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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Inherent Resolve Airstrikes Continue in Syria, Iraq AFPS 15 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, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported.
• Obama: 'Afghan Combat Mission Ends but Commitment Endures' AFPS 15 Dec 2014 -- While the combat mission in Afghanistan is ending, the U.S. commitment to the nation will continue, President Barack Obama told U.S. troops today during a visit to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Defense Policy / Programs

• 613th AOC provides command and control for Yama Sakura 67 AFNS 15 Dec 2014 -- Air Force and Army members from the 613th Air and Space Operations Center collaborated with the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) here Dec. 8–13, during exercise Yama Sakura 67 (YS67), the largest U.S. Army annual bilateral exercise in Asia-Pacific region.
• Corps to professionalize infantry squad leader in support of future operations USMC News 15 Dec 2014 -- According to an upcoming Marine administrative message, the Squad Leader Development Program will begin in 2015. The program will seek to improve and streamline how infantry squad leaders are trained, educated, and assigned within active component infantry battalions. The intent is to ensure our squad leaders are prepared for the challenges of operating in today's complex environments.
• US, UK Navies Sign Framework for Future Cooperation NNS 15 Dec 2014 -- Leaders of the U.S. and British navies agreed on a shared vision for closer cooperation Dec. 11, the culmination of a yearlong effort that will build on a long-standing maritime partnership over the next 15 years.
• Stennis Certified to Fly NNS 15 Dec 2014 -- Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 successfully completed flight deck certification Dec. 12, after a 16-month Docking Planned Incremental Availability period.
• Naval Leaders Discuss Bilateral Logistics Partnership between US, Japan NNS 15 Dec 2014 -- Naval logistics leaders from the United States and Japan met Dec. 4 at the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) Maritime Staff Office (MSO) in Tokyo for the 7th annual N4-N4 Talks to discuss logistics in action and their bilateral relationship.
• US Launches Atlas V Rocket With Classified Payload for Intelligence Agency Sputnik 13 Dec 2014 -- The US United Launce Alliance (ULA) has sent its Atlas V rocket into orbit with a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload, according to a message that has been posted on the official website of the ULA.
• Naval aviators refine landing skills in preparation for 24th MEU deployment USMC News 15 Dec 2014 -- Members of Marine Attack Squadron 231 performed field carrier landing practice with AV-8B Harriers at Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue, N.C., Dec. 3.
• US-UK Navies Build Alliance in the 7th Fleet NNS 15 Dec 2014 -- The U.S. 7th Fleet welcomed the United Kingdom's first Royal Navy Personnel Exchange Program officer Dec. 15, joining 7th Fleet in fiscal year 2015 to strengthen the alliance between the two countries' maritime forces in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.
• Russian Navy Refutes Reports on Mistral Security Intensity Sputnik 15 Dec 2014 -- A high ranking official of Russia's Navy has refuted media reports that alleged security had intensified aboard the Mistral-class helicopter carrier by Russian marines.
• Future Russian Attack Submarines to Keep Double-Hull Design Sputnik 15 Dec 2014 -- Russia's next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarines will have a double-hull structure and a displacement of up to 12,000 tons, the Malakhit design bureau said Monday.
• Sweden, Denmark summon Russia envoys over aircraft incident Iran Press TV 15 Dec 2014 -- Sweden and Denmark have summoned Russia's ambassadors over an alleged near-collision between a Russian surveillance aircraft and a commercial jet flying from the Danish capital, Copenhagen, to Poland.
• Secretary General tells Ukrainian Prime Minister ''NATO stands with you'' NATO 15 Dec 2014 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed the Alliance's efforts to support Ukraine's government with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk at NATO Headquarters
• Resumption of aid to Egypt part of US 2015 spending bill Iran Press TV 15 Dec 2014 -- The United States military spending bill for 2015 has resumed the partially frozen aid to Egypt, signaling a thaw in relations with the Arab country.
• Royal Navy Torpedo Deal Shows UK Govt's Commitment to Scotland: UK Minister Sputnik 15 Dec 2014 -- A $423-million contract to upgrade the Royal Navy's 'Spearfish' torpedoes represents the UK government's 'long term commitment' to defense jobs in Scotland, Scotland Office Minister David Mundell said in a Monday statement.
• £270 million Royal Navy torpedo upgrade sustains hundreds of UK jobs UK MOD 15 Dec 2014 -- The deal with BAE Systems ensures the sustainment of the UK's torpedo manufacturing capability in Portsmouth for another 10 years.
• Iran to build Mig-29 simulator ISNA 15 Dec 2014 -- Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army's Self-Sufficiency Jihad Rear Admiral Farhad Amiri said the Army's air force has built Sukhoi Su-24 and Mirage simulators, and plans to start building Mig-29 simulator soon.
• Iran's missile capabilities not negotiable at all: Velayati Iran Press TV 15 Dec 2014 -- A senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has ruled out any negotiations whatsoever over the Islamic Republic's defensive missile capabilities.
• Irans missile capability not negotiable: Velayati IRNA 15 Dec 2014 -- Irans missile capability is not for bargain, Head of Strategic Research Department of the Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati said on Monday.
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Josh Earnest en route Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 12/15/2014 The White House 15 Dec 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 15, 2014

Other Conflicts

• 15 December 2014 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 15 Dec 2014
• Amid ongoing hostilities, UN warns of 'life-threatening' conditions for Ukraine's civilians UN News Centre 15 Dec 2014 -- As the conflict in eastern Ukraine heads into its tenth month, continued fighting and bitter cold temperatures are placing more than five million people at risk, the top United Nations human rights official warned today as he described conditions for those still living in conflict-affected areas as becoming "increasingly dire."
• UN report details dire plight of people in eastern Ukraine amid ongoing rights violations UNOHCHR 15 Dec 2014 -- With the onset of winter, more than five million people living in conflict affected areas of Ukraine are facing mounting hardship and some are struggling to survive, according to a report issued on Monday by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• UN issues damning report on Ukraine crisis Iran Press TV 15 Dec 2014 -- The United Nations has issued a compromising report on the crisis in Ukraine, apportioning blame to both Kiev and pro-Russians.
• Medvedev: Kiev's Blockade of East Ukraine Shows Lack of Responsibility Sputnik 15 Dec 2014 -- Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev noted in an op-ed for Nezavisimaya Gazeta on Monday that Ukraine's economic blockade of its breakaway eastern regions proves its unwillingness to take responsibility for governing them.
• Kiev Volunteer Battalions Violate Human Rights in East Ukraine: UN Report Sputnik 15 Dec 2014 -- The actions of Kiev-controlled paramilitary volunteer battalions and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in eastern Ukraine are in violation of human rights, a UN monitoring mission said in a report Monday.
• ISIL executes 30 defiant Iraqis in Mosul Iran Press TV 15 Dec 2014 -- The ISIL Takfiri terrorists have executed at least 30 young men in the Iraqi city of Mosul after they refused to join the militants' fight against the government forces.
• 'Even in war there are rules' – UN official urges Security Council to enforce protections of Syrian civilians UN News Centre 15 Dec 2014 -- Despite the United Nations Security Council's best efforts to limit violence against non-combatants caught up in the ongoing Syrian conflict, civilians in the Middle Eastern country are being subjected to escalating levels of brutality as the war creeps into its fourth year, the top UN humanitarian official said today.
• Militants capture army base in NW Syria: Sources Iran Press TV 15 Dec 2014 -- Syria opposition sources claim militants of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front have taken control of a military base in Syria's northwest.
• Condemning military escalation in Libya, UN mission calls on all parties to join dialogue UN News Centre 15 Dec 2014 -- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) today condemned the sharp escalation in violence in the country and called on both sides to cease military operations immediately and give political dialogue a chance.
• Analysts: Libya Battle Critical to Containing Islamic State VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- The United Nations is calling for international action to slow the chaos in Libya, saying fighting there could destabilize the entire region.
• People of South Sudan living in 'tinderbox' after year of conflict, warns UN rights chief UN News Centre 15 Dec 2014 -- Highlighting the "dreadful" situation of civilians in South Sudan, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned today that there are deeply worrying indications that fighting would intensify now that the dry season had begun, and urged all parties to practice restraint, engage in meaningful dialogue and work to restore calm.
• The 'Unimaginable Pain' of South Sudan's Crisis VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- The government of South Sudan has insisted repeatedly that the conflict that broke out on December 15 of last year is a political row between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president, Riek Machar.
• Future of Israeli-Palestinian peace 'more uncertain than ever,' warns senior UN official UN News Centre 15 Dec 2014 -- The quest for peace between Israel and the Palestinians has reached a "dramatic" crossroads, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, told the Security Council today in his briefing on the situation, warning that the region's future remains "more uncertain than ever."
• Palestinian Statehood Is Focus of Kerry-Netanyahu Meeting VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Palestinian officials push for a United Nations resolution calling for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory within two years.
• Lebanon: UN deputy chief pledges to 'help as much as possible' with refugee impact UN News Centre 15 Dec 2014 -- With soaring numbers of refugees seeking asylum in Lebanon, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson today pledged to "help as much as possible" to ensure that the tragic conflict in Syria will not spread into Lebanese society.
• Security Council extends mandate of UN Liberia mission UN News Centre 15 Dec 2014 -- Recognizing that grappling with the Ebola outbreak has slowed the Liberian Government's efforts to advance certain governance and national reforms, the Security Council today extended the United Nations mission in the country (UNMIL), tailoring its mandate to focus on civilian protection, humanitarian assistance support, and justice and security body reforms.
• Myanmar Rebels Kill 7 Soldiers, Wound 20 Near China Border VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- Myanmar, also known as Burma, says ethnic rebels attacked an army outpost near the border with China last week, killing seven soldiers and wounding 20 others.
• Chad Wields Influence Across Africa in Unexpected Ways VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- Boko Haram, the insurgency in northern Mali, and the crisis in the Central African Republic. One thing unites these three conflicts: the country of Chad. This large, central African nation is becoming something of a regional power.
• DR Congo: UN-led Great Lakes envoys urge faster implementation of M23 peace deal UN News Centre 15 Dec 2014 -- A team of United Nations, African Union and other Special Envoys on the Great Lakes region have noted with concern that overall implementation of the Nairobi Declarations remains slow.

News Reports

• Sydney Police Storm Cafe, End Standoff VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- Australian police stormed a Sydney cafe, ending a 16-hour siege in which an unknown number of people were held hostage by an armed gunman who was known to authorities.
• Australia Café Siege Leaves Gunman, 2 Hostages Dead VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- Australian police have confirmed three people, including the hostage-taker, were killed during a day-long standoff at a Sydney cafe.
• CIA Officers Involved in Torture Deserve Praise: Dick Cheney Sputnik 15 Dec 2014 -- The CIA officials revealed to have been involved in the agency's enhanced interrogation program deserve to be praised and decorated, former US Vice President Dick Cheney told NBC News on Sunday.
• Ebola: UN forum urges debt relief for hard-hit countries, as search for faster diagnostics gets underway UN News Centre 15 Dec 2014 -- The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) today recommended that creditors should seriously consider debt cancellation for the countries worst-hit by the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, and also projected that even if those most affected were to register zero economic growth, the impact on Africa as a continent would be minimal.
• Govt to have anti-Iran sanctions lifted: President Rouhani IRNA 15 Dec 2014 -- President Hassan Rouhani said here on Monday that the Iranian government would have sanctions imposed on the country lifted.
• World has no option but to sit behind table of talks, says Rouhani ISNA 15 Dec 2014 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated on Monday that the world has no alternative but to sit behind the table of talks with Iran.
• Iranian negotiators in Geneva for N. talks ISNA 15 Dec 2014 -- Iranian nuclear negotiators left for Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday to continue talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.
• French Police Arrest Islamist Suspects in Raids VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- French police detained nearly a dozen Islamist suspects in raids early Monday following a months-long investigation. Reports say those arrested include would-be jihadists hoping to join the fight in the Middle East and their recruiters.
• France disbands network sending militants to Syria Iran Press TV 15 Dec 2014 -- Police in France have dismantled a network sending militants to fight alongside fellow foreign-backed terrorists in Syria.
• Ukraine PM: $10B Needed to Avoid Bankruptcy VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says his country urgently needs $10 billion to avoid bankruptcy.
• Medvedev: EU Not Willing to Treat Ukraine as Equal Partner Sputnik 15 Dec 2014 -- In an op-ed in Russia's Nezavisimaya Gazeta on Monday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev stated that the European Union does not treat Ukraine as an equal partner, subjecting them to a great number of political and economic demands with few concrete benefits in return.
• Medvedev: Kiev May Lose $15Bln After Association With EU Sputnik 15 Dec 2014 -- Kiev may lose up to $15 billion due to its association with the European Union, should Customs Union member-states take steps to protect their markets, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Monday.
• Medvedev: Russia Should Resist All Forms of Provocations Sputnik 15 Dec 2014 -- Russia should not fall for provocations whatever those might be, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Monday.
• Turkey's Media Raids Could Presage Wider Crackdown VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- Turkey's government is facing growing international pressure following police raids on media establishments. But the Turkish president has dismissed criticism and said the country's national security is at stake.
• Erdogan Tells EU To 'Mind Own Business' In Media Arrests RFE/RL 15 Dec 2014 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that weekend raids on opposition media outlets were in response to 'dirty operations' by political enemies, and told the EU not to interfere.
• China exposes 3,200 'naked officials' People's Daily 15 Dec 2014 -- China has found more than 3,200 'naked' officials at county-level or above.
• Former Chinese Domestic Security Chief Faces Corruption Probe VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- For many months, Beijing has been investigating its former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang for alleged corruption.
• Hong Kong Activists Vow Return as Protests Declared Over VOA 15 Dec 2014 -- Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said the territory's occupy protests are over, but activists say they will return after police cleared the last of the demonstration sites following more than 10 weeks of protests.
• US Will Face DPRK's Toughest Counteraction: FM Spokesman KCNA 15 Dec 2014 -- The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK Monday gave the following answer to the question put by KCNA as regards the U.S. madcap 'human rights' racket against the DPRK:
• KCNA Issues Report to Commemorate Anniversary of Kim Jong Il's Demise KCNA 15 Dec 2014 -- The Korean Central News Agency released a report on Monday on the occasion of the 3rd anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il's demise.
• Chinese, Kazakh deal fosters Silk Road plan People's Daily 15 Dec 2014 -- China secured deals worth more than $14 billion to enhance connectivity with Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest economy, in what is another step forward in efforts to revive the ancient transcontinental Silk Road.
• Nazarbaev Issues Veiled Warning To Russia At SCO Meeting RFE/RL 15 Dec 2014 -- The prime ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states are meeting in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana.