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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Airstrikes Against ISIL Continue in Syria, Iraq AFPS 12 Dec 2014 -- U.S. and partner-nation military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq over the last three days, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported.
• LATEST: air strikes in Iraq UK MOD 12 Dec 2014 -- British forces have continued to conduct air operations to assist the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIL.
• Afghanistan: Security Council backs agreement on new non-combat NATO mission UN News Centre 12 Dec 2014 -- Amid ongoing violence in Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council today welcomed the agreement between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Afghan Government to establish a new non-combat, training, advisory and assistance mission, which would begin operation in January 2015.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Rear Adm. Kirby in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 12 Dec 2014 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby
• USS Vandegrift Returns from Deployment NNS 12 Dec 2014 -- U.S. Navy frigate USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) returned from its final deployment Dec. 12, where it operated in the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR).
• Plans Take Shape for Next Southern Partnership Station NNS 12 Dec 2014 -- Representatives of more than 20 Navy and Marine Corps commands met Dec. 9-11 at Naval Station Mayport to plan for Southern Partnership Station-Joint High Speed Vessel (SPS-JHSV) 2015, a four-month deployment that will focus on subject-matter expert exchanges with partner nations.
• SURFLANT Hosts Commander's Symposium NNS 12 Dec 2014 -- Taking care of Sailors, ships, and leaders was the theme of the Naval Surface Force Atlantic (SURFLANT) leadership training symposium held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, Dec. 3.
• Mission Ready: HMLA-267 hones in at MCAS Yuma USMC News 12 Dec 2014 -- Stepping into the body of an armed and loaded UH-1Y Venom helicopter, a sense of mission readiness envelops the crew. As air-chopping blades cut through the musty desert air, the helo takes a ready stance on the visiting squadron tarmac at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, Tuesday.
• Joint Statement by Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations on Endorsement of SSCTF Recommendations NNS 12 Dec 2014 -- The decision to endorse the recommendation to move forward with a littoral combat ship (LCS) that is multi-mission capable, more lethal, and survivable, will bring additional capability to the fleet.
• Navy Tests New Unmanned Underwater Vehicle at JEBLC-FS NNS 12 Dec 2014 -- The U.S. Navy completed tests on the GhostSwimmer unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (JEBLC-FS), Dec. 11.
• US, China Conduct Anti-Piracy Exercise NNS 12 Dec 2014 -- The U.S. Navy's guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) and ships from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (Navy) PLA(N) commenced a bilateral counter-piracy exercise, U.S.-China Counter-Piracy Exercise 15, in the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa, Dec 11.
• 7th Fleet Builds Maritime Relationships in Sri Lanka, Maldives NNS 12 Dec 2014 -- Senior leaders from U.S. 7th Fleet visited Colombo, Sri Lanka and Male, Maldives and attended the Galle Dialogues international Maritime Conference Dec. 1-6, building relationships to improve maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific.
• USNS Leroy Grumman Completes Deployment in Mediterranean NNS 12 Dec 2014 -- The U.S. Navy's duty oiler in the Mediterranean Sea, fleet replenishment oiler USNS Leroy Grumman (T-AO 195), is currently finishing a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea supplying the U.S. Navy and its allies with fuel and supplies at sea, Dec. 11, 2014.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Call with Israeli Minister of Defense Moshe Ya'alon DoD 12 Dec 2014
• Ukraine plans to increase conscripts, military budget in 2015 Iran Press TV 12 Dec 2014 -- Ukraine says it will dramatically increase the number of its conscripts to a quarter of a million and boost its military budget in 2015 to deal with the ongoing conflict in its eastern provinces.
• U.S. Spending Bill With Ukraine Aid Moves In Congress RFE/RL 12 Dec 2014 -- A $1.1 trillion spending bill that includes provisions to assist Ukraine and punish Russia for its annexation of Crimea has passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
• Moscow Slams New US Law on Lethal Aid to Ukraine as 'Confrontational' Sputnik 12 Dec 2014 -- Moscow sharply criticized on Friday the adoption of a US Congress bill aimed at providing lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine and imposing additional sanctions against Russia.
• Ukraine to Increase Troop Numbers by 18,000 in 2015: Defense Minister Sputnik 12 Dec 2014 -- Ukraine will increase the number of military service members in 2015 with an additional 18,000 personnel, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said Friday.
• Poland: 'Unprecedented' Russian Action In Baltic Region RFE/RL 12 Dec 2014 -- Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak has said Russia's military is engaging in an unprecedented amount of activity around the Baltic Sea.
• Estonia says airspace violated by Russia plane Iran Press TV 12 Dec 2014 -- Estonia says its airspace was violated by a Russian plane over the weekend, denouncing Moscow's recent moves in the Baltics as "unnecessarily provocative."
• NATO says Russia ignores calls for military dialogue Iran Press TV 12 Dec 2014 -- NATO says Russia has ignored its call for initiating dialogue on military issues.
• Washington's Accusations of Violating INF Treaty Vague, Baseless: Moscow Sputnik 12 Dec 2014 -- Washington's accusations that Russia violates the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty are groundless and vaguely formulated, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.
• 3,000 Uzbek Officers, Cadets To Get Training In Russia RFE/RL 12 Dec 2014 -- More than 3,000 Uzbek military officers and cadets will receive education in Russia next year.
• December 12, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 12 Dec 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 12, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 12 December 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 12 Dec 2014
• Kirby: Iraqi Government, Military Committed to Defeat of ISIL AFPS 12 Dec 2014 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's trip to Iraq this week served two purposes: to talk with and thank U.S. troops deployed there and to meet with Iraq's leaders, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters today.
• Iraqi forces recapture two districts in city of Samarra Iran Press TV 12 Dec 2014 -- The Iraqi army has managed to liberate two key districts in the city of Samarra as fierce clashes rage on between government forces and the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.
• ISIL threatening Samarra: Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani Iran Press TV 12 Dec 2014 -- Iraq's most senior Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has warned that the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group is threatening the holy city of Samarra.
• Militants' mortar shells kill over 300 Syrians: Group Iran Press TV 12 Dec 2014 -- Militants in Syria have killed 311 civilians over the past six months using improvised mortar shells made of cooking gas canisters, a report says.
• Russia's Lavrov urges new peace talks on Ukraine Iran Press TV 12 Dec 2014 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow is looking forward to another round of peace talks on the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
• Poroshenko Says Truce In Ukraine Now 'Real' RFE/RL 12 Dec 2014 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said a 'real' cease-fire is now in place in eastern Ukraine, and Russia's foreign minister said the shaky truce presents an opportunity to end the conflict.
• Ninth Russian Humanitarian Aid Convoy Reaches Donetsk, Luhansk Sputnik 12 Dec 2014 -- Another batch of Russian humanitarian aid, the ninth of its kind since August, has arrived in the east Ukrainian self-proclaimed Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk on Friday.
• China dismisses Vietnam's sovereignty claim for South China Sea islands People's Daily 12 Dec 2014 -- China has dismissed Vietnam's sovereignty claim for the Nansha and Xisha islands in the South China Sea, saying it is 'illegal and invalid' and 'China will never accept such claim.'
• Remarks by MOFA Spokesperson Le Hai Binh on the South China Sea Arbitration case Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs 12 Dec 2014 -- On 11 December 2014, in response to the questions of a reporter from Viet Nam News Agency and other news agencies and press regarding Viet Nam's response to the Position Paper of the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Matter of Jurisdiction in the South China Sea Arbitration, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam Le Hai Binh stated that: (...)
• Tensions High Ahead of Kerry-Netanyahu Talks VOA 12 Dec 2014 -- Sunday's talks in Rome between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take place during a critical time in the Middle East.
• Israel must curb 'continuous stream' of protest fatalities in Occupied Palestinian Territory – UN UN News Centre 12 Dec 2014 -- Reports of excessive use of force by Israeli security forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have risen sharply, said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as he urged Israel to take steps to halt this "continuous stream of fatal incidents" and to launch a quick and "utterly transparent" investigation into the matter.
• Israel Braces for More Protests After Palestinian Minister's Death VOA 12 Dec 2014 -- Israelis and Israeli interests came under attack Friday, even as authorities braced for expected protests following following the death of a Palestinian minister during a confrontation with Israeli security forces.
• Nigeria Opposition Leader Vows to Improve Security VOA 12 Dec 2014 -- The newly elected presidential candidate of Nigeria's main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) said Friday that if he won February's general election, he would resolve the country's security failures.
• Boko Haram fuels displacement crisis in Niger's Diffa Region IRIN 12 Dec 2014 -- Nigerian Islamist Boko Haram militias have driven nearly 90,000 people into neighbouring Niger's impoverished Diffa Region this year, sparking food security and protection worries.
• Security Council inaction on Darfur 'can only embolden perpetrators' – ICC prosecutor UN News Centre 12 Dec 2014 -- The Security Council must rethink its approach to the deteriorating crisis in Darfur and fully pursue those individuals deemed responsible for atrocities, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) told the body today as she firmly criticized its lack of action on crimes committed in the war-torn region.
• UN political chief welcomes commitment of Burundi's Government to dialogue, elections UN News Centre 12 Dec 2014 -- As Under-Secretary-General Jeffrey Feltman wrapped up his visit to Burundi, he met today with President, Pierre Nkurunziza, to discuss issues related to the drawdown of the United Nations Office in Burundi (BNUB), and establishment of the UN Electoral Observation Mission (MENUB).
• Sudan: UN rights office laments crackdown on rights activists UN News Centre 12 Dec 2014 -- The United Nations human rights office expressed deep concern today over a spate of detentions and prosecutions in Sudan which, it said, appeared aimed at "silencing political opposition and criticism" of the governing political party.

News Reports

• White House: Obama Backs CIA Chief Over Torture Report VOA 12 Dec 2014 -- President Barack Obama has again backed Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan, a White House spokesman said Friday, a day after Brennan repeated claims that terror attacks had been prevented by the interrogation methods most consider to be torture.
• DPRK Foreign Ministry Spokesman Accuses U.S. of Its Human Rights Abuses KCNA 12 Dec 2014 -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry issued the following statement on Friday as regards the fact that the human rights abuses systematically committed by the U.S. were revealed again:
• Alleged UK Redactions to CIA Torture Report Under Examination: Committee Sputnik 12 Dec 2014 -- The UK parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is investigating the issue of an alleged request by British intelligence agencies to delete references to the United Kingdom from the recent CIA torture report, a member of parliament who sits on the ISC told Sputnik Friday.
• British Intelligence Agencies Come Under Scrutiny After CIA Report Released Sputnik 12 Dec 2014 -- After the CIA released a document revealing how they tortured people suspected of terrorism, British spy agencies are now under pressure to disclose information on how closely they worked with the CIA following the 9/11, the Business Standard reports.
• UK Spy Chiefs Tried to Hide Involvement in CIA Torture: Reports Sputnik 12 Dec 2014 -- The US Senate published a CIA torture report on Wednesday, which examined the CIA's treatment of detainees in the years after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
• Central government supports Hong Kong government's action to clear occupy sites People's Daily 12 Dec 2014 -- China's central government Friday said it supported the Hong Kong government and police's decision to disperse and clear the Occupy protest sites.
• HK police clear Occupy sites, traffic resumes in Admiralty People's Daily 12 Dec 2014 -- Hong Kong authorities cleared occupy sites in Admiralty on Thursday and got the traffic in front of the government headquarters moving again before midnight.
• DTRA Medical Countermeasures Help West African Ebola Crisis AFPS 12 Dec 2014 -- Since 2003, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency has invested more than $300 million to develop medical countermeasures against hemorrhagic fever viruses, and those efforts are paying off today in potential new ways to fight Ebola virus disease.
• UN meeting urges critical improvements to health systems of Ebola-affected countries UN News Centre 12 Dec 2014 -- The international community must help Ebola-affected countries reboot their health systems so that they emerge from the current crisis more resilient and more focused on prevention efforts than ever before, a high-level meeting coordinated by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva heard today.
• Pakistan arrests al-Qaeda commander in Karachi Iran Press TV 12 Dec 2014 -- Pakistani authorities have arrested a regional al-Qaeda commander during a raid in the southern port city of Karachi.
• Proposed Expansion of Turkish Police Powers Criticized VOA 12 Dec 2014 -- The European Union and human rights organizations say the Turkish government's proposed expansion of police powers are part of a dramatic shift toward an authoritarian state.
• Possible Mugabe Successor Takes Office VOA 12 Dec 2014 -- Zimbabwe has two new vice presidents, including the man many see as the likely successor to 90-year-old President Robert Mugabe.
• Estimated Cost of 3 NASA Exploration Programs to Exceed $21 Billion: GAO Sputnik 12 Dec 2014 -- A trio of National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) human exploration programs will cost over $21 billion, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has told Sputnik.