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Defen

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 29 Oct 2014 [PDF]

se Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Centcom Officials Describe Latest Inherent Resolve Airstrikes AFPS 29 Oct 2014 -- U.S. military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria yesterday and today, using fighter and bomber aircraft to conduct eight airstrikes, U.S. Central Command officials reported.
• Forces medics bid farewell to Bastion UK MOD 29 Oct 2014 -- Troops in Afghanistan have been supported by a team of expert medics dedicated to providing the best care for their wounded colleagues.
• Hagel: Monitoring Returning Troops Provides 'Safety Valve' AFPS 29 Oct 2014 -- A 21-day monitoring period for U.S. service members returning from areas affected by Ebola in West Africa provides a margin of safety that troops and their families wanted, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here today.
• Statement from Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby on Controlled Monitoring for Personnel Returning from Operation United Assistance DoD 29 Oct 2014
• Liberia, U.S. build Ebola treatment centers, decrease virus growth rate USMC News 29 Oct 2014 -- The Armed Forces of Liberia and U.S. forces are building Ebola Treatment Units to provide care for critically ill Liberians infected by Ebola.
• Air Force Medical Trainers Arrive in Monrovia AFPS 29 Oct 2014 -- A team of Air Force medical trainers has arrived in Monrovia, Liberia, to train non-U.S. medical personnel as part of Operation United Assistance, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Hagel Offers Perspective on 'Historic, Defining Times' AFPS 29 Oct 2014 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today provided perspectives on his approach to national security issues during an interview at the Washington Ideas Forum here.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Call with Malaysian Minister of Defense Hishammuddin Tun Hussein DoD 29 Oct 2014
• 3/14 rain fire during FIREX USMC News 29 Oct 2014 -- In the hills of Pennsylvania, a loud and thunderous blast is heard with only the dragon's breath of the M777A2 Lightweight Howitzer seen through the trees after India and Golf Batteries with 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, unleash the accurate and continuous fury that is field artillery.
• Cybercom Chief Calls Partnerships Vital to Network Security AFPS 29 Oct 2014 -- Cyber is the ultimate team sport, and it will take true partnerships between defense and industry to protect the nation's information systems, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command told an audience at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce here yesterday.
• NATO Tracks Russian Warplanes in European Airspace VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- NATO announced it has detected "unusual" activity by Russian aircraft in European airspace in the past two days.
• Fate of Mistral Contract Still Unclear: French Military Source RIA Novosti 29 Oct 2014 -- The contract on the delivery of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers to Russia has not been canceled and its fate will be decided by the French political leadership, a French Defense Ministry source told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
• Georgian Military Brass Accused Of Misuse Of State Funds RFE/RL 29 Oct 2014 -- The Georgian prosecutor's office says five current and former senior military officials have been arrested on suspicion of misusing of state funds.
• £1.5 billion UK military air traffic management deal UK MOD 29 Oct 2014 -- A MOD contract to update and sustain military air traffic management – expected to save the taxpayer up to £1 billion – has been agreed.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 10/29/2014 The White House 29 Oct 2014
• October 29, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 29 Oct 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 29, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 29 October 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 29 Oct 2014
• 'Status quo not viable option' in Jerusalem, UN political chief tells Security Council UN News Centre 29 Oct 2014 -- Ongoing tensions in East Jerusalem and the West Bank cannot be separated from the larger reality that remains unresolved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.
• Palestinians Denounce Israeli Settlement Plans at UN VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday urged the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israel's plans to build thousands more homes for Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem.
• Profane 'Coward' Remark Further Strains US-Israel Relations VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- Strained diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and Israel further frayed this week after an anonymous U.S. official was quoted in a magazine article characterizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu using a profane slang that means "worthless coward."
• Massive scale-up of assistance needed for countries impacted by ongoing Syria crisis - UN relief official UN News Centre 29 Oct 2014 -- The ongoing civil war in Syria and its spillover effects continue to inflict a devastating human and humanitarian toll on neighbouring Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, a senior United Nations relief official said today, warning that rising numbers of displaced persons, increasing pressure on refugee hosting countries and dwindling international support left the UN "racing against the clock" to meet the needs on the ground.
• 'Free Syrian Army' militants in Kobani to fight ISIL Iran Press TV 29 Oct 2014 -- Foreign-backed militants from the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) have crossed from Turkey into the Syrian border city of Kobani to join Kurdish forces in their battle against ISIL Takfiri militants.
• Dozens killed in ISIL clashes in Syria's Homs: Report Iran Press TV 29 Oct 2014 -- Violent clashes between ISIL Takfiri terrorists and pro-government forces in central Syria have left dozens of people dead, says a UK-based group.
• Syrian Rebels Said To Enter Kobani From Turkey RFE/RL 29 Oct 2014 -- Officials and activists say a group of fighters from the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) have entered the embattled Syrian town of Kobani from Turkey to help Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State (IS) militants.
• Free Syrian Army Rebels Arrive in Kobani to Fight Against IS: Syrian Kurdish Party RIA Novosti 29 Oct 2014 -- About 40 Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels arrived in Kobani to join the independence defense forces in fighting the Islamic State (IS) militants, a source from Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
• Rebels, Iraqi Kurds Help Syrian Kurds Fight IS in Kobani VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- Kurdish fighters in northern Syria are getting reinforcements in their month-long battle with Islamic State militants in the border city of Kobani.
• ISIL executes 46 tribesmen in Iraqi town of Hit Iran Press TV 29 Oct 2014 -- ISIL Takfiris have executed at least 46 members of a tribe fighting against the terrorist group in Iraq's Anbar Province, sources say.
• Iraqi army continues its push against ISIL around Baiji Iran Press TV 29 Oct 2014 -- Iraqi government forces, backed by Shia volunteer forces, have stepped up their offensive to liberate the strategic northern city of Baiji from the ISIL Takfiri militants.
• North, South Korea rule out resumption of talks Iran Press TV 29 Oct 2014 -- North and South Korea have ruled out the resumption of high-level political talks aimed at improving inter-Korean relations, with each side blaming the other for the deadlock.
• Islamabad says fight against militants in North Waziristan successful Iran Press TV 29 Oct 2014 -- The Pakistani army says the months-long battle against terrorists in North Waziristan region has been a success, as the militant death toll in the region hit 1,100.
• Ukraine: Ban deplores planned holding of November 'elections' by rebel groups UN News Centre 29 Oct 2014 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today deplored the planned holding by armed rebel groups in eastern Ukraine of their own "elections" on 2 November, calling the potential polls a "breach of the constitution and national law."
• Russia dispatches aid convoy to eastern Ukraine Iran Press TV 29 Oct 2014 -- Russia has dispatched its fourth relief aid convoy to the volatile eastern regions of Ukraine.
• Uniting Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk Republics Illogical: Official RIA Novosti 29 Oct 2014 -- The prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) said Tuesday that he sees no reason for the eastern Ukrainian republic to unite with the neighboring Luhansk People's Republic (LPR).
• Kiev Withdraws From Delineation Agreement With East Ukraine: DPR RIA Novosti 29 Oct 2014 -- Kiev has withdrawn from the delineation agreement it signed with Donetsk authorities without any explanation, the deputy prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) said Wednesday.
• Al-Shabab Somalia Branch in Decline, But Not Gone: UN Chief RIA Novosti 29 Oct 2014 -- Somalia's Al-Shabab militants are in retreat but still a threat, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated on Wednesday during a tour of the Horn of Africa.
• In Somalia, Ban lauds country's progress towards stability, urges 'continuity' UN News Centre 29 Oct 2014 -- Somalia has made "remarkable progress" as it continues down the road towards economic and political stability, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as he arrived in the capital city of Mogadishu – the third stop in a tour of the Horn of Africa aimed at promoting development and consolidating peace and security across the wider region.
• Farming sector hit by insecurity as Central African Republic crisis grinds on – UN report UN News Centre 29 Oct 2014 -- The continuing crisis in the embattled Central African Republic has taken a large toll on agricultural production and is eroding the capacity of the country's population to secure sufficient food, a new report by the United Nations food and agriculture agencies has found.
• Ban 'deeply troubled' by findings of review of allegations of misreporting by joint Darfur Mission UN News Centre 29 Oct 2014 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is "deeply troubled" by the findings of a review conducted into recent allegations that the UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Sudan's Darfur region intentionally sought to cover up crimes against civilians and peacekeepers.
• Boko Haram Seizes Nigerian City VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- Witnesses say Boko Haram militants have taken over a city in northeastern Nigeria, again defying a cease-fire declared by the government earlier this month.
• Nearly 25 million food insecure in Sahel IRIN 29 Oct 2014 -- Food security and malnutrition rates across the Sahel are deteriorating, due in large part to ongoing conflict and instability in the Central African Republic (CAR), northern Mali, and northeast Nigeria, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

News Reports

• China stresses authority of Constitution, pledges judicial reform People's Daily 29 Oct 2014 -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee published the full text of last weeks' decision on the rule of law on Tuesday, along with an explanation by President Xi Jinping.
• Xi promises an independent, fair judiciary People's Daily 29 Oct 2014 -- President Xi Jinping has warned of serious problems in China's judicial system and promised to deal with judicial injustice in a document published in Beijing on Tuesday.
• Three Decades on, China Puts Focus Back on Constitution VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- It has been more than three decades since Communist-ruled China established its current constitution, but now the document is getting newfound attention under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping. At a recently concluded top-level meeting focused on building up the rule of law in China, the party announced a national day to celebrate the document would be held each year and officials will swear allegiance to it when they come into office.
• Signs of Ebola decline in Liberia offer 'glimmer of hope' – UN UN News Centre 29 Oct 2014 -- The spread of Ebola in Liberia may be slowing, as demonstrated in the decline in burials and sickbed occupancy rates, as well as a plateau in lab-reported new cases in the West African country hardest hit by the virus, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) reported today, while cautioning against drawing premature conclusions.
• WHO: Liberia’s Ebola Infection Rate Declines VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- After months of near-futile battle with Ebola, a World Health Organization official said a glimmer of hope is beginning to emerge in the worst-affected country, Liberia.
• US Diplomat Promises Sustained Response to Ebola Outbreak VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power has promised a sustained response to the West African Ebola crisis.
• Iran rejects Shaheed report as unfair, politically-motivated IRNA 29 Oct 2014 -- Irans Permanent Mission to the United Nations Organization said the recent report by the UN rapporteur on Irans human rights situation is unfair and politically-motivated.
• UN rights report on Iran 'biased, politically-tainted' Iran Press TV 29 Oct 2014 -- Iran says a recent report by the UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic is biased and politically-motivated.
• Zambian President Michael Sata Dies in London RIA Novosti 29 Oct 2014 -- Zambian President Michael Sata died in London at the age of 77 on Tuesday night, where he had been staying for medical treatment, Cabinet Secretary Robert Msiska told the press.
• Zambian VP Scott Named Interim Leader VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- Zambian Vice President Guy Scott has been named the interim leader of Africa's second-largest copper-producing nation, a government minister said on Wednesday.
• Rosneft Threatens Lawsuit Over Sanctions Proposal Report RFE/RL 29 Oct 2014 -- Russia's largest oil company, Rosneft, is threatening to sue the Russian daily 'Kommersant' for a report alleging Rosneft sent President Vladimir Putin proposals for countersanctions against Western companies and individuals.
• Bangladesh Islamist Party Chief Gets Death Sentence VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- Judges in Bangladesh have sentenced the head of the country's largest Islamist party to death for war crimes.
• With Failed Launch, US Private Space Industry Suffers Setback VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- Wednesday's successful launch of a Russian space vehicle taking supplies to the International Space Station was in sharp contrast to the explosion of a private U.S. cargo space craft shortly after it's Tuesday launch on a similar mission. But U.S. space agency NASA, which contracted the private firm to supply the space station, says the program will move forward, with more launches to come.
• NASA rocket crash blows up $200 million worth of equipment Iran Press TV 29 Oct 2014 -- Two-hundred million dollars worth of space equipment went into a fireball when an unmanned NASA rocket exploded in midair seconds after launch, authorities say.
• Russia Launches ISS Cargo Mission After US Rocket Explodes VOA 29 Oct 2014 -- Russia successfully launched an unmanned rocket with supplies for the International Space Station from Kazakhstan on Wednesday, hours after a catastrophic explosion destroyed a similar mission in the United States.