Rouge Leaders' Trial in Cambodia Raises Controversy RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- Although Cambodia's so-called "Killing Fields" survivors welcomed the court's ruling to impose life sentences against two elderly Khmer Rouge leaders on Thursday, many say justice has come too late and is simply not adequate. The stance is increasingly common with young citizens, primarily those born after the Khmer Rouge era atrocities, Japan Times states.
• Clashes in north-western Central African Republic cause renewed displacement - UN UN News Centre 08 Aug 2014 -- Fighting from 30 to 31 July in Batangafo, Central African Republic (CAR) has caused renewed displacement, according to Jens Laerke of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
• Military solution in South Sudan 'unacceptable', says Security Council, urging rivals to pursue dialogue UN News Centre 08 Aug 2014 -- Expressing "grave alarm and concern" about the deteriorating security situation and looming humanitarian catastrophe and South Sudan, the United Nations Security Council today urged President Salva Kiir and political rival Riek Machar to engage fully and inclusively in ongoing peace talks, and uphold their commitment to establish a transitional government.
• 'World must act now' to avert repeat of devastating famine in Somalia - UN expert UN News Centre 08 Aug 2014 -- A United Nations human rights expert today urged the international community to "act now" to avert a humanitarian disaster in Somalia, where a widening hunger crisis has sparked fears of a repeat of the 2011 famine that devastated the war-ravaged country.

News Reports

• Nigeria Declares State of Emergency Over Ebola VOA 08 Aug 2014 -- Nigeria's president has declared a national emergency over the Ebola outbreak, while the World Health Organization says the epidemic now constitutes an international public health emergency.
• UN declares Ebola outbreak global 'international public health emergency' UN News Centre 08 Aug 2014 -- The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today declared the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa an international public health emergency, saying: "our collective health security" depends on urgent support for containment in the affected countries.
• Liberia, Sierra Leone Deploy Troops to Contain Ebola VOA 08 Aug 2014 -- Liberia and Sierra Leone are reporting hundreds of confirmed or suspected cases of Ebola. Their public health systems are overrun. And now, both countries have declared states of emergency and sent security forces to quarantine affected areas.
• Russia Blames West for Spiraling 'War of Sanctions' RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- Moscow is not scared by the recent EU sanctions, which only harm relations between Russia and Europe and prompted a retaliatory response, Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said Friday.
• Ukraine May Lose $7Bln From Possible Sanctions Against Russia - Yatsenyuk RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2014 -- Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Friday Ukraine could stand $7 billion loss a year as a result of imposing sanctions against Russia.
• Russia grants Edward Snowden residency for 3 more years Iran Press TV 08 Aug 2014 -- Russia has allowed US National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden to stay in the country for three more years, his lawyer says.
• Explainer: The Yazidi Minority In Iraq RFE/RL 08 Aug 2014 -- Islamic militants this week encircled thousands of members of the Yazidi minority in northern Iraq, prompting the Obama administration to carry out humanitarian air drops to the refugees who fled their homes to Mount Sinjar. Here are answers to six questions about the Yazidi people, religion, and history.
• Study: Astronauts Sleep Deprived, Use Sleeping Pills VOA 08 Aug 2014 -- Despite the allure of floating in a weightless environment, outer space may not be the best place to take a snooze, according to new research.