Further Reading

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 14 Nov 2014 [PDF]
• Military Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 14 Nov 2014 -- U.S and partner nation military forces continued to attack Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria Nov. 12 to 14 using bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft to conduct 19 airstrikes against ISIL, U.S. Central Command officials reported, and one U.S. airstrike against a network of veteran al-Qaida operatives, sometimes called the "Khorasan Group."
• Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby on the Mobilization of Reserve Forces in Support of Operation United Assistance DoD 14 Nov 2014 -- Last night, Secretary Hagel signed an order authorizing the involuntary mobilization of approximately 2,100 Army Reserve and Army National Guard soldiers to support Operation United Assistance.
• First 90 returnees enter controlled monitoring period after Ebola response AFNS 14 Nov 2014 -- U.S. service members arrived at Joint Base Langley-Eustis' Langley Transit Center Nov. 13 to begin a 21-day controlled monitoring period prior to returning to their home stations.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Work Details How DoD Will Implement Nuclear Improvements AFPS 14 Nov 2014 -- The Defense Department will implement more than 100 recommendations to improve its nuclear deterrent enterprise and in the process make the difficult job of working in that environment better for the nuclear workforce, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said today.
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Secretary Hagel on Reforms to the Nuclear Enterprise in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 14 Nov 2014 -- Presenters: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work
• Hagel Announces Changes to U.S. Nuclear Deterrent Enterprise AFPS 14 Nov 2014 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced a series of measures to increase investment in America's nuclear deterrent after reviews found evidence of systemic problems in the enterprise.
• Secretary of Defense Hagel Announces Nuclear Force Reforms DoD 14 Nov 2014 -- Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced today a comprehensive action plan to reform to the nuclear enterprise and called for additional critical investments in sustainment as well as measures to address longstanding cultural issues that have hurt the morale of the nuclear force.
• US to invest billions of dollars in nukes over next five years Iran Press TV 14 Nov 2014 -- US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has vowed to put billions of dollars in investment over the next five years to overhaul the country's deadly nuclear weapons arsenal.
• US May Increase Nuclear Enterprise Budget in Next 5 Years: Pentagon Sputnik 14 Nov 2014 -- The US Department of Defense (DOD) will increase its nuclear enterprise budget by 10 percent in each of the next five years to maintain the aging infrastructure, leaders within the department said at a press briefing Friday.
• DOD, Air Force nuclear force reviews consistent with force improvement efforts AFNS 14 Nov 2014 -- The Secretary of Defense announced the results of the Nuclear Enterprise Review during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Nov. 14.
• Hagel Lauds Nuclear Enterprise Airmen As 'Indispensable' in National Security AFPS 14 Nov 2014 -- On the first stop of his five-day domestic trip to interact with military members, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today praised what he called the "reliable and effective" airmen who support the nuclear enterprise at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
• Remarks by Secretary Hagel at a troop event, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota DoD 14 Nov 2014 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
• Media Availability with Secretary Hagel at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota DoD 14 Nov 2014 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
• US, Japanese rescue squadrons participate in exercise Keen Sword AFNS 14 Nov 2014 -- Personnel from the Japan Self Defense Force are teaming up with Kadena Air Base's 33rd Rescue Squadron and Eielson Air Force Base's 212th Rescue Squadron in support of a Japan-wide, joint-bilateral exercise that will run until Nov. 19.
• Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 2 Established NNS 14 Nov 2014 -- Capt. Paul Young assumed command of the newly formed Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron (LCSRON) 2 during a ceremony held at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Nov. 7.
• F-35C Completes First Night Flight Aboard Aircraft Carrier NNS 14 Nov 2014 -- The F-35C Lightning II carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter conducted its first carrier-based night flight operations aboard an aircraft carrier off the coast of San Diego Nov. 13.
• Readout of Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work's meeting with the Canadian Deputy Minister of Defense Richard Fadden DoD 14 Nov 2014
• Marines test expeditionary capabilities aboard Medgar Evers dry cargo, ammunition ship USMC News 14 Nov 2014 -- Until now, civilian workers on the cargo and ammunition ship USNS Medgar Evers have operated alone when refueling or resupplying naval vessels on the go. Exercise Bold Alligator 14 provided an opportunity for the Navy-Marine Corps team to place service members aboard the Medgar Evers, not only to assist with resupply operations, but to test their ability to perform maintenance on equipment away from staging areas on land, Oct. 27 through Nov. 10.
• Marines, Romanian partnerships during Platinum Lynx 15 USMC News 14 Nov 2014 -- Marines and Sailors from the Black Sea Rotational Force, along with members of the Romanian Land Forces and 300th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, worked hand-in-hand during training events on exercise Platinum Lynx 15 in Focsani, Romania, Nov. 2-7, 2014.
• Germantown Completes Patrol, Returns to Sasebo NNS 14 Nov 2014 -- The forward deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) returned to Commander Fleet Activities Sasebo (CFAS), Nov. 14, following a scheduled three-month patrol.
• Simpson Departs for Final Deployment NNS 14 Nov 2014 -- To begin the ship's final deployment, USS Simpson (FFG 56) departed her homeport Nov. 14, for regularly scheduled theater security missions in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.
• NATO Chief Says Alliance Already Increased Presence Near Russian Border Sputnik 14 Nov 2014 -- NATO has already increased its presence near the Russian border, the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview to the German Bild newspaper published Friday.
• Sweden Confirms Foreign Submarine Intrusion RFE/RL 14 Nov 2014 -- Sweden has confirmed that a small foreign submarine illegally entered its waters in October, but said it's still unclear which country was behind the incursion.
• Unknown Submarine Did Illegally Enter Swedish Waters: Ministers Sputnik 14 Nov 2014 -- Swedish authorities have confirmed that a small foreign submersible craft did illegally enter the country's territorial waters last month, Associated Press reports.
• Sweden Confirms Submarine Presence VOA 14 Nov 2014 -- Sweden says it can confirm a submarine violated its territorial waters near Stockholm in October.
• Russia warns France over warship delivery Iran Press TV 14 Nov 2014 -- Russia has warned France of "serious" consequences should Paris fail to deliver a Mistral-class assault warship by the end of the month, a report says.
• Serbia Hosts Russian Forces For Military Drills RFE/RL 14 Nov 2014 -- Russian paratroopers have landed in a Serbian field as part of an unprecedented military exercise in the Balkan nation, which is seeking to join the European Union.
• Belgrade Plays Down Joint Military Exercise With Russia RFE/RL 14 Nov 2014 -- The first-ever joint Serbian-Russian military exercises have been held at the Nikinci military testing ground outside Belgrade. Although local media were granted access to the event as it got started, Serbian journalists scrambled for information in the run-up to the exercise.
• New Stealth Submarine to Join Russian Navy by End of Year: Defense Ministry Sputnik 14 Nov 2014 -- Russia's new Varshavyanka-class Rostov-on-Don submarine will be handed over to the Russian Navy by the end of the year, a Defense Ministry spokesperson said Friday.
• India's Suspended Sukhoi Su-30 Jets May Return to Service Next Week Sputnik 14 Nov 2014 -- India's Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker-H jet fleet, grounded following a crash in October, may return to operation within a week, Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Arup Raha said at the IAF Placement Fair on Friday.
• China, Pakistan pledge to strengthen air force cooperation People's Daily 14 Nov 2014 -- Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan on Friday met with visiting Pakistani Chief of Air Staff Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt to discuss bilateral military ties, including cooperation between the countries' air forces.
• China, Singapore defense ministers hold talks People's Daily 14 Nov 2014 -- Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan and Minister of National Defence of Singapore Ng Eng Hen on Friday held talks and reached a four-point consensus.
• KCNA Commentary Slams U.S. for Floating Story about DPRK's Submarines Capable of Launching Missiles KCNA 14 Nov 2014 -- These days the United States is working hard to build up public opinion on the DPRK's submarines capable of launching missiles through media.
• S. Korea to hold drill in islets disputed with Japan: Seoul People's Daily 14 Nov 2014 -- South Korea's military will conduct an annual military drill in islets disputed with Japan on Nov. 24, Seoul's defense ministry said on Friday.
• No Deal to Sell S-300 Air Defense Systems to Egypt: FSMTC Sputnik 14 Nov 2014 -- Media reports about a contract to sell S-300VM mobile air defense missile systems to Egypt are untrue, the Russian state body overseeing defense contracts said Friday.
• November 14, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 14 Nov 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for November 14, 2014
• Russia, China to Start Joint Production of Helicopters, Engines: Rostec Sputnik 14 Nov 2014 -- Russia and China have agreed on a joint project to build helicopters and engines, Russia's high-tech Rostec corporation told RIA Novosti Friday.

Other Conflicts

• 14 November 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 14 Nov 2014
• No fresh peace talks with pro-Russia forces: Ukraine Iran Press TV 14 Nov 2014 -- The Ukrainian government says it will not take part in any fresh negotiations with pro-Russia forces, who are pursuing autonomy in eastern Ukraine.
• Poroshenko: Ukraine Able to Defend Itself if Minsk Agreement Breached Sputnik 14 Nov 2014 -- The Ukrainian army is well prepared and able to defend the country's borders in case of 'developments contrary to the Minsk plan', Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Friday.
• EU Says Not Ready to Link Increased Military Activity in Donbas to Russia Sputnik 14 Nov 2014 -- The European Union is not ready to link the increased military activity and the movement of convoys in Ukraine's east to Russia, a senior EU official said Friday.
• Kyiv Stresses Need for Bolstered Military VOA 14 Nov 2014 -- Ukraine's president says his country's armed forces are 'willing and able to fight back' should the cease-fire agreement reached in September between his government and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine unravel.
• New UN report depicts 'relentless assault' on civilians inside ISIL-controlled Syria UN News Centre 14 Nov 2014 -- Shocking accounts of the use of terror by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to subjugate Syrians living under its control were revealed by United Nations human rights investigators today who said the group's "calculated use of public brutality" to spread fear routinely includes public beheading, shooting and stoning of civilians and captured fighters.
• As cold weather approaches, UN agencies cross frontlines of Syrian conflict with critical aid UN News Centre 14 Nov 2014 -- As the United Nations moves to broker a "freeze" of the ongoing Syrian conflict, the world body's humanitarian agencies are continuing with their deliveries of critical assistance to civilians in the Middle Eastern country's besieged areas in anticipation of an expectedly harsh winter.
• ISIL committing war crimes in Syria: United Nations Iran Press TV 14 Nov 2014 -- The United Nations says the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group is committing crimes against humanity and war crimes on a large scale in areas under its control in Syria.
• Iraqi army soldiers gain full control of oil-rich Baiji Iran Press TV 14 Nov 2014 -- Iraqi troops battling the ISIL Takfiri militants have accomplished their mop-up operation in the strategic northern city of Baiji, which is home to the country's largest oil refinery.
• IS Militants Said Driven From Iraqi Refinery Town RFE/RL 14 Nov 2014 -- Iraqi officials say government forces have dislodged Islamic State (IS) fighters from the city of Baiji, home to the country's largest oil refinery.
• Iraqi Army Restore Stability in Oil-Rich Baiji After Forcing Out IS Troops Sputnik 14 Nov 2014 -- Iraqi troops successfully accomplished their military operation against Islamic State fighters in the oil-rich city Baiji on Friday.
• Iraqi Forces Drive IS From Refinery Town VOA 14 Nov 2014 -- Iraqi officials said Friday government forces have driven out Islamic State militants from the oil refinery town of Beiji, north of Baghdad.
• Amid surging violence in Libya, UN warns of potential displacement crisis UN News Centre 14 Nov 2014 -- In the wake of car bombings in Tripoli and deadly clashes between rival armed groups across the long-troubled Libya, the United Nations human rights office today voiced alarm over escalating violence in the long-troubled country, while the Organization's refugee agency warned that mounting insecurity is taking a toll on humanitarian operations.
• Boko Haram Seizes Chibok, Nigeria Home of Kidnapped Girls VOA 14 Nov 2014 -- Militant group Boko Haram has seized the northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok, the home of more than 200 schoolgirls the group kidnapped earlier this year.
• Nigerian Army, Local Vigilantes Retake Boko Haram Towns Sputnik 14 Nov 2014 -- The Nigerian army and local forces have retaken control of towns in the northeast of the country which had been under Boko Haram rule, Reuters reports.
• Ex-Rebels 'Contained' in Central Africa Republic Capital VOA 14 Nov 2014 -- Tensions appeared to have eased in the Central African Republic capital Friday after several days of a standoff between former rebels and international peacekeepers.
• Any lessons from Operation Lifeline Sudan? IRIN 14 Nov 2014 -- Just over 30 years ago Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) sought to extend a helping hand to the millions in need and caught up in the second Sudanese civil war (1983-2005).
• UN mission continues investigation into alleged mass rape in North Darfur town UN News Centre 14 Nov 2014 -- Allegations of the mass rape of 200 women and girls in a town in North Darfur continue raise concerns in the war-torn Sudanese region as the African Union-United Nations hybrid mission there presses ahead with its efforts "to shed further light" on the reports.
• 'Highly fragile' humanitarian situation in Mali demands urgent assistance – UN officials UN News Centre 14 Nov 2014 -- Mali is at a critical humanitarian crossroads and failure to act immediately in response to the country's urgent needs may ultimately jeopardize its path towards peace and stability, three senior United Nations relief officials warned today following a three-day visit to the country.
• Lacking funds, UN agency turns to 'last resort,' cuts food rations for refugees in Kenya UN News Centre 14 Nov 2014 -- Starting tomorrow, about half a million refugees, mainly from Somalia and South Sudan, living in the Dadaab and Kakuma camps in remote areas in northern Kenya will receive reduced rations from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as a result of insufficient funding.

News Reports

• UN: Islamic State Liable for 'Massive' War Crimes VOA 14 Nov 2014 -- U.N. investigators say Islamic State militants' extreme use of violence against civilians and captured soldiers in northeast Syria amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
• Putin Criticizes US Ahead of G20 Summit VOA 14 Nov 2014 -- With world leaders gathering in Australia for a summit meeting of the Group of 20 economic powers, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the United States is 'crudely violating' the spirit of international cooperation that should drive groups such as the G20.
• Putin Lashes Out At West Ahead Of G20 Summit RFE/RL 14 Nov 2014 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States, the European Union, and other Western governments over the Ukraine crisis go against Group of 20 (G20) principles and international law.
• Burkina Faso: UN chief welcomes adoption of framework for civilian-led transition UN News Centre 14 Nov 2014 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today congratulated the people of Burkina Faso on the consensus adoption of a Charter of the Transition, which will provide the legal framework for a civilian-led transition culminating in elections in November 2015.
• China's graft inspection to target state-owned groups People's Daily 14 Nov 2014 -- Companies and public service groups supervised by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and government departments will face a new round of top-level disciplinary inspections amid China's anti-corruption drive.
• Xi outlines proposal to further cement China-Australia ties People's Daily 14 Nov 2014 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a signed article published Friday on the Australian Financial Review newspaper, propounded a multi-point proposal on deepening China-Australia friendship and cooperation.
• Obama Warns Myanmar Reforms Not Complete VOA 14 Nov 2014 -- President Barack Obama has wrapped up a visit to Myanmar, also known as Burma, warning that reforms in the country are "by no means complete or irreversible."
• Kamalvandi: Pre-publication leakage of IAEA reports defames agency IRNA 14 Nov 2014 -- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports are secret documents before publication and therefore their early leakage defames the IAEA prestige, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said here Friday.
• Premature reporting tarnishes IAEA image: Iran Iran Press TV 14 Nov 2014 -- A senior Iranian nuclear official has criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for releasing its reports prematurely, warning that the move will tarnish the image of the UN nuclear agency.
• Amid signs of new Ebola cases, UN health official tells Liberians 'you must hunt the virus' UN News Centre 14 Nov 2014 -- A senior United Nations World Health Organization official warned reported that the number of Ebola cases in Liberia, which had recently shown some signs of decline, is starting to pick up again, most likely because "people are relaxing their guard."
• WHO Sets Clinical Trial Criteria for Ebola Drugs VOA 14 Nov 2014 -- The World Health Organization has established criteria for conducting clinical trials on experimental drugs and other therapies for the treatment of Ebola. Members of WHO's Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee on Ebola Experimental Interventions say great care must be taken to ensure the safety of a product before any testing is done on humans to evaluate its efficacy.
• Spokesman: Four-point agreement crucial for improving China-Japan relations People's Daily 14 Nov 2014 -- The four-point agreement between China and Japan is an important condition for improving relations between the two countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said Friday.
• Afghanistan, Pakistan Seek To Improve Ties RFE/RL 14 Nov 2014 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has visited Pakistan's military headquarters in a sign of warming relations.
• Georgian President Urges Lawmakers To 'Unite' On European Path RFE/RL 14 Nov 2014 -- Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has warned lawmakers that the country is in political crisis and called on parliament to 'unite on the path toward Europe.'