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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 02 Dec 2014 [PDF]
• NATO Approves Beginning of New Mission in Afghanistan VOA 02 Dec 2014 -- NATO foreign ministers on Tuesday formally approved the launch of a new advisory mission for Afghanistan after alliance combat operations end December 31.
• Kirby Confident Afghans Can Take Full Security Control Next Month AFPS 02 Dec 2014 -- With less than a month to go before the U.S-led NATO combat mission ends in Afghanistan, a senior Defense Department official said today Afghan security forces will be ready to take over the job of securing their country come January first.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Rear Adm. Kirby in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 02 Dec 2014 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby
• Pentagon Leaders, Governors Discuss 2016 Budget Issues AFPS 02 Dec 2014 -- Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work held discussions today with members of the Council of Governors regarding the Fiscal Year 2016 budget and other fiscal initiatives, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters today.
• North Korea 'Volatile and Dangerous,' Pacom Nominee Says AFPS 02 Dec 2014 -- The nominee to become the next commander of U.S. Pacific Command told Congress today that North Korea is the most volatile and dangerous threat in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Nominee Seeks Enhanced Cost Estimation Process AFPS 02 Dec 2014 -- Among the latest in the key administration post announcements, the nominee for assistant secretary of defense for logistics and materiel readiness reported to Congress here today that absent superior logistics, there is little chance of long-term success.
• ASD Nominee Scher Emphasizes 'Unwavering' Military Support AFPS 02 Dec 2014 -- Robert M. Scher, the nominee for assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities, testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee today that what happens at the Pentagon "is all about how to better support the men and women that make up our armed forces."
• Slotkin Vows to Address Global Security Challenges AFPS 02 Dec 2014 -- If confirmed as the next assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, Elissa Slotkin told a Senate panel today that she'd develop U.S. policies and partnerships to address security challenges in an increasingly complex world.
• 15th MEU Marines participate in ground interop USMC News 02 Dec 2014 -- U.S. Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit participated in ground-interoperability training aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., which began Nov. 13, 2014.
• US, Ghanaian forces enhance maintenance capacity USMC News 02 Dec 2014 -- Marines with SPMAGTF Crisis Response - Africa are conducting a maintenance training engagement with noncommissioned officers of the Ghanaian Armed Forces, Nov. 30, 2014.
• Anchorage Departs on NASA's Orion Mission NNS 02 Dec 2014 -- San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD 23) departed from Naval Base San Diego to retrieve NASA equipment in the Pacific Ocean, Dec. 1.
• NATO Foreign Ministers discuss Allied security, Ukraine, Afghanistan at one-day talks NATO 02 Dec 2014 -- NATO Foreign Ministers are expected to agree on a continuous NATO presence in the eastern part of the Alliance and announce an interim Spearhead Force to enhance Allied security at their one-day meeting on Tuesday (2 December 2014). "In Wales, we agreed on the Readiness Action Plan. We are starting to deliver on that plan now," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
• NATO ministers to chart Ukraine, Afghanistan courts Iran Press TV 02 Dec 2014 -- NATO foreign ministers have gathered to design a new course forward after a "year of aggression" from Ukraine to the Middle East and the end of its combat mission in Afghanistan.
• NATO Foreign Ministers announce interim Spearhead Force NATO 02 Dec 2014 -- NATO Foreign Ministers on Tuesday (2 December 2014) announced that an interim Spearhead Force would be operational early next year to improve the Alliance's readiness, and agreed to maintain a continuous NATO presence in the eastern part of the Alliance through next year. "We are going to implement the Readiness Action Plan on time and in full," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
• Stoltenberg: NATO to Help Ukraine Implement Defense, Security Reforms Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- NATO has vowed to work closely with Ukraine in order to implement the country's defense and security reforms to make the existing partnership even stronger, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday.
• NATO stands with Ukraine, steps up practical support NATO 02 Dec 2014 -- NATO Foreign Ministers on Tuesday (2 December 2014) stated their political and practical support for Ukraine as its new government embarks on key reforms.
• Ka-52K Helicopters to Make First Flights in 2015: Russian Helicopters CEO Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- The first flights by Kamov Ka-52K attack helicopters for the Mistral class amphibious assault ships will take place in 2015, Alexander Mikheev, the head of Russian Helicopters company, told RIA Novosti Tuesday.
• Russian Destroyer to Undergo Maintenance Works in Syria: Northern Fleet Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- The Russian Navy's Vice-Admiral Kulakov, an Udaloy-class destroyer, entered the Syrian port of Tartus on Tuesday for weeklong maintenance works, a Northern Fleet spokesman said.
• India Successfully Test Fires Nuclear Capable Ballistic Missile: Reports Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- India has successfully conducted the first user trial of the Agni-IV intermediate range ballistic missile, The Times of India reported Tuesday.
• China dispatches escort fleet to Somali waters People's Daily 02 Dec 2014 -- The 19th Chinese naval squad left Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong Province, on Tuesday to conduct escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters.
• Press Briefing by the Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 12/2/14 The White House 02 Dec 2014
• December 2, 2014 Solo Press Availability at NATO Headquarters by John Kerry, US Secretary of State US Dept. of State 02 Dec 2014
• December 2, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 02 Dec 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 02, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 2 December 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 02 Dec 2014
• 2 December 2014 - Press Conference by Security Council President on Work Programme for December United Nations 02 Dec 2014
• Ukrainian Rebel Leader's Claim Of FSB Ties Omitted By Russian Media RFE/RL 02 Dec 2014 -- Russian state-run media behemoth Rossia Segodnya's interview with a former Ukrainian separatist leader was edited to remove references to his work in Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and chaos among the rebels, his interviewer says.
• NATO, Ukraine Condemn Russian Military Build-up in Crimea VOA 02 Dec 2014 -- Foreign ministers from 28 NATO countries and Ukraine on Tuesday condemned a Russian military build-up in Crimea, and Moscow's "deliberate destabilization" of eastern Ukraine.
• Self-Defense Forces, Kiev Troops Declare Ceasefire in Donetsk Airport: DPR Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Kiev government forces have agreed on a ceasefire in the Donetsk Airport, the DPR parliament speaker said Tuesday.
• LPR Leader Confirms Ceasefire Agreement With Kiev Beginning on December 5 Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- The leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) in eastern Ukraine, Igor Plotnitsky, confirmed on Tuesday that a ceasefire agreement has been reached with Kiev beginning on December 5, with Kiev pulling back heavy military equipment on December 6.
• NATO, Kyiv Condemn Russia Over Crimea, Eastern Ukraine RFE/RL 02 Dec 2014 -- NATO members and Ukraine have condemned Moscow for what they called Russia's 'deliberate destabilization of eastern Ukraine' and its military buildup in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula it annexed from Ukraine in March.
• Kiev Forces, Luhansk Militia Agree to Ceasefire: OSCE Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- Ukraine's military and representatives of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic have agreed to a ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) said Monday.
• Death toll from Syria conflict surpasses 200,000: Report Iran Press TV 02 Dec 2014 -- A so-called human rights monitoring group has said that the death toll from the nearly four-year-long foreign-sponsored militancy in Syria has now gone beyond 200,000 mark.
• Syria opposition calls for direct talks with Assad government Iran Press TV 02 Dec 2014 -- A senior Syrian opposition figure has asked for direct talks with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end the crisis in the Arab country.
• Two dozen killed in Pakistan military raids Iran Press TV 02 Dec 2014 -- At least two dozen militants have been killed in two separate military attacks in Pakistan's northwestern tribal regions, the army says.
• South Sudan: UN chief stresses support for independence and sovereignty UN News Centre 02 Dec 2014 -- Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has made it "categorically clear" that the United Nations has no intention of placing South Sudan under a "protectorate," a UN spokesperson has stressed.
• Israel's Netanyahu Calls for Early Elections VOA 02 Dec 2014 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for early elections, after firing two key ministers over an array of policy disputes.
• Great Lakes Envoys outraged by spate of civilian massacres in eastern DR Congo UN News Centre 02 Dec 2014 -- A team of United Nations, African Union and other Special Envoys on the Great Lakes region have said they are "deeply outraged" by the recent spate of civilian massacres that have taken place in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and have called on the Government to "engage in robust military action' against all armed groups operating there.
• Myanmar Ethnic Rebels Form Combined Federal Army VOA 02 Dec 2014 -- Twelve of Myanmar's ethnic rebel groups have announced the establishment of a Federal Army, a move likely to anger the national government.

News Reports

• Russia Defiant, EU Says Pipeline's Demise Shows Need For Diversity RFE/RL 02 Dec 2014 -- The European Union said Russia's surprise abandonment of the South Stream pipeline project underscored the need for diverse energy sources, while Moscow vowed to find other ways to get its natural gas to paying clients.
• News Analysis: South Stream Ends As West, Russia Clash Over Values RFE/RL 02 Dec 2014 -- Moscow's surprise announcement it is dropping the South Stream natural-gas pipeline project is yet another sign of the deepening conflict of values between the West and Moscow.
• End Of South Stream: Winners & Losers RFE/RL 02 Dec 2014 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin rarely makes an uncalculated gesture or concedes defeat. So his announcement on December 1 that Russian energy giant Gazprom was pulling out of plans to build the South Stream natural gas pipeline to southeastern Europe took many by surprise.
• Crash Course: The Ruble's Volatile Two Decades RFE/RL 02 Dec 2014 -- The Russian ruble's sharp plunge this week, which saw it fall below 50 to the U.S. dollar, has revived the specter of the kind of currency crisis that Russians have suffered through repeatedly over the past 25 years.
• Russia's Oil Output Strategy Until 2035 to Remain Unchanged Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- The Russian Ministry of Energy is planning to maintain its current oil output level up to 2035, head of the Russian Energy Ministry's oil and gas production and transportation department Alexander Gladkov said Tuesday.
• UN envoy welcomes deal between Iraqi, Kurdish region on oil, finances UN News Centre 02 Dec 2014 -- The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) welcomed today an agreement reached between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to resolve issues related to oil exports and the budget.
• Iraqi Government, Kurdistan Land Deal on Budget, Oil Exports: Reports Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- The Iraqi government and the autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq have agreed on a national budget and oil export deal after years of conflict, Press TV reported Tuesday citing a statement from Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office.
• Iran says honors IAEA Safeguards in nuclear program IRNA 02 Dec 2014 -- Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to IAEA acknowledged IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amanos report and maintained that Iranian nuclear program falls under full scope Safeguards of the nuclear agency.
• President Rouhani: Iran to continue enrichment on its soil IRNA 02 Dec 2014 -- President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that Iran is going to continue its enrichment activities on its own soil.
• Talks get close to 'successful ending', says Zarif ISNA 02 Dec 2014 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated on Tuesday that Iran's nuclear talks with the West have got close to its successful ending.
• Iran will settle nuclear issue: Rouhani Iran Press TV 02 Dec 2014 -- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic will resolve the dispute over its nuclear program through constructive interaction with the world.
• IS Leader's Wife Detained at Lebanese Border Before Charged With Terrorism Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- The wife of the Islamic State (IS) group leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi who was detained at the Syria-Lebanon border has already served a sentence on charges related to terrorist activities, a Lebanese security official told Sputnik Tuesday.
• Lebanon Detains Wife, Child of Islamic State Leader VOA 02 Dec 2014 -- Security officials say the Lebanese military has detained a wife and child of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
• IS Claims to Have Constructed 'Dirty Bomb' After Stealing 40 Kg of Uranium Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- Islamic State (IS) militants claim they have constructed a 'dirty bomb' after stealing 40kg of uranium from a university in Iraq, the International Business Times said.
• Top Kenyan Officials Sacked After Massacre VOA 02 Dec 2014 -- Two top Kenyan security officials are being replaced following a terrorist attack that left 36 people dead Tuesday in northeastern Kenya, the second such incident in 10 days.
• Ukrainian Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Three Foreigners as Ministers Sputnik 02 Dec 2014 -- The Ukrainian parliament has voted Tuesday to approve the new cabinet of ministers of Ukraine.
• Taiwan's Ma to resign as KMT chairman People's Daily 02 Dec 2014 -- Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou announced Tuesday he will step down as chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party, taking responsibility for the party's poor showing in recent local elections.
• Taiwan President to Quit as Party Chief After Election Losses VOA 02 Dec 2014 -- Taiwan's Nationalist Party said Tuesday that President Ma Ying-jeou, who has chaired the party since late 2009, will quit the post Wednesday to atone for losses in nine mayoral and county magistrate races Saturday.
• Ebola: World Bank reports economic impact in worst-hit countries to exceed $500 million in 2014 UN News Centre 02 Dec 2014 -- The World Bank announced today that economic growth estimates in the three countries most affected by the Ebola crisis have been revised sharply downward with the impact totalling well over half a billion dollars in 2014, as the United Nations health agency officially declared the outbreak in Spain over.
• Obama Urges Congress to Approve Emergency Ebola Funding VOA 02 Dec 2014 -- President Barack Obama is urging U.S. lawmakers, before they leave for the holiday recess in a few weeks, to pass $6.2 billion in emergency funding to fight the Ebola virus and prepare U.S. hospitals to handle future cases.
• China says attempts for British lawmakers' entry to Hong Kong 'futile' People's Daily 02 Dec 2014 -- China warned Britain on Tuesday that further persistence over its request for a parliamentary delegation to enter Hong Kong would be equivalent to 'lifting a rock only to drop on its own feet'.
• Hong Kong Protest Leaders Will Surrender to Police VOA 02 Dec 2014 -- The three founders of Hong Kong's Occupy movement are moving ahead with plans to surrender to police and are urging their fellow protesters to retreat for their own safety.
• What's Next For Moldova? RFE/RL 02 Dec 2014 -- Moldova's pro-European ruling coalition has entered into talks to reassemble itself following the country's November 30 legislative elections, in which the three right-liberal parties won an estimated 54 mandates in the 101-seat parliament.
• UN rights office voices alarm over increasing polarization in Egypt amid protests UN News Centre 02 Dec 2014 -- The United Nations human rights office has voiced great concern over the unfolding events in Egypt, warning that recent developments in the country have spawned dangerous fractures across the spectrum of society, potentially impacting freedoms of expression, association and assembly, and contributing to an increase in reports of human rights violations.