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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Secretary Hagel and Gen. Dempsey in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 26 Sep 2014 -- Presenters: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin E. Dempsey
• US Airstrikes Pound Islamic State Targets VOA 26 Sep 2014 -- American fighter jets, drones and other aircraft pounded Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday as Britain, Denmark and Belgium joined the U.S.-led coalition fighting the group.
• Anti-ISIL Campaign Will Take Time, Dempsey Says AFPS 26 Sep 2014 -- The campaign against the ISIL terror group will be persistent and sustained and will take time, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at a Pentagon news conference this afternoon.
• Hagel: Defeating ISIL is Long-term Endeavor AFPS 26 Sep 2014 -- Defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant will require a long-term commitment by the United States and its allies on many fronts and will not be achieved by airstrikes alone, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters today.
• Anti-ISIL Airstrikes Continue in Iraq and Syria AFPS 26 Sep 2014 -- U.S. military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Iraq and Syria, using a mix of fighter, attack and remotely piloted aircraft to conduct 10 airstrikes yesterday and today.
• Britain Joins Fight Against IS Militants in Iraq VOA 26 Sep 2014 -- U.S. fighter jets, drones and other aircraft continued to pound Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria late Thursday and early Friday as Britain's parliament voted to join the military campaign against the militant group.
• British Lawmakers Approve UK Airstrikes Against ISIL in Iraq RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- The British parliament voted on Friday in favor of UK airstrikes against ISIL (Islamic State) militants in Iraq as part of the international effort to curb the advance of the fundamentalist group across the Middle East.
• Prime Minister: Denmark Joins International Anti-IS Campaign in Iraq RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- Denmark has joined the US-led international coalition to combat Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq, Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said Friday.
• Taliban Overrun Several Afghan Villages VOA 26 Sep 2014 -- Authorities in Afghanistan say heavy fighting is raging in a province southwest of the national capital where Taliban insurgents have overrun several villages and killed dozens of people. Local Afghan officials are reported as saying the advancing insurgents included masked men carrying a black flag and calling themselves fighters of the Islamic State. The Afghan insurgency has yet to comment on the latest hostilities.
• Taliban attacks district in Afghanistan, 100 killed Iran Press TV 26 Sep 2014 -- More than 100 people have been killed after Taliban militants launched an attack on a district in Afghanistan's southeastern province of Ghazni, local officials say.
• UK military mentoring in Afghanistan UK MOD 26 Sep 2014 -- British troops in Afghanistan have been leading the way on building a modern army.

Defense Policy / Programs

• CSG-4 Commends USS Simpson on Successful Completion of IDCERTEX NNS 26 Sep 2014 -- Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 4 congratulated the crew of the guided-missile frigate USS Simpson (FFG 56), Sept. 26, after the ship successfully completed its Independent Deployer Certification Exercise (IDCERTEX).
• SECNAV Names the Next Joint High Speed Vessel NNS 26 Sep 2014 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the next joint high speed vessel (JHSV) will be named USNS Trenton during a ceremony in Trenton, New Jersey, Sept. 25.
• A-29 Super Tucano arrives at Moody AFB AFNS 26 Sep 2014 -- The first of 20 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft arrived here Sept. 26, in preparation for the Afghanistan pilot and maintenance training mission.
• USS McClusky Returns to San Diego from Deployment NNS 26 Sep 2014 -- The Navy frigate USS McClusky (FFG 41) returned to San Diego following a five-month deployment to the 4th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR), Sept. 26.
• UNITAS 2014 Comes to a Close in Callao, Peru NNS 26 Sep 2014 -- Naval forces from 14 partner nations concluded UNITAS 2014, the 55th annual multinational maritime exercise, Sept. 26 in Callao, Peru, near Lima.
• Obama Administration Proposes New Regulations to Expand Important Financial Protections for Military Families DoD 26 Sep 2014 -- The Obama Administration remains committed to supporting our service members and their families. Today, as part of the Administration's ongoing commitment, the Department of Defense (DoD) is proposing regulation changes that would reduce predatory lending practices, significantly expand the protections provided to service members, close loopholes in current rules, and help to ensure military families receive the important consumer protections they deserve.
• Forager Fury III kicks off on Tinian USMC News 26 Sep 2014 -- Approximately 1,300 service members and personnel from U.S. Armed Forces units began Exercise Forager Fury III at Guam and Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, Sept. 24, 2014. Forager Fury is a Marine Corps-led exercise involving a full spectrum of fixed wing and rotary aircraft operations.
• Anders Fogh Rasmussen says good-bye to North Atlantic Council and NATO staff NATO 26 Sep 2014 -- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who will officially step down as the Alliance's 12th Secretary General at the end of this month, said good-bye to the members of the North Atlantic Council and NATO staff on Friday (26 September 2014), together with his wife Anne-Mette and his daughter Christina.
• Russian Troops Pulling Back to Home Bases After Vostok-2014 Drills RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- Russia's Eastern Military District troops are on their way home after taking part in massive Vostok-2014 war games in the country's Far East, the Defense Ministry said early Friday.
• Pakistan Tests Nuclear-Capable Missile: Reports RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- Pakistan has successfully tested the Hatf IX (NASR) short range surface-to-surface missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, Pakistani Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) service announced Friday.
• UN chief urges countries to "create a better future", ratify nuclear-test-ban treaty UN News Centre 26 Sep 2014 -- While the damage caused by past nuclear testing cannot be reversed, the international community can work toward a better future where nuclear testing and proliferation are banned outright, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
• World must move toward total elimination of nuclear weapons - UN chief UN News Centre 26 Sep 2014 -- World must move toward total elimination of nuclear weapons – UN chief The time has come for the total elimination of nuclear weapons stockpiles, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today declared as he urged the revival of nuclear disarmament as a "top international priority."
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 9/26/2014 The White House 26 Sep 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 26, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 26 September 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 26 Sep 2014
• In summit-level meeting, Ban announces review of UN 'blue helmet' operations UN News Centre 26 Sep 2014 -- From northern Mali to the Golan Heights, the risks facing United Nations peacekeepers are growing as they are deployed in increasingly dynamic and challenging situations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, adding that the Organization's "blue helmets" will have to quickly adapt to the demands of the 21st century's crises and conflicts.
• Syria, Iraq among crises driving some 330,000 to seek refugee status – UN agency UN News Centre 26 Sep 2014 -- The number of people seeking refugee status in industrialized countries climbed again in 2014, driven largely by the wars in Syria and Iraq, as well as conflict and instability in Afghanistan and Eritrea, according to a new United Nations Refugee agency (UNHCR) study released today.
• Russian Diplomat: Not All Heavy Weaponry Withdrawn From Line of Contact in East Ukraine RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- The Kiev government forces and eastern Ukrainian militia are yet to remove all their heavy weaponry from the line of contact, Russia's envoy to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Andrei Kelin said Friday.
• ISIL terrorists blow up old holy shrine in Iraq's Tikrit Iran Press TV 26 Sep 2014 -- The ISIL Takfiri terrorists in Iraq's northern city of Tikrit have blown up a holy shrine that was the burial site of dozens of early Muslim figures.
• Iraqi forces retake 2 military bases in Anbar Iran Press TV 26 Sep 2014 -- The Iraqi military forces, backed by local tribesmen, have retaken two besieged bases in the western province of Anbar.
• Xi steadfast on reunification People's Daily 26 Sep 2014 -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday vowed to take 'a firm and unwavering stance' on national reunification.
• China responses to boundary confrontation with India People's Daily 26 Sep 2014 -- China and India have established effective communication channels to properly handle the situation in border areas, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
• China, India Agree to Pull Back Troops After Two-Week-Long Border Standoff: Reports RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- China and India have agreed to a withdrawal of troops after a two week-long standoff near their de-facto border, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was quoted as saying by the Indian NDTV television channel Friday.
• Chinese Vessel Sailing in Japan's Waters off Disputed Senkaku Islands: Reports RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- A Chinese vessel is apparently conducting a maritime survey in Japan's exclusive economic zone off the disputed Senkaku Islands, Japan's national public broadcasting organization NHK reported Friday.
• UN: Gaza's Human Suffering, Destruction Unprecedented VOA 26 Sep 2014 -- A senior United Nations official says unprecedented human suffering and destruction occurred in Gaza during the 50-day war between Hamas and Israel, and that it will take years to rebuild the Palestinian enclave back to where it was before the war began.
• Hamas Honor Dead in War-Weary Gaza VOA 26 Sep 2014 -- Hamas militants in black ski masks enter the rally in the back of pickup trucks, guns aloft, to the cheers of their supporters.
• At UN Assembly, President calls for end to 'anachronistic burden' of divided Cyprus UN News Centre 26 Sep 2014 -- Cyprus and its citizens deserve much more than a divided country, President Nicos Anastasiades today said, urging the adopting of his confidence building measures and Turkish cooperation on the issue of missing persons.

News Reports

• Ukraine, Russia Strike Interim Gas Deal RFE/RL 26 Sep 2014 -- The European Union, Ukraine, and Russia have agreed on an interim solution for natural gas flows which could prevent energy shortages in both Ukraine and EU countries this winter.
• Russian Foreign Minister: Ukrainian Crisis Caused by Crisis in European Security System RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- The situation in Ukraine is the result of the crisis of the European security system, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.
• Spain, Morocco arrest 9 suspected militants linked to ISIL Iran Press TV 26 Sep 2014 -- Spain's Interior Ministry says Spanish and Moroccan police have arrested nine suspected members of a militant group linked to ISIL terrorists.
• 3,000 Europeans joined ISIL: EU official Iran Press TV 26 Sep 2014 -- The EU's anti-terrorism chief, Gilles de Kerchove, has acknowledged that more than 3,000 European citizens have joined ISIL terrorist group fighting in Syria and Iraq.
• Militants In Afghanistan, Pakistan Claiming Allegiance To IS RFE/RL 26 Sep 2014 -- Amid fears the Islamic State (IS) extremist group could expand to Afghanistan, there are already signs that some militants in the region are eager to claim affiliation with the group.
• Up to 50,000 Militants Fighting in IS Ranks: Russia's Security Council RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- Up to 50,000 militants are currently fighting within the ranks of Islamic State (IS) terrorist groups, and this number is growing as extremists from a number of states including the CIS are joining them, Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev said Friday.
• FBI Identifies IS Militant Who Beheaded US Journalists RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- The FBI has identified a masked, knife-wielding Islamic State militant who features as the presumed executioner in videos of the beheading of two American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, but has declined to reveal the person's name or nationality, Reuters reported on Thursday, quoting FBI Director James Comey.
• Behind Islamic State's Battlefield Gains, Battle-Hardened Chechens VOA 26 Sep 2014 -- Among the legions of foreign fighters who have turned the Islamic State into the world's most dangerous terrorist organization, the Chechens stand out.
• Sources Describe Final Days of Al-Shabab's Godane VOA 26 Sep 2014 -- It was shortly after 5:30 p.m. September 1, when Ahmed Abdi Godane and his bodyguards stopped their car along a road near Sablale, in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region.
• Ebola: UN mission readies to start work as virus death toll surpasses 3,000 UN News Centre 26 Sep 2014 -- The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today said it is intensifying its cooperation with a wide range of partners trying to accelerate work on experimental therapies and vaccines as it announced that Ebola has now sickened more than 6,500 and killed more than 3,000.
• Obama: U.S. to Lead on Global Health Security Challenge AFPS 26 Sep 2014 -- With Ebola spreading in West Africa at an alarming rate, President Barack Obama today hosted top government and military officials along with experts in public health and proposed a series of steps aimed at protecting people from that and other infectious diseases.
• Hagel: DoD to Begin Safety Testing for Ebola Vaccine Candidate AFPS 26 Sep 2014 -- The Defense Department has made critical contributions to the fight against the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and today Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel described additional ways the Pentagon is helping in the broader battle against infectious disease outbreaks of the future.
• Remarks at Global Health Security Agenda Summit US Dept. of State 26 Sep 2014
• Remarks by the President at Global Health Security Agenda Summit The White House 26 Sep 2014
• FACT SHEET: Global Health Security Agenda: Getting Ahead of the Curve on Epidemic Threats The White House 26 Sep 2014
• WHO Eyes 1st Ebola Vaccines by Early 2015 VOA 26 Sep 2014 -- The World Health Organization reported that a couple of promising vaccines against Ebola, which is ravaging parts of West Africa, may be ready for use by early next year.
• Iran: 'Extremely Slow' Nuclear Talks Progress VOA 26 Sep 2014 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says progress in ongoing nuclear talks with Western envoys has been 'extremely slow' and warned that negotiations must speed up for a deal to be reached by a November 24 deadline.
• Nuclear talks at vital juncture: Araqchi IRNA 26 Sep 2014 -- A senior member of Irans nuclear talks team says the negotiating sides have not reached a convincing solution amid discussing the details which have led the talks to a 'breath-taking' point.
• International law basis of trust building in Iran nuclear case: Rouhani Iran Press TV 26 Sep 2014 -- Iran's president says international law is the main mechanism for building trust in negotiations between the Islamic Republic and six world powers over Tehran's nuclear energy program.
• Rouhani stresses 'constructive interaction' with world Iran Press TV 26 Sep 2014 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has reaffirmed Iran's determination to promote its relations with the global community based on the principle of "constructive interaction."
• Source: Foreign Medics Treat N. Korean Leader VOA 26 Sep 2014 -- A team of foreign medical workers appears to have visited North Korea to treat its leader, Kim Jong Un, a South Korean government official said Friday.
• Kim Jong-un May Be Suffering from Gout: South Korean Media RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was nowhere to be found during the second session of the country's parliament this Thursday, and hasn't appeared in public for over three weeks, leading to speculation among the South Korean media that he may be suffering from gout.
• Tiangong-2 space lab scheduled to be launched in 2016 People's Daily 26 Sep 2014 -- Tiangong-1, China's first space lab, has been in orbit for 1092 days since it was launched on September 29, 2011.
• Manned Soyuz Spacecraft Docks With ISS Despite Solar Battery Failure RIA Novosti 26 Sep 2014 -- Russia's manned Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft has successfully docked with the International Space Station after reports said it had failed to unfold one of the two stowed solar arrays, a spokesman of the Roscosmos space agency told RIA Novosti early Friday.
• In annual address, Guyana urges UN Assembly to focus on border issues for development UN News Centre 26 Sep 2014 -- The most important precondition for development progress is peace, the President of Guyana told the annual United Nations Assembly debate, calling on the Organization to redouble its efforts to resolve border issues which fuel conflicts in parts of the world.