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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 30 Dec 2014 [PDF]
• Inherent Resolve Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists AFPS 30 Dec 2014 -- U.S. and partner-nation military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq today, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported.
• US says drone attack in Somalia targets al-Shabab leader Iran Press TV 30 Dec 2014 -- The US military says it has carried out a drone attack targeting a senior leader of the al-Shabab militant group in Somalia.
• US Airstrike in Somalia Kills Al-Shabab Intelligence Chief VOA 30 Dec 2014 -- The Somali government says al-Shabab's intelligence chief was killed in a U.S. airstrike near the town of Saakow.
• Afghan Forces Prepared to Take Lead in Providing Country's Security: ISAF Sputnik 30 Dec 2014 -- The Afghan forces are prepared to take the lead in ensuring security and stability in their country, spokesperson for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan Chris Belcher told Sputnik on Tuesday.
• NATO 'Kill List' in Afghanistan Responsible for Civilian Deaths Sputnik 30 Dec 2014 -- Lethal NATO missions in Afghanistan were not just viewed as a last resort to prevent attacks and target Taliban leaders; in fact, they were part of everyday life and were aimed at low-ranking fighters, according to classified documents accessed by Der Spigel.
• US to send second ship to help search for AirAsia jet: Pentagon Iran Press TV 30 Dec 2014 -- The US Navy is sending a second ship to Indonesia to assist the country with the search for the missing AirAsia plane that disappeared en route from Surabaya in Indonesia's east Java to Singapore, the Pentagon says.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Detainee Transfer Announced DoD 30 Dec 2014 -- The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Asim Thabit Abdullah Al-Khalaqi, Muhammad Ali Husayn Khanayna, Sabri Muhammad Ibrahim Al Qurashi, Adel Al-Hakeemy, and Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Lufti from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to Kazakhstan.
• Navy Prepares for Jan. 20 Communications Satellite Launch NNS 30 Dec 2014 -- Navy military and civilian engineers are preparing the latest military communications satellite for a planned Jan. 20 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
• Putting the 'combat' in combat communications AFNS 30 Dec 2014 -- Airmen from the 644th Combat Communications Squadron recently exercised their abilities to respond to various scenarios during contingency operations such as emergency response, self-aid and buddy care, and force protection, while demonstrating combat skills at the Andy South annex near Andersen Air Force Base.
• USS Fort McHenry to Spend New Year's in Valencia, Spain NNS 30 Dec 2014 -- The Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) pulled in to Valencia, Spain for a scheduled port visit Dec. 29.
• USS Sampson Contributes to AirAsia Search Efforts NNS 30 Dec 2014 -- USS Sampson (DDG 102) is supporting the ongoing Indonesian-led search and recovery operations for the downed AirAsia flight QZ8501 and assisted in locating the crash debris field yesterday.
• Russian Naval Destroyer Leaves English Channel, Enters North Sea Sputnik 30 Dec 2014 -- The Russian Navy's Vice-Admiral Kulakov, an Udaloy-class destroyer, has left the English Channel and entered the North Sea, a Northern Fleet spokesperson said Tuesday.
• Xi's observations on military management People's Daily 30 Dec 2014 -- During his visit to the headquarters of the military region of Nanjing, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), called on the Chinese army to focus on meeting the goals of building a strong army, carrying out the spirit of a military political work conference held in Gutian township, and raising the levels of military management in accordance with the law and with strict military discipline.
• Xi stresses reform quality for new year People's Daily 30 Dec 2014 -- China's central leadership for reform has said boosting the quality of reforms must be of prime concern in the coming 2015.
• Iran, Iraq stress strengthening defense ties ISNA 30 Dec 2014 -- Iranian and Iraqi defense ministers stressed the further expansion of mutual defense cooperation between the two countries.
• Iran's Navy deploys gunship chopper in drills Iran Press TV 30 Dec 2014 -- The Iranian Army has launched the latest stage of a major military drill code-named Mohammad Rasoulollah (Mohammad, the Messenger of God), with the Navy flying its first combat helicopter equipped with new assault weapons.
• December 30, 2014 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 30 Dec 2014

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 30, 2014
• Experts recommend fighter plane for developing nations People's Daily 30 Dec 2014 -- China could export a modern fighter jet to developing countries to take a bigger share of the international military aircraft market and boost its aviation industry, experts have suggested.

Other Conflicts

• UN Security Council action on Palestinian statehood blocked UN News Centre 30 Dec 2014 -- Falling short of the required number of positive votes and faced with a veto from one of its permanent members, the United Nations Security Council today failed to adopt a draft resolution that would have affirmed the "urgent need" to reach within 12 months a peaceful solution to the situation in the Middle East and would have paved the way to a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
• Israeli-Palestinian Divide Deepens in Turbulent Year VOA 30 Dec 2014 -- A series of events in 2014 heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians to levels not seen in years, and the new year portends even more difficult times.
• Fragmented Syria in Search of a Referee VOA 30 Dec 2014 -- As 2014 draws to a close, the war in Syria grinds on.
• Nine mass graves discovered in Iraq's Sinjar Iran Press TV 30 Dec 2014 -- At least nine mass graves, containing the bodies of Izadi Kurds killed by the ISIL Takfiri militants, have been found in Iraq.
• Iraq forces fully retake Dhuluiya town Iran Press TV 30 Dec 2014 -- Units of the Iraqi military, backed by volunteer forces, have managed to fully liberate the town of Dhuluiya in Salahuddin Province from the Takfiri ISIL militants.
• Libya: UN mission condemns terrorist bombing against Parliament amid uptick in violence UN News Centre 30 Dec 2014 -- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has strongly deplored a terrorist attack against a hotel in the city of Tobruk where the country's House of Representatives was in session just days after the Mission had warned that further violence risked plunging the country into "all-out war."
• Car bomb blast rocks Libya parliament headquarters Iran Press TV 30 Dec 2014 -- A car bomb has exploded outside the headquarters of the internationally-recognized Libyan parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk.
• Libyan forces shoot down militia helicopter Iran Press TV 30 Dec 2014 -- Libya says it has shot down a militia helicopter, days after militants carried out airstrikes against a major oil terminal in the country's eastern region.
• Libya: Car Bomb Explodes Near Parliament in City of Tobruk, Three Wounded Sputnik 30 Dec 2014 -- A suicide bomber has blown up a car filled with explosives in front of the hotel that houses Libya's runaway parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk, near the Egyptian border, Reuters quotes the country's officials as saying.
• Kiev Hopes to Sign Ceasefire Protocol With Donetsk, Luhansk in OSCE Meeting Sputnik 30 Dec 2014 -- Kiev hopes to sign a protocol on a complete ceasefire with the eastern Ukrainian self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's republics when the parties meet with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), a Ukrainian military spokesman said during a briefing Tuesday.
• Pakistan Re-arrests Suspected Mastermind of Mumbai Attacks VOA 30 Dec 2014 -- Police in Pakistan have arrested the alleged mastermind of the 2008 militant attacks on Mumbai, hours after he won an appeal against his temporary detention.
• Senior UN envoy 'hopeful' over prospects for peace in Central African Republic UN News Centre 30 Dec 2014 -- Strife-torn Central African Republic is showing signs of moving towards broad national dialogue – a direction prescribed by the Security Council as critical to ensure lasting peace – the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the country has said today.
• HRW Warns Peace Fragile in Conflict-Torn Central African Republic Sputnik 30 Dec 2014 -- On the second anniversary of the Central African Republic's rebellion which led to a bloody conflict, peace remains fragile in the country, Human Rights Watch said in a statement Tuesday.
• Vietnamese asylum cases test Cambodia IRIN 30 Dec 2014 -- Cambodia's actions in the ongoing case of a group of Vietnamese ethnic minorities suggests the country's capacity and willingness to protect asylum seekers remains weak. A group was transferred to the capital, Pnom Penh, in recent weeks to have their claims processed which, refugee advocates say, will be a "test" for the Cambodian government as it prepares to welcome some 1,000 refugees from Australian detention centres.
• 5 Cameroonian soldiers slain in Boko Haram attacks Iran Press TV 30 Dec 2014 -- Five Cameroonian soldiers have been killed when members of Nigeria-based Boko Haram Takfiri militant group carried out separate attacks in the Central African country.
• Urgent UN agency appeal raises $45 million to meet refugee food needs in Kenya UN News Centre 30 Dec 2014 -- The United Nations has said today that a strong response by donors to its urgent appeal for funding means that it can resume providing full food rations to refugees in Kenya in January.
• US Scolds Sudan for Expulsion of 2 UN Officials VOA 30 Dec 2014 -- The United States said Tuesday that it deplored Sudan's ordered expulsion of two senior U.N. officials and called on Khartoum to reverse its decision.

News Reports

• Russian Opposition, US, EU Condemn Navalny Brothers' Verdict VOA 30 Dec 2014 -- Prominent Russian opposition leaders and officials of the United States and European Union have condemned the verdict against Alexei Navalny and his brother Oleg as a disturbing and politically motivated decision intended to silence the main critic of President Vladimir Putin.
• Kremlin Foe Navalny Avoids Prison, Brother Jailed RFE/RL 30 Dec 2014 -- A Moscow court has convicted Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny of fraud and given him a 3 1/2-year suspended sentence, meaning he will not be jailed.
• Russia Warns U.S. Sanctions Could Harm Cooperation On Iran, Syria RFE/RL 30 Dec 2014 -- Russia has warned the United States that the widening of sanctions under the Magnitsky Act could hinder cooperation on Iran's nuclear program, the Syria conflict, and other major international issues.
• After Stormy 2014, Putin's Russia Braces For Fateful New Year RFE/RL 30 Dec 2014 -- It was the best of times for Vladimir Putin in 2014 - and it was the worst of times. The best came on March 18 with his triumphant chest-thumping speech to parliament marking Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. And the worst came on December 15-16 when the ruble lost more than 20 percent of its value, tumbling to record lows as oil prices sank and the cost of Western sanctions became manifest.
• Iran starts construction of new N. plant units ISNA 30 Dec 2014 -- Iran has started construction of two new units in Bushehr nuclear power plant, said Spokesman of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi.
• China's stance on Iran nuclear talks People's Daily 30 Dec 2014 -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- and Iran clinched an interim agreement in Geneva, whereby Iran agreed to cap its nuclear program in exchange for limited sanction relief.
• Japan culls 37,000 more chickens over bird flu Iran Press TV 30 Dec 2014 -- Authorities in Japan have started culling another 37,000 chickens in the west of the country after the discovery of a fresh bird flu outbreak, making it the third reported in less than a month.
• Fight against Ebola requires district-by-district approach - head of UN response mission UN News Centre 30 Dec 2014 -- The outgoing head of the head of the United Nations Emergency Ebola Response Mission (UNMEER) said today that communities are going to play a big role in defeating the "nasty disease" in West Africa by stamping out outbreaks while they are small and not allowing them to become bigger.
• France, Germany Urge Checks on Jihadists' Travel VOA 30 Dec 2014 -- France and Germany, traditionally among the fiercest defenders of document-free travel within the 26-nation Schengen travel zone, are calling for changes to counter the increasing number of Europeans leaving to wage jihad in Iraq and Syria.
• Gambian soldiers attempt to carry out coup Iran Press TV 30 Dec 2014 -- Soldiers in the West African nation of Gambia have attempted to carry out a pre-dawn coup while President Yahya Jammeh was out of the country, official sources say.
• Gambian Capital Locked Down After Apparent Coup Attempt VOA 30 Dec 2014 -- Government forces in Gambia appear to have fended off an overnight coup attempt. President Yahya Jammeh is out of the country. Security forces locked down the capital Tuesday and patrolled the streets. The government issued a short statement late in the day denying 'rumors' of instability but has given no official details about what happened.
• Maduro Accuses US of Waging 'Oil War' Against Venezuela, Russia Sputnik 30 Dec 2014 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused Washington of waging war against Russia and Venezuela by deliberately lowering global oil prices.