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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Update: air strikes in Iraq UK MOD 13 Jan 2015 -- British forces have continued to conduct air operations to assist the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIL.
• Airstrikes Hit ISIL Targets in Syria, Iraq AFPS 13 Jan 2015 -- U.S. and coalition 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 today.
• US airstrike in Syria killed 50 civilians last month: Reports Iran Press TV 13 Jan 2015 -- A US airstrike killed tens of Syrian civilians trapped in an ISIL prison last month, witness accounts say.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Remarks by Secretary Hagel at a troop event at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri DoD 13 Jan 2015 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck
• Media Availability with Secretary Hagel at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri DoD 13 Jan 2014 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
Hagel
• Obama to Propose Initiatives That Fill U.S. Cybersecurity Gaps AFPS 13 Jan 2015 -- In 2015, the Obama administration will make a major push to raise the level of cybersecurity across the nation and improve the ability to disrupt, respond to and mitigate cyber incidents, a senior administration official said today.
• Obama Unveils Next Steps in Cybersecurity Plan AFPS 13 Jan 2015 -- Continuing an effort to help defend the nation's computer-connected systems, President Barack Obama announced today additional steps that call for more information sharing, modernized law enforcement and updated security data breach reporting.
• Hagel Underscores Nuclear Mission Importance at B-2 Base AFPS 13 Jan 2015 -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today opened his final domestic trip with a stop at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, home of the 509th Bomb Wing -- the world's only B-2 Spirit stealth bomber unit.
• DISA Director Discusses Reorganization Efforts AFPS 13 Jan 2015 -- The reshaping of the Defense Department's premiere information technology agency is vital to how it will improve its agility and employ its capabilities for the future, the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency said here yesterday.
• DoD Seeks Strides in Contracting, Sustaining Infrastructure AFPS 13 Jan 2015 -- The Defense Department continues to gauge its commercial capacity requirement, business base and the evolution of that base, the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics said here yesterday.
• U.S. and Korean Navies Embrace Training Opportunities during January Bilateral Exchange NNS 13 Jan 2015 -- The guided-missile destroyers USS Mustin (DDG 89) and USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) are participating in a bilateral training exercise from Jan. 13-15 with their counterparts in the Republic of Korea navy.
• NATO plans to increase military exercises in Baltic region Iran Press TV 13 Jan 2015 -- The top military commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) says the military alliance is planning to increase its military exercises in the Baltic Sea region.
• Russia wants Paris to explain warship delivery delay Iran Press TV 13 Jan 2015 -- Russia has demanded that France give an official explanation over its failure to deliver the first of two Mistral-class warships to Moscow under a 2011 deal, a military source in Moscow says.
• Russia Could Revise Commitment to START Due to 'Unfriendly' US Actions Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- Russia could revise its commitment to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in response to 'unfriendly' US actions, the head of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
• Russia to Face 'Certain Difficulties' in Arms Purchases in 2015 Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- The Russian Defense Ministry has hit "certain difficulties" in its overambitious plans for arms purchases in 2015 due to import substitutions, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Tuesday.
• Russia to Reinforce Military Groupings in Crimea, Kaliningrad, Arctic Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- Russia will reinforce its military groupings in 2015 on the Crimean Peninsula, the exclave Kaliningrad Region and the Arctic, Russian General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov said Tuesday.
• Russia to Merge Air, Space Forces in 2015: Defense Ministry Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- Russia will create an Air-Space Force from the merger of its Air Force and Space Forces in 2015, the country's Armed Forces General Staff chief, Valery Gerasimov, said Tuesday.
• Russia to Reconstruct 10 Military Airfields in Arctic by Year's End Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- Russia will reconstruct 10 military airfields in the Arctic region by the end of 2015, bringing the total number of Russian operational airfields in the region to 14, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov told journalists Tuesday.
• Russia Sends France Formal Inquiry on Non-Delivery of Mistral Warship Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- Moscow has sent Paris an official inquiry for an explanation of why a Mistral helicopter carrier was not delivered to Russia according to an earlier signed agreement, a high-ranking official from the Russian Defense Ministry's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) said Tuesday.
• Iran stands among world's top 10 countries on military equipment ISNA 13 Jan 2015 -- An Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) official said Iran is standing among the world's top 10 countries in terms of military equipment.
• Britain scraps Sellafield nuclear deal Iran Press TV 13 Jan 2015 -- Britain said on Tuesday that it had scrapped a deal worth $30.2 billion with an international consortium to clean up the Sellafield nuclear facility in Cumbria in the northwest of the country.
• MOD publishes equipment plan and welcomes NAO report UK MOD 13 Jan 2015 -- The MOD has published its third annual update to the defence equipment plan.
• Ukrainian President to Sign Decree on New Wave of Mobilization on Jan. 14 Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Tuesday he will sign a decree, authorizing a new wave of mobilization in the crisis-hit country on January 14, according to a post on his official website.
• Joint Press Availability With Pakistani Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz US Dept. of State 13 Jan 2015
• January 13, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 13 Jan 2015
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 1/13/2015 The White House 13 Jan 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 13, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 13 January 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 13 Jan 2015
• Analysts: Arab Foreign Fighters Pose Greater Threat Than Western Counterparts VOA 13 Jan 2015 -- Despite U.S. and European efforts to track some 3,000 Western nationals fighting alongside terrorist organizations, analysts warn that Arab nationals joining Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra in Iraq and Syria, and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), pose a far greater threat to Mideast stability.
• Cold Winter Jeopardizes Hundreds of Thousands of Syrian Children VOA 13 Jan 2015 -- The U.N. Children's Fund says it is stepping up assistance for hundreds of thousands of Syrian children at risk of illness and death due to bitterly cold weather.
• UN-hosted Libya political talks to open tomorrow in Geneva UN News Centre 13 Jan 2015 -- The United Nations is gearing up to kick-start a new round of political talks this week aimed at easing the deepening political and security crisis afflicting Libya, the UN Mission in the strife-torn country has announced.
• Ukraine Says Rocket Hits Bus In East, Killing 10 RFE/RL 13 Jan 2015 -- Ukrainian authorities say 10 civilians have been killed and 13 wounded by a missile that hit a bus in eastern Ukraine.
• Talks on Ukrainian Crisis Impossible Without Ceasesfire: DPR Envoy Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- The failure to ensure sustained ceasefire regime in eastern Ukraine leads the standoff between Kiev and self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics to a deadlock, leaving in doubt the prospects of future peace talks on Ukrainian reconciliation, the DPR envoy at the talks said Tuesday.
• Ukraine Passenger Bus Hit in Shelling, 10 Killed VOA 13 Jan 2015 -- Ten civilians were killed Tuesday when a shell or missile hit a bus south of the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukrainian authorities reported.
• Boko Haram and Nigeria's future - five key questions answered* IRIN 13 Jan 2015 -- The terrible news keeps on coming from Nigeria's embattled northeast. Two suspected child suicide bombers reportedly blew themselves up in a crowded market on Sunday – the second such attack in two days linked to Boko Haram in which young girls were strapped with explosives. Meanwhile, the Islamic extremist group has maintained the momentum of its more conventional attacks, capturing the town of Baga last week on the border with Chad and deliberately executing civilians (earlier reports of up to 2,000 dead by Amnesty International have been disputed by the military. But the true figure remains unknown).
• Cameroonian troops kill 143 Boko Haram militants Iran Press TV 13 Jan 2015 -- Cameroon sources say the Central African country's military forces have killed 143 members of the members of the Nigeria-based Boko Haram Takfiri militant group.
• UN Condemns Boko Haram Killings in Baga, Calls on Nigeria to Restore Order Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- The United Nations deplores Boko Haram's attacks on civilians in the Nigerian town of Baga and calls on the country's authorities to restore order and investigate the recent mass killings, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Tuesday.
• UN rights office 'deeply deplores' latest Boko Haram attack in Nigeria UN News Centre 13 Jan 2015 -- The United Nations human rights office has condemned the latest spate of violence committed by Islamist extremist group Boko Haram amid reports of renewed mass killings and mass forced displacement in north-eastern Nigeria.
• Boko Haram Attacks in Nigeria Displace Tens of Thousands VOA 13 Jan 2015 -- The United Nations says attacks by Boko Haram militants in far northeastern Nigeria have forced more than 11,000 people into neighboring Chad and may have displaced 150,000 overall, since seizing the town of Baga and nearby villages on January 3.
• Central African Republic: UN agency warns of food insecurity amid ongoing instability UN News Centre 13 Jan 2015 -- The unpredictable and hostile security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is having severe consequences for the country's population still in dire need of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) declared today.
• Côte d'Ivoire: Welcoming recent progress, UN envoy urges vigilance in run-up to elections UN News Centre 13 Jan 2015 -- While praising Côte d'Ivoire's significant progress towards lasting peace and economic recovery, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today that vigilance and determination will still be required to hold onto recent gains and lay the ground for presidential elections next fall.

News Reports

• Bulgaria arrests Frenchman linked to Charlie Hebdo assault Iran Press TV 13 Jan 2015 -- Bulgarian authorities say they have detained a French citizen with links to one of the two brothers, who carried out the deadly attack on the headquarters of satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo.
• Funeral Ceremonies Held For Seven Victims Of Paris Attacks RFE/RL 13 Jan 2015 -- Funeral ceremonies have been held for seven of the 17 victims of last week's attacks in Paris, as France said it was 'at war' with terrorism.
• Weapons Used in Paris Terrorist Attacks Acquired Abroad: French Police Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- The terrorists, responsible for killing 17 people in Paris, acquired weapons outside of the country, a French police representative announced on Tuesday.
• Al-Qaeda Branch Issues New Warning to France Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the North Africa branch, published a new warning on jihadist websites, reports CNN.
• Frenchman Arrested in Bulgaria Allegedly Linked to Charlie Hebdo Attackers Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- On January 1, Bulgarian authorities arrested a Frenchman, who was allegedly in contact with one of the Kouachi brothers, responsible for a deadly attack on Charlie Hebdo, AFP reports, citing a local prosecutor.
• French Lawmakers Approve More Anti-IS Airstrikes VOA 13 Jan 2015 -- French lawmakers agreed to extend the country's participation in airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq, a week after three men who claimed allegiance to extreme Islamist groups killed 17 people in Paris.
• CDC Director 'Confident' World Can Reach Zero Ebola Cases VOA 13 Jan 2015 -- The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says he remains 'very confident' the Ebola outbreak that has devastated West Africa can be stopped.
• China Dispatching a Large Ebola Relief Team to Liberia and Sierra Leone Sputnik 13 Jan 2015 -- Beijing will dispatch 232 army medical workers to Liberia and Sierra Leone to help battle the Ebola epidemic that has killed 5,000 people, reports Reuters.
• Infighting Rocks Ruling Party in Nigeria's Oil-Rich States VOA 13 Jan 2015 -- Nigeria's ruling party has long enjoyed strong support from states in the country's oil-producing south. But disputes among ruling party members may hurt its chances in next month's elections.
• Egyptian Court Overturns Last Mubarak Conviction VOA 13 Jan 2015 -- An Egyptian appeals court has overturned a conviction on charges of embezzlement against former President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday, opening the door to his eventual release from detention at a Cairo military hospital. The case will, however, be retried.
• Afghanistan's Unity Government Takes Shape RFE/RL 13 Jan 2015 -- The proposed Afghan cabinet features many new faces, but stays true to the old guard. How is Kabul's unity government shaping up?
• Kerry Urges Pakistan To Fight Militants, Mend India Ties RFE/RL 13 Jan 2015 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has called on Pakistan to fight militant groups that pose a threat to the South Asian country, the region, and the United States.
• Kudrin: Russia's economy 'not up to modern challenges' Russia Beyond the Headlines 13 Jan 2015 -- According to former Russian finance minister Alexei Kudrin, the fall in Russia's GDP and the accompanying stagnation may last for years. Kudrin, who is currently head of the Civil Initiatives Committee, an NGO that promotes civil rights in Russia, discussed the country's economic future in an interview with RBC Daily.
• Rouhani: Bushehr Power Plant, symbol of nation's resistance IRNA 13 Jan 2015 -- Bushehr Power Plant is the symbol of resistance of a nation, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday.
• China's Tightening Censorship Seen As Breeding Resistance VOA 13 Jan 2015 -- A newly released report by rights group Freedom House says that while repression and censorship by China's Communist Party has intensified over the past two years since President Xi Jinping began taking over, so has resistance to government efforts to exert control.
• 'Dysfunctional' Haitian Parliament deplored by UN and partners UN News Centre 13 Jan 2015 -- Urging all Haitian stakeholders to form a consensus Government, the top United Nations official in in the country joined the ambassadors of several countries today in deploring the fact that the Haitian Parliament became "dysfunctional" after failing to hold elections within its constitutional framework.