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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Rear Adm. Kirby in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 20 Nov 2014 -- Secretary
• Pentagon Spokesman Reports Success in Khorasan Airstrike AFPS 20 Nov 2014 -- U.S. Central Command reported airstrikes Nov. 19 against Islamic state militant groups and the al-Qaida-affiliated Khorasan group in Syria, a move the Pentagon press secretary called a success here today.
• Hagel Notes Progress Against ISIL as World Grows More Dangerous AFPS 20 Nov 2014 -- The U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is showing good signs of progress, and the first of 1,500 additional U.S. troops that President Barack Obama ordered to Iraq should begin arriving there in the next few weeks, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a PBS interview broadcast last night.
• LATEST: air strikes in Iraq UK MOD 20 Nov 2014 -- British forces have continued to conduct air operations to assist the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIL.
• Talking to the Taliban, again IRIN 20 Nov 2014 -- Slowly but surely, NGOs and UN bodies are admitting it publicly - they are dealing with the Taliban again. While such deals have been developing in private for several years, NGOs have been hesitant to discuss their relations with the Afghan Islamist group because of political pressure and counter terrorism legislation.
• Taliban ups attacks in Afghanistan amid peace efforts Iran Press TV 20 Nov 2014 -- Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, and some other major cities have become the scene of increasing attacks by the Taliban amid the government's efforts to reach a peace deal with the militants, Press TV reports.
• Kirby: Timeline for Operation United Assistance Depends on Ebola Trend AFPS 20 Nov 2014 -- The U.S. military effort to help prevent the spread of Ebola in West Africa could be extended beyond its six-month mission if there is a surge of new cases of the deadly disease, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Detainee Transfer Announced DoD 20 Nov 2014 -- The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Hashim Bin Ali Bin Amor Sliti and Husayn Salim Muhammad Al-Mutari Yafai from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the Government of Slovakia.
• Detainee Transfer Announced DoD 20 Nov 2014 -- The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Salah Mohammed Salih Al-Dhabi, Abdel Ghaib Ahmad Hakim, and Abdul Khaled Al-Baydani from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the Government of Georgia.
• Kunsan AB hosts Exercise Max Thunder 14-2 AFNS 20 Nov 2014 -- U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy personnel and aircraft are training with the Republic of Korea Air Force units Nov. 14 - 22, in the semi-annual, bilateral training exercise Max Thunder 14-2, here.
• Dempsey Speaks on Experiences in Civil-Military Relations AFPS 20 Nov 2014 -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the principal military adviser to the president of the United States and the other members of the National Security Council – America's civilian leaders.
• USS Olympia Thankful Port Visit to Yokosuka NNS 20 Nov 2014 -- The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Olympia (SSN 717) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka Nov. 20 for a visit as part of its on-going deployment to the Western Pacific.
• Cape St. George Visits Busan during Western Pacific Deployment NNS 20 Nov 2014 -- The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) arrived in Busan, Republic of Korea, for a port visit Nov. 21.
• DoD Intel Chief Describes National Security Challenges AFPS 20 Nov 2014 -- Protecting military networks is among many national security challenges the nation faces, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence said here yesterday.
• Two US Naval Ships Collide In Gulf of Aden NNS 20 Nov 2014 -- Two U.S. Naval supply ships collided in the Gulf of Aden Nov. 20 at 5:26 a.m. (GMT) with no injuries to crew members.
• Japan Liaison Officers Embark George Washington for Keen Sword 15 NNS 20 Nov 2014 -- Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Rear Adm. Akira Saito, commander, Escort Flotilla (CCF) One, along with his staff and other JMSDF sailors embarked the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and other ships in the George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GWCSG) as part of Keen Sword (KS) 15, Nov. 10-19.
• Naval War College, Harvard Aim to Improve Civilian-Military Humanitarian Response NNS 20 Nov 2014 -- The U.S. Naval War College (NWC) College of Operational & Strategic Leadership (COSL) and the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) kicked off the inaugural meeting of the Joint Humanitarian Civilian-Military Working Group, Nov. 6, at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative in Cambridge.
• 'All for one, one for all': NATO Secretary General stresses solidarity in Estonia NATO 20 Nov 2014 -- The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg started a trip to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with a visit to Estonia's Ämari Airbase on Thursday (20 November 2014), where he stressed Alliance solidarity. "NATO's greatest responsibility is to protect and defend our Allies. And NATO is here to protect and defend Estonia," he said. On his way, Mr Stoltenberg's plane was escorted by two Dutch fighter jets based in Poland as part of NATO's air policing mission, while at Amari, he met with US, German and Estonian troops. He made clear the presence of jets and troops from many nations demonstrates "the resolve of all Allies to stand with the Baltic nations. All for one. One for all."
• Danish Military Unit Arrives in Lithuania for Joint Exercises: Ministry Sputnik 20 Nov 2014 -- A military intelligence unit has arrived in Lithuania from Denmark to take part in joint exercises, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry has announced.
• French Shipbuilders Float Out Second Mistral-Class Warship for Russia Sputnik 20 Nov 2014 -- Second Mistral-class amphibious assault ship built in France under contract with Russia was floated out Thursday, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
• NATO Concerned Over France's Possible Delivery of Mistral Ships to Russia Sputnik 20 Nov 2014 -- NATO allies are concerned over France's possible delivery of Mistral-class helicopter carriers to Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday at a press conference at a military air base close to Tallinn.
• Russia, Pakistan Agree To Enhance Defense Cooperation RFE/RL 20 Nov 2014 -- Pakistan and Russia have signed a cooperation agreement between their defense ministries.
• Chinese VP meets foreign defense officials People's Daily 20 Nov 2014 -- Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao on Thursday met with senior foreign defense and military officials attending the fifth Xiangshan Forum in Beijing.
• Background Briefing by Senior Administration Officials on the Vice President's Trip to Morocco, Ukraine and Turkey The White House 20 Nov 2014
• November 20, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 20 Nov 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for November 20, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 20 November 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 20 Nov 2014
• Security Council adopts first-ever resolution on 'invaluable role' of UN police operations UN News Centre 20 Nov 2014 -- The United Nations Security Council today adopted its first-ever resolution focusing on the world body's policing operations, stressing their invaluable contribution to peacekeeping, civilian protection and the rule of law, and pledging to give clear mandates as well as appropriate resources to UN police-related work.
• White House to Ukraine: 'We Have Your Back' VOA 20 Nov 2014 -- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, ahead of talks Friday with President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
• Russia warns US against arms delivery to Ukraine Iran Press TV 20 Nov 2014 -- Moscow has strongly warned Washington against providing Ukraine's military with lethal arms in its operations against pro-Russia forces in the east.
• US Arms Sales to Kiev Would Only Fuel Tensions: Russian Official Sputnik 20 Nov 2014 -- Possible US arms sales to Ukraine will only fuel tensions in the country hit by a massive civil conflict, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said Thursday.
• U.S. Official: Washington Should Consider Lethal Aid To Kyiv RFE/RL 20 Nov 2014 -- A senior aide to U.S. President Barack Obama has said that the United States should reconsider its policy of not providing lethal aid to Ukraine, which is grappling with pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.
• Russia Warns US on Ukraine Arms Supply VOA 20 Nov 2014 -- Russia said on Thursday that the United States providing weapons to Ukraine's government to fight separatists in the country's east would have a "serious destabilizing" effect and would be in violation of a number of agreements.
• Germany criticizes Russia over crisis in east Ukraine Iran Press TV 20 Nov 2014 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has censured Moscow for what she described as Russia's violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity.
• UN: More Than 950 Killed Despite Ukraine Truce RFE/RL 20 Nov 2014 -- The United Nations says fighting in eastern Ukraine has killed an average of 13 people a day since a cease-fire between government forces and pro-Russian rebels was signed on September 5.
• In latest report, UN rights office says nearly 1,000 dead amid shaky Ukraine ceasefire UN News Centre 20 Nov 2014 -- Almost 1,000 people have been killed in Ukraine since a tenuous ceasefire was established there in early September amid efforts to end the violence between armed rebel groups and the Government, the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said today as it released its latest report on the situation in the country.
• UN: Rights Abuses on Rise in War-torn E. Ukraine VOA 20 Nov 2014 -- A new United Nations report found the presence of large numbers of sophisticated weapons as well as foreign fighters, including Russian soldiers, have led to a worsening of the human rights situation in eastern Ukraine.
• Iraq: UN envoy sees inclusive political process as critical to resolving crisis UN News Centre 20 Nov 2014 -- As Iraq struggles to deal with the increasing security threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as well as with dire financial and humanitarian conditions, the United Nations envoy to the country has cited an inclusive political process as vital to finding comprehensive solutions.
• Iraq forces recapture road NE of Diyala from ISIL Iran Press TV 20 Nov 2014 -- Iraqi troops, backed by Shia fighters, have managed to recapture all 80 kilometers of the Imam Wais road, in the northeast of Diyala province.
• Turkey, Iraq Agree on Military Cooperation Against IS: Iraqi PM Sputnik 20 Nov 2014 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Abadi also invited Turkish investment companies to return to Iraq.
• Iraq Claims Advances Against IS in Anbar VOA 20 Nov 2014 -- Iraq is saying they are gains against Islamic State jihadists in Anbar province, with Prime Minister Haidar al Abadi saying the government has 'retaken the initiative" militarily. He spoke at a Baghdad news conference with Turkey's prime minister.
• In Releasing Seselj, ICTY Solves One Problem - But Creates Many Others RFE/RL 20 Nov 2014 -- Accused war criminal Vojislav Seselj had barely made it out of The Hague before the rabble-rousing began.
• Ban urges Israeli, Palestinian leaders to stand up to extremists on both sides, end surging violence UN News Centre 20 Nov 2014 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he was shocked by the recent deadly attack on a synagogue in West Jerusalem and "at this delicate and dangerous juncture" both leaders must show the courage to do everything necessary to end the surging violence.
• Tough conditions for CAR displaced at airport camp IRIN 20 Nov 2014 -- One of the most telling effects of the bitter internal crisis which has rocked the Central African Republic (CAR) since December 2012 is the continuing displacement of thousands of ordinary citizens. Those who fled have been forced to abandon their houses and home areas, often moving into rapidly-established camps, living in dismal conditions.
• Abandoned in the borderlands IRIN 20 Nov 2014 -- Longstanding humanitarian needs in South Sudan's Aweil North County, where some 30,000 people are displaced, are largely unmet.
• Creativity key to peace dividends in Myanmar IRIN 20 Nov 2014 -- As Myanmar's nationwide ceasefire negotiations continue, peace in many formerly war-torn regions has allowed state-run lifesaving services to gradually expand. But their provision is intensely politicized, and carefully crafted access strategies are vital, experts warn.
• Yemen crisis a boon for people smugglers IRIN 20 Nov 2014 -- Yemen's security crisis is leading to a rapid expansion in the people smuggling trade, with thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa desperate to use the country as a gateway to Saudi Arabia.

News Reports

• CIA Director Says Considering Extensive Reorganization Sputnik 20 Nov 2014 -- Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan is considering wide-ranging structural changes to the organization, the Washington Post reported Thursday.
• November 20, 2014 Remarks at a Solo Press Availability by John Kerry, Secretary of State US Dept. of State 20 Nov 2014
• Larijani urges other negotiating party to act wisely in nuclear talks IRNA 20 Nov 2014 -- Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani suggested other parties of the ongoing nuclear negotiations on Thursday to act reasonably to avoid being misled by their wrong thoughts.
• Salehi refutes report on nuclear fuel transfer to Russia IRNA 20 Nov 2014 -- Vice-President and head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi has rejected reports on transfer of nuclear fuel by Iran to other countries such as Russia as fabrication.
• Kerry arrives in Vienna for Iran nuclear talks Iran Press TV 20 Nov 2014 -- US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Vienna Thursday for high-level negotiations on Iran's nuclear energy program, insisting that the talks were focused on a deal before the Nov. 24 deadline.
• Two Futures: With An Iran Nuclear Deal, And Without RFE/RL 20 Nov 2014 -- As the six world powers and Tehran try to reach a deal in Vienna, there is more at stake than simply ending the crisis over Iran's nuclear program.
• Kerry To Travel To Vienna For Iran Nuclear Meetings RFE/RL 20 Nov 2014 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is due to travel to Vienna later on November 20 to join high-level nuclear negotiations with Iran as a deadline for an agreement approaches.
• Kerry in Vienna for Final Push on Iran Talks VOA 20 Nov 2014 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Vienna Thursday to join talks on Iran's nuclear program, just four days before the deadline.
• FM Spokesman Rejects UN 'Human Rights Resolution' against DPRK KCNA 20 Nov 2014 -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry Thursday issued the following statement in denunciation of the UN 'resolution on human rights' against the DPRK:
• Rodong Sinmun Slams Anti-DPRK Leaflet Scattering KCNA 20 Nov 2014 -- The inter-Korean relations are now inching close to the phase of serious catastrophe mainly because of the leaflet scattering operations of the south Korean authorities aimed to malignantly slander the DPRK. Rodong Sinmun Thursday says this in an article.
• North Korea rejects 'US-manipulated UN human rights resolution' IRNA 20 Nov 2014 -- A spokesman for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Foreign Ministry Thursday condemned the UN 'resolution on human rights' against the DPRK.
• China urges for dialogue, cooperation on DPRK human rights dispute People's Daily 20 Nov 2014 -- China on Thursday called for constructive dialogue and cooperation to solve dispute over human right issue in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and reaffirmed its adherence to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
• North Korea threatens to conduct new nuclear test Iran Press TV 20 Nov 2014 -- North Korea has threatened to carry out a fourth nuclear test over what it calls hostility from the US.
• No Signs of Pyongyang Early Nuclear Test: South Korea Defense Minister Sputnik 20 Nov 2014 -- It is unlikely that Pyongyang will conduct a fourth nuclear test ahead of schedule, South Korea Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Thursday.
• North Korea Threatens Nuclear Test Over UN Vote VOA 20 Nov 2014 -- North Korea on Thursday threatened to carry out a fresh nuclear test in response to a U.N. committee's condemnation of Pyongyang's alleged human rights abuses.
• VP Biden to Visit Turkey to Mend Ties VOA 20 Nov 2014 -- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is traveling to Turkey Friday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - their first meeting since the vice president criticized Turkey for allowing foreign recruits to cross into Syria from Turkish territory and join extremist groups.
• Amnesty Reports on Turkish Border Abuses VOA 20 Nov 2014 -- The international human rights group Amnesty International says the world community's failure to deal with the growing number of Syrian refugees fleeing into Turkey has led to a crisis of unprecedented proportions.
• Ban to take up fight against Ebola with heads of all UN organizations UN News Centre 20 Nov 2014 -- On the eve of a meeting of United Nations agency chiefs to discuss ways to jointly tackle the Ebola outbreak, the World Bank reported today Liberia's labour sector has suffered a huge blow since the start of the crisis, as a "massive effort" was underway in Mali to halt the spread of the re-emerged virus.
• Bringing Ebola tests up to speed IRIN 20 Nov 2014 -- Ebola in West Africa is believed to have erupted almost a year ago in southern Guinea, but was confirmed by the French Pasteur Institute only in March 2014, by which time it had killed 60 people and was suspected to have crossed the border into Liberia and Sierra Leone.
• Bird flu discovered at second Dutch farm Iran Press TV 20 Nov 2014 -- A second case of bird flu has been detected at a chicken farm in the Netherlands, Dutch authorities say.
• New Bird Flu Outbreak Registered in Netherlands: Reports Sputnik 20 Nov 2014 -- Dutch State Secretary for Economic Affairs Sharon Dijksma announced that a new bird flu outbreak has been detected in the Netherlands.
• China to step up oil, gas exploration in East, South China Seas People's Daily 20 Nov 2014 -- China aims to raise petroleum output by updating its technology and stepping up oil and gas exploration across Bohai, East China and South China Seas.
• Putin: 'Color Revolutions' Became Lesson, Warning for Russia Sputnik 20 Nov 2014 -- Political upheavals that took place in several countries recently have become a lesson and warning for Moscow, and Russian authorities will do everything possible to prevent them, the Russian president said Thursday.
• VOA Exclusive: Interview With Myanmar President Thein Sein VOA 20 Nov 2014 -- In an exclusive interview with VOA's Burmese Service, Myanmar President Thein Sein called allegations that minority Muslim Rohingya are fleeing alleged torture in Rakhine state 'a media fabrication.'