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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 07 Jan 2015 [PDF]
• US to Send Additional Military Trainers to Iraq: Defense Department Sputnik 07 Jan 2015 -- Additional US trainers will arrive in Iraq by the end of the month to help build the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces, Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
• UN refugee agency, Afghan Government launch winter assistance plan to help displaced UN News Centre 07 Jan 2015 -- As the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) and its partners begin distributing cold-weather supplies to some of Kabul's most vulnerable residents, the Agency's representative in Kabul has warned that many people, especially children, are continuing to suffer, particularly those living in Kabul's informal settlements.
• Deadly Taliban Attacks Continue in Afghanistan VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- Afghan authorities say a group of Taliban suicide bombers attacked a police academy in an eastern region Wednesday, shortly after insurgents killed six construction workers and a judge elsewhere in the strife-torn country.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Obstacles Remain in Obama's Goal of Guantanamo Closure VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- The Obama administration ended 2014 with the release of more detainees from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. On December 30, the Pentagon announced that three Yemenis and two Tunisians were flown to Kazakhstan for resettlement. President Barack Obama is working toward his goal to shut down the facility during his last two years in office.
• Navy to Christen Fifth Joint High Speed Vessel DoD 07 Jan 2015 -- The Navy will christen the future USNS Trenton (JHSV 5) Jan. 10 during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony in Mobile, Alabama
• DoD Releases Updated Instruction for Acquisitions System AFPS 07 Jan 2015 -- The Defense Department's top acquisitions official today released a new version of the acquisitions corps' guiding document: Department of Defense Instruction 5000.02, Operation of the Defense Acquisition System.
• A new era of retrograde operations as squadron inactivates AFNS 07 Jan 2015 -- Ringing in not only a new year, but a new era of retrograde operations, the 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron was inactivated during a ceremony here Jan. 1.
• USS Nimitz Home Port Change Transit Delayed NNS 07 Jan 2015 -- The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) has delayed their transit from Naval Base Everett to Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton after discovering a maintenance issue. The Nimitz will conduct required maintenance prior to getting underway. Nimitz is still scheduled to make a homeport shift to Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton and begin a planned incremental availability.
• USS Leyte Gulf Returns to Home Port NNS 07 Jan 2015 -- The guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) returned to Naval Station Norfolk today following a six-month deployment in the U.S. Fleet Forces and 6th Fleet Areas of Operations.
• USNS Spearhead Arrives in Rota, Spain NNS 07 Jan 2015 -- The Military Sealift Command's joint high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) pulled in to Rota, Spain, for a scheduled port visit Jan. 6.
• San Francisco visits Yokosuka during Western Pacific deployment NNS 07 Jan 2015 -- The Los Angeles class fast-attack submarine USS San Francisco(SSN 711) arrived at Okinawa Naval Base Jan. 6, for a port call as part of a deployment to the Western Pacific.
• US drone fleet stretched to 'breaking point': Report Iran Press TV 07 Jan 2015 -- The US Air Force is facing a critical shortage of drone pilots, threatening the "readiness and combat capability" of America's fleet of unmanned aircraft, according to an internal report.
• US, Indonesia Expand Military Cooperation Agreement VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- Indonesia and the United States have signed an action plan to expand military cooperation and improve Indonesia's defense readiness.
• Germany extends participation in NATO mission in Turkey Iran Press TV 07 Jan 2015 -- German troops' participation in a NATO mission in Turkey operating Patriot missile batteries is due to be extended for another year.
• Three Caspian States To Hold First Joint Naval Drills RFE/RL 07 Jan 2015 -- The Russian military says Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan will hold joint naval exercises in the Caspian Sea for the first time this summer.
• US gives 250 mine-resistant armored vehicles to Iraq Iran Press TV 07 Jan 2015 -- The United States has donated 250 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs) to the Iraqi Army as it battles the ISIL terrorist organization, the US embassy announced.
• US Sends Additional Equipment to Iraq for Fight Against IS: State Dept. Sputnik 07 Jan 2015 -- The United States has donated 250 mine-resistant, ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles to the Iraqi Government for the country's security forces to fight against the Islamic State (IS), the US Department of State said.
• Iran begins mass production of Saeqeh fighter jets Iran Press TV 07 Jan 2015 -- The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) has started the mass production of the indigenous Saeqeh (Thunderbolt) fighter jets.
• January 7, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 07 Jan 2015
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Josh Earnest en route to Detroit, MI, 01/07/15 The White House 07 Jan 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 07, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 7 January 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 Jan 2015
• 5.5 million displaced by war in first half of 2014, signalling record – UN UN News Centre 07 Jan 2015 -- War across large swathes of the Middle East and Africa in the first six months of 2014 forcibly displaced some 5.5 million people, signalling yet another record, the United Nations reported today.
• UNICEF uses electronic vouchers to give Syrian refugee children access to winter clothes UN News Centre 07 Jan 2015 -- As Jordan braces for a winter storm in the next few days, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), today launched a winter cash assistance programme to provide vulnerable Syrian refugee children in Za'atari and Azraq refugee camps with monetary assistance to allow their families to buy them winter clothes.
• Syrian refugees 2nd largest after Palestinians: UN Iran Press TV 07 Jan 2015 -- The United Nations has declared that Syrians have surpassed Afghans as the second largest refugee population after Palestinians, fleeing to over 100 nations to escape the foreign-backed war in their country.
• Syrians Largest Refugee Group After Palestinians: UN Refugee Agency Sputnik 07 Jan 2015 -- The United Nations Refugee Agency's (UNHCR) biannual report shows that Syrians have become the world's largest refugee population after Palestinians, the agency said in a statement released Wednesday.
• UN, Turkey Sign Agreement to Provide Humanitarian Aid to Syrian Refugees Sputnik 07 Jan 2015 -- Turkey and UNHCR will deliver 12 mobile clinics, 10 ambulances and 10 vaccination units, the agency reported, citing senior Turkish officials.
• Iraqi Kurds Retake Territory; Seek More Help to Free Mosul VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- No one is yet talking about victory in the war against the vicious group that calls itself the Islamic State (IS).
• N Korea Warns of 'Catastrophic Phase' in Relations With South Over Leaflets Sputnik 07 Jan 2015 -- North Korea's state news agency slammed South Korea on Wednesday over a recent launch of balloons carrying leaflets across the border to DPRK, warning that such acts could bring relations between the two countries to a 'catastrophic phase'.
• Germany, Ukraine Ink Loan Deal Ahead of Top Level Talks VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has talks in Berlin Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They are expected to focus on security and extended economic aid to the cash-strapped Kyiv government.
• In phone call with DR Congo President, Ban urges 'decisive action' against armed group UN News Centre 07 Jan 2015 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a phone call with Democratic Republic of the Congo's President, Joseph Kabila, today appealed for decisive action against the armed group FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), after it failed to surrender on deadline.
• UN, Congolese Troops Preparing to Launch Anti-FDLR Operations VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- United Nations peacekeepers and the Congolese military are preparing to launch operations against the Rwandan Hutu rebel group, the FDLR, based in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
• DRC Soldiers to Launch Offensive against Rwanda Rebels VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- The Democratic Republic of Congo's national army (FARDC) and troops from the United Nations Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) will soon launch a joint military offensive against Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels, says Lambert Mende, Congo's information minister.
• Yemen: Ban condemns deadly attack on police academy, calls for accountability UN News Centre 07 Jan 2015 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned in the strongest terms today's attack against a policy academy in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, and called for the perpetrators of the crime to be brought to justice.
• 30 Killed in Yemen Car Bombing VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- Arab media are reporting more than 30 people were killed and 40 others were wounded when a car bomb exploded near a police college in the Yemeni capital Sana'a.
• Striving for peace in CAR IRIN 07 Jan 2015 -- Civil society and religious organisations in the Central African Republic are working to rebuild trust and harmony in a country fraught with ethnic and religious animosity since the overthrow of President François Bozizé in March 2013.
• Al-Shabab militants in Somalia execute four over 'spying' Iran Press TV 07 Jan 2015 -- The al-Shabab militant group in Somalia has reportedly executed four people accused of spying for the United States, Ethiopia and the African country's government.
• Malian Foreign Minister Says Libya Crisis Destabilizing Mali Sputnik 07 Jan 2015 -- The crisis in Libya triggered destabilization and continues to worsen the situation Mali, the country's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said at the UN headquarters.
• Uganda Confirms Surrender of LRA Commander VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- Uganda's military has confirmed that a man who turned himself in to U.S. forces in central Africa is a top commander of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army.

News Reports

• 1 of 3 Suspects in Paris Shootings Surrenders VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- The youngest suspect identified in Wednesday's mass slaying at the office of a French satirical magazine in Paris has surrendered.
• Statement from Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on the Attacks in Paris DoD 07 Jan 2015
• One Paris Massacre Suspect Surrenders As Manhunt Continues RFE/RL 07 Jan 2015 -- One of the three suspects wanted in connection with the killing of 12 people at a satirical magazine in Paris on January 7 has turned himself in.
• Remarks on the Terrorist Attack in Paris US Dept. of State 07 Jan 2015
• Shooting at French magazine office kills 12, injures 5 Iran Press TV 07 Jan 2015 -- At least twelve people have been killed and five others critically injured when several masked men armed with automatic weapons stormed the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in the heart of the French capital, Paris.
• At Least 12 Killed As Gunmen Attack Offices Of French Satirical Weekly RFE/RL 07 Jan 2015 -- Masked gunmen attacked the offices of a French satirical magazine that has drawn repeated threats for its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, killing at least 12 people, including at least four journalists and two police officers.
• Arab League, al-Azhar slam attack on French magazine Iran Press TV 07 Jan 2015 -- The Arab League and Egypt's al-Azhar University have strongly condemned a deadly attack on the office of French satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, in the heart of the French capital, Paris.
• French Muslim leaders condemn 'barbaric' attack on Charlie Hebdo office Iran Press TV 07 Jan 2015 -- France's Muslim leadership has denounced as "barbaric" a deadly assault on the office of France's satirical weekly, Charlie Hebdo, in Paris.
• Paris alert level put at highest after attack on paper Iran Press TV 07 Jan 2015 -- France has raised its alert status for Paris to the highest level after a deadly shooting attack on the office of satirical weekly, Charlie Hebdo, in the heart of the capital.
• Ban outraged by 'horrendous and cold-blooded' attack on French magazine UN News Centre 07 Jan 2015 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly condemned the appalling and "cold-blooded crime" committed by terrorists who attacked the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, which news reports indicate killed 10 media workers and two police officers.
• Gunmen Still at Large After Paris Shooting VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- French police said at least 12 people, including two police officers, are dead after an attack at the Paris headquarters of the satirical weekly paper Charlie Hebdo.
• French Magazine Lampooned Religious, Political Figures VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- The French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo had just tweeted a cartoon mocking Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi when masked gunmen burst into its Paris office Wednesday.
• Experts: Gunmen in Paris Attack Likely Had Military Training VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- The black-clad gunmen who stormed the Paris offices of a satirical magazine known for lampooning Islam displayed proficiency in weapons handling, suggesting they had received military training, say security experts.
• US Promises Help to Bring Charlie Hebdo Attackers to Justice VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- The United States is condemning the terror attack in Paris that killed 12 people at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and officials are promising to help in any way possible.
• Statement by the President on the Attack in France The White House 07 Jan 2015
• Stalled Probe Into CIA Prisons in Lithuania Needs US Info to Progress Sputnik 07 Jan 2015 -- The success of any investigation into the secret CIA prisons in Lithuania depends on whether the United States will provide necessary information, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said Wednesday.
• Iran must be immunized against sanctions: Ayatollah Khamenei Iran Press TV 07 Jan 2015 --Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Iran needs to be immunized against sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.
• Khamenei Says Iran Must 'Immunize' Against Sanctions, Cannot Trust U.S. 'Enemy' RFE/RL 07 Jan 2015 -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the country should 'immunize' itself against international sanctions.
• With Saudi King Ailing, Stakes, Anticipation Run High VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- It was Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince – not the King, as customary– who inaugurated the sixth session of the consultative Shura Council this week. King Abdullah, 90, has been hospitalized with pneumonia for more than a week, and this has renewed speculation about who will succeed him to the throne and lead the kingdom during a time of political and economic uncertainty.
• Pro-Democracy Lawmakers Walk Out of Hong Kong Parliament VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- Pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong raising yellow umbrellas, a symbol of the territory's Occupy movement, walked out of a parliamentary session Wednesday when Chief Secretary Carrie Lam said the government was sticking with a proposal to pre-screen candidates for the city's 2017 election.
• FBI: Sony Hackers 'Sloppy,' Used North Korean Servers VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- FBI Director James Comey says hackers who attacked Sony last month were sloppy, posting directly from a server used exclusively by North Korea.
• Pakistan President Signs Bill Allowing Military Courts for Terror Suspects VOA 07 Jan 2015 -- Pakistan's President Mamnoon Hussain Wednesday signed into law legislation allowing creation of military courts to swiftly try civilian terrorism suspects. Parliament approved the measure on Tuesday.
• In Liberia, UN Ebola mission chief commends progress, warns against 'complacency' UN News Centre 07 Jan 2015 -- On his first tour of Ebola-stricken Liberia, the newly appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) today outlined his vision to tackle the scourge in what he called a "3C approach" which he described as recognizing the vital roles of "countries, communities and coordination."