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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 17 Oct 2014 [PDF]
• US Commander: IS Fight to Take Time VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- The top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East says the campaign against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria is 'having the desired effects' toward degrading the group's capabilities, but will take time.
• Airstrikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 17 Oct 2014 -- U.S. military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria yesterday and today using fighter aircraft to conduct seven airstrikes.
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by General Austin in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 17 Oct 2014 -- Presenter: Commander of U.S. Central Command General Lloyd J. Austin III
• Anti-ISIL Strategy Working, Needs Patience, Austin Says AFPS 17 Oct 2014 -- The strategy against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is working, but degrading and destroying the terror group will require "strategic patience," Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III said today.
• US Commander: Losing Kobani to IS 'Highly Possible' VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- The top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East says U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and Kurdish forces have made 'encouraging' progress against Islamic State militants trying to seize Kobani, but it is still 'highly possible' the Syrian border city may fall into the group's hands.
• Transcom Widens Logistics Pipeline in Ebola Fight AFPS 17 Oct 2014 -- U.S. Transportation Command Joint Task Force-Port Opening teams are widening the pipeline necessary to move forces, humanitarian aid, medical supplies and portable hospitals into Liberia in support of the U.S. government's response to the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, Transcom officials reported.
• Obama Activates Reserves for Operation United Assistance AFPS 17 Oct 2014 -- President Barack Obama has authorized the Defense Department to call up a small number of National Guard or reserve troops that possess special skills needed to aid efforts in stopping the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa.
• RFA Argus deploys to Sierra Leone UK MOD 17 Oct 2014 -- The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship began her journey to Sierra Leone today as part of the UK's response to the Ebola outbreak.

Defense Policy / Programs

• X-37B ORBITAL TEST VEHICLE-3 LANDS AT VANDENBERG AFB AFNS 17 Oct 2014 -- The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission 3 (OTV-3), the Air Force's unmanned, reusable space plane, landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 9:24 a.m. Oct. 17, 2014.
• Iconic 'Elephant Cage' laid to rest AFNS 17 Oct 2014 -- Demolition of Misawa Air Base's AN/FLR-9 antenna, also known as the 'Elephant Cage,' began Oct. 15 after nearly 50 years of service.
• USS Arleigh Burke Returns to Norfolk NNS 17 Oct 2014 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) returned to her Norfolk, Va., homeport, Oct. 17, after completing an eight-month deployment in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations.
• Dunford Succeeds Amos as Marine Corps Commandant AFPS 17 Oct 2014 -- After nearly four years as Marine Corps commandant, Gen. James F. Amos today passed command to Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. in a ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington.
• Navy Christens Littoral Combat Ship Detroit DoD 17 Oct 2014 -- The Navy will christen littoral combat ship (LCS) Detroit, on Oct. 18 during a ceremony at Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.
• U.S., Bulgaria resilient as regional threat looms USMC News 17 Oct 2014 -- U.S. and Bulgaria military exercises demonstrate a combined commitment to preserving European security amidst recent Russian aggression.
  As current regional tensions in Eastern Europe intensify, NATO partnerships are vital to deescalating and deterring threats.
• India test-fires domestic nuclear-capable cruise missile Iran Press TV 17 Oct 2014 -- India has successfully test-fired its first domestic nuclear-capable long-range cruise missile.
• India Conducts First Successful Test of Nuclear-Capable Cruise Missile: Reports RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2014 -- India has conducted its first successful test of the Nirbhay nuclear-capable cruise missile, developed by the country's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), NDTV said Friday.
• South Korea Confronts Violence Within Military Ranks VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- South Korea maintains a 600-thousand-strong military, made up mostly of young recruits like Kwak, a legacy of the country's unfinished war with North Korea. Every able-bodied South Korean male between 18 and 35 must serve for 21 to 36 months in the country's armed forces — depending upon the specific branch — a period longer than most countries require.
• Chinese Envoy Criticizes US Plans to Deploy Missile Defense System in South Korea RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2014 -- The deployment of a US advanced missile defense system in South Korea currently under consideration in Washington may trigger a strong negative reaction from North Korea, China's deputy chief envoy to the talks urged Friday.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 10/17/14 The White House 17 Oct 2014
• October 17, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 17 Oct 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 17, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 17 October 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 17 Oct 2014
• Russia, Ukraine, EU Leaders End Summit With No Breakthrough VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- A high-stakes meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia ended Friday with few outward signs of progress in ending a months-long pro-Russian separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine.
• Ukraine, Russia Talks End, With 'Certain Progress' Reported RFE/RL 17 Oct 2014 -- The Ukrainian and Russia presidents have ended a bilateral meeting in Milan, with somewhat contradictory versions of the talks' outcome.
• In Ukraine, Deal to Hasten Prisoner Swaps VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko held a second meeting Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande in Milan in another attempt to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.
• Turkey-PKK Peace Deal Shaky but Not Broken VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- The peace process between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Turkey is continuing despite warnings by rebels that negotiations are facing collapse over two primary concerns: Ankara's inaction in stopping the advance of Islamic State militants in Kobani, and the Turkish military's recent airstrikes on PKK bases.
• Fighting underway between Iraqi forces, ISIL near Amiriyah Fallujah Iran Press TV 17 Oct 2014 -- Iraqi government forces are engaged in fierce fighting with the ISIL Takfiri militants near the city of Amiriyah Fallujah in the beleaguered western province of al-Anbar, Press TV reports.
• Iraq Imposes Curfew On Ramadi To Stem Militant Advance RFE/RL 17 Oct 2014 -- Iraqi authorities have imposed a curfew on the western city of Ramadi in an effort to slow the advance of fighters from the Islamic State militant group.
• Italy to Send 280 Soldiers to Train Kurds Fighting Islamic State: Defense Minister RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2014 -- Italy will send 280 soldiers to train Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq to consult the Iraqi high command, Italy's Defense Minister said speaking at parliament.
• Militia infighting kills nearly 100 in Libya in one week Iran Press TV 17 Oct 2014 -- Libyan officials say nearly 100 people have been killed during fighting between rival armed groups across the country over the past week.
• UN agency reports growing number of refugees as Nigeria insurgency continues UN News Centre 17 Oct 2014 -- Amid an intensifying campaign of violence committed by insurgent groups in north-eastern Nigeria, the number of refugees fleeing the conflict into the West African country's neighbouring States has steadily increased significantly, the UN refugee agency warned today.
• Nigeria, Boko Haram Reach Cease-Fire, Agree to Free Schoolgirls VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- The Nigerian government says militant group Boko Haram has agreed to a cease-fire and the release of 219 schoolgirls kidnapped by the militants in April from the town of Chibok.
• Nigerian Agreement Enhances Rebel Group's Stature, says Analyst VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- Militant group Boko Haram and the Nigerian government have reached a cease-fire agreement that calls for the release of more than 200 girls the militants kidnapped from the town of Chibok in April.
• Central African Republic: UN officials deplore militia's targeting of hospitals, patients UN News Centre 17 Oct 2014 -- Armed groups must respect medical facilities and allow patients and medical staff unhindered and safe access to hospitals, two United Nations officials in the Central African Republic (CAR) urged as fighting continued in the embattled nation.
• UN demands safe release of abducted personnel in South Sudan UN News Centre 17 Oct 2014 -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan today strongly condemned the recent abductions of the world body's personnel at the airfield in Malakal and demanded the safe release of those still being detained.
• More asylum-seekers died trying to reach Yemen in 2014, than 3 past years combined - UN UN News Centre 17 Oct 2014 -- More migrants and asylum-seekers are dying in attempts to get to Yemen, mainly from the Horn of Africa, this year than in the last three years combined, the UN refugee agency reported today.
• DRC Launches Inquiry into North Kivu 'Terrorist' Attack VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) launched an investigation into an attack in the North Kivu province that left at least 26 people dead and many injured, according to information minister Lambert Mende.
• Study: Rohingya Among World's Most Persecuted VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- The Rohingya minority community in Myanmar should rank as one of the most excluded, persecuted and vulnerable communities in the world. That is the conclusion of a pair of studies, prepared over a three-year-period, looking at the plight of the stateless group.
• With Mali peace talks set to resume, Security Council urges 'spirit of compromise' UN News Centre 17 Oct 2014 -- Welcoming the scheduled resumption on 19 October of the inter-Malian negotiation process in Algiers, the United Nations Security Council today called on all parties in Mali "to engage in good faith and in the spirit of compromise" in the talks towards the ultimate end of agreeing a "comprehensive and inclusive" peace deal.

News Reports

• US Names 'Ebola Czar' VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- U.S. President Barack Obama has named a former White House official as Ebola 'czar' to coordinate U.S. efforts to fight the deadly virus.
• Hong Kong Impasse as Crowds Grow Again VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- Hours after Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying announced his government is seeking negotiations with democracy protesters, tensions flared again at dawn in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. Hundreds of police officers moved onto the streets of Kowloon, removing barricades in an effort to end the occupation of Mong kok shopping district, the scene of violent confrontations between police, democracy protesters and pro-Beijing elements in the last 19 days.
• Kim Jong Un Appears With Cane, Fuels Rumors Of His Health RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2014 -- Kim Jong Un, the First secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, has made his second public appearance, walking with a cane in hand; his mysterious absence of more than amonth is still triggering rumors about the poor shape of his health.
• Poland Could Deport Russian Diplomats Amid Spy Scandal: Polish Deputy Prime Minister RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2014 -- Poland could deport Russian diplomats from the country as a result of the recent scandal alleging a lawyer and senior army officer of spying for Russia, Poland's Deputy Prime Minister Janusz Piechocinski said Friday.
• Japan parliamentarians visit controversial shrine Iran Press TV 17 Oct 2014 -- In a move frowned upon by Japan's neighbors, as many as 110 of the country's parliamentarians have paid homage to a shrine where millions of the WWII dead are laid to rest.
• China slams Japan lawmakers visit to war shrine Iran Press TV 17 Oct 2014 -- China has condemned a visit by Japanese lawmakers to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo, saying the move would flare up tensions between the two countries.
• China Completes Construction of Country's Largest Spaceport: Reports RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2014 -- Construction of the fourth and the largest spaceport in China in the country's southern city of Wenchang has been completed and it is ready for launch, People's Daily reported Friday.
• Observers Approve Mozambique Vote VOA 17 Oct 2014 -- International observers have largely given a stamp of approval to Mozambique's October 15 elections.