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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 16 Jan 2015 [PDF]
• US plans to deploy 400 troops to train Syrian militants Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2015 -- The US military has planned to deploy hundreds of troops to help train Syrian militants fighting the ISIL terrorist group in the region.
• US to Send 400 Trainers, Hundreds Support Staff to Aid Syrian Opposition Sputnik 16 Jan 2015 -- US is going to send 400 military personnel to train Syrian opposition, according to the military news website Defense One.
• U.S. Troops to Train Syrian Opposition Could Number 1,000 AFPS 16 Jan 2015 -- The number of U.S. troops expected to train Syrian opposition forces "could approach" 1,000, Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters today in a press briefing.
• Airstrikes Against ISIL Continue in Iraq, Syria AFPS 16 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.
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Rear Adm. Kirby in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 16 Jan 2015 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby

Defense Policy / Programs

• TAAC-Air speaks of mission in its new name AFNS 16 Jan 2015 -- For more than seven years, NATO Air Training Command – Afghanistan has been working side-by-side with Afghan National Security Forces to build, strengthen and empower the Afghan air force.
• F-35 arrival begins new era at weapons school AFNS 16 Jan 2015 -- A new era began at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School when its first F-35A Lightning II touched-down on the flightline here Jan. 15, flown straight from the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas.
• Israeli air force training AFNS 16 Jan 2015 -- Little Rock Air Force Base is the home of C-130 Hercules aircraft and aircrew training, but it can also be a home away from home for many international students.
• Remarks by Secretary Hagel at the U.S. Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Summit, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland DoD 16 Jan 2015 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
• USS Cape St. George, HSM 78 Detachment Returns from Western Pacific Deployment NNS 16 Jan 2015 -- The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) returned to San Diego Jan. 16 from an independent deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean.
• USS Boise Returns from US Central Command Deployment NNS 16 Jan 2015 -- The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Boise (SSN 764) returned to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk from a deployment, Jan. 16.
• Air Force brings ideas to Defense Innovation Initiative AFNS 16 Jan 2015 -- In dual remarks during the State of the Air Force press briefing here Jan. 15, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and the Air Force chief of staff announced plans to bring the service's research, science and technology ideas to the Defense Innovation Initiative, led by Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work.
• DoD Releases 2013 Annual Report on Suicide DoD 16 Jan 2015 -- Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) released its 2013 calendar year Suicide Event Report (DoDSER), which details the number of suicide attempts and deaths for U.S. service members.
• The 200,000th Trap Aboard TR NNS 16 Jan 2015 -- Capt. Daniel C. Grieco, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), and Capt. Benjamin Hewlett, deputy commander of Carrier Air Wing 1 (DCAG), successfully recorded the 200,000th arrested landing aboard TR, Jan. 15.
• U.S. Navy Forward Deploys Guided-Missile Cruiser to Japan to Underscore Commitment to the Asia-Pacific Region NNS 16 Jan 2015 -- The U.S. Navy announced today that the guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) will join the Forward Deployed Naval Forces in Yokosuka, Japan.
• USS Makin Island Arrives in Singapore for Port Visit NNS 16 Jan 2015 -- The amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), along with the embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), arrived in Singapore Jan. 16 for a scheduled port visit.
• NATO Secretary General statement on closer cooperation with Serbia NATO 16 Jan 2015
• ''Romania is a strong Ally'' says NATO Secretary General NATO 16 Jan 2015 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in Brussels on Friday (16 January 2015) to discuss the Alliance's response to current security challenges and the importance of investing in defence. Mr Stoltenberg thanked President Iohannis for his personal commitment to the Alliance, Romania's substantial contributions to NATO, and the recent decision to spend 2 % of Gross Domestic Product on defence by 2017. "Romania is a staunch and strong NATO Ally," the Secretary General said.
• Russian Western Military District Receives New Batch of Mi-17V5 Helicopters Sputnik 16 Jan 2015 -- Russia's Western Military District has received a fresh batch of Mi-17V-5 transport helicopters and is set to receive more, the head of the district's press service Colonel Oleg Kochetkov told Russia's RIA Novosti on Friday.
• China Voice: How corrupt army maintains combat power People's Daily 16 Jan 2015 -- The announcement that 16 senior military officials are under investigation or waiting for trial shocked many on Thursday, was the Communist Party of China (CPC)'s forceful response to their latest anti-graft pledge.
• January 16, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 16 Jan 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 16, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 16 January 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 16 Jan 2015
• Syria: UN relief agencies appeal for more funding as winter freeze sweeps region UN News Centre 16 Jan 2015 -- As winter conditions worsen across the Middle East, additional funding is 'urgently needed' to enable the United Nations and other humanitarian actors to reach millions of distressed Syrians before it is too late, a senior UN relief official urged today.
• Syria envoy plays the ISIS card, but will it work? IRIN 16 Jan 2015 -- Staffan de Mistura, the UN's special envoy to Syria, used a 15 January speech to again talk of his optimism that a breakthrough could be achieved in the coming weeks.
• UN-facilitated Libyan political dialogue concludes first round in Geneva UN News Centre 16 Jan 2015 -- Two days of intensive United Nations-led political talks aimed at finding ways to end Libya's political, security and institutional crisis came to an end in Geneva yesterday, with stakeholders expressing their unequivocal commitment to a united and democratic Libya governed by the rule of law and respect for human rights.
• Fresh fighting claims eleven lives in east Ukraine Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2015 -- The Ukrainian military says at least eleven people, including six soldiers, have been killed in the latest round of fire exchanges between government troops and pro-Russian militia forces in the country's violence-plagued eastern regions.
• Ukraine Regrouping Army, Deploying Extra Units to More Dangerous Hot Spots Sputnik 16 Jan 2015 -- Ukraine is regrouping its military and reinforcing units in the "hot spots" in the country's east, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's press service said Friday.
• DPR Reports at Least Ten Ukrainian Soldiers Killed in Latest Airport Battle Sputnik 16 Jan 2015 -- The eastern Ukrainian self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's (DPR) militia has reported that fighting at the Donetsk airport has left at least ten Ukrainian military personnel dead and another six bodies have been found burned.
• Chad tanks roar toward Cameroon to fight Boko Haram Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2015 -- Dozens of tanks operated by the Chadian army have headed toward neighboring Cameroon to help the Central African country battle members of the Nigeria-based Boko Haram Takfiri militant group.
• Chad Plans to Send Troops to Cameroon to Help Fight Boko Haram Militants Sputnik 16 Jan 2015 -- Cameroon's President Paul Biya has stated that Chad plans to send troops to his country for fighting the Nigerian Boko Haram militant group, the Cameroons's government representative said in a statement.
• Chadian Forces Deploy Against Boko Haram VOA 16 Jan 2015 -- A convoy of Chadian tanks and armored vehicles motored out of the capital Friday to help fight the Nigerian insurgent group Boko Haram.
• UN agency urges halt in Nigerian refugee repatriation amid mounting violence in country UN News Centre 16 Jan 2015 -- The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) today called on the Governments of Niger and Nigeria to suspend the repatriation of hundreds of refugees who have fled escalating hostilities in Nigeria's north-eastern Borno state, warning that their return would once again plunge them into the heart of the country's brutal and ongoing conflict.
• International Criminal Court opens initial probe into recent Gaza conflict UN News Centre 16 Jan 2015 -- The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) today announced that she has opened a preliminary examination into the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, following the accession earlier this month by the Palestinian Authority to the Court's founding Rome Statute.
• ICC Opens War Crimes Probe in Palestine VOA 16 Jan 2015 -- The International Criminal Court is opening a preliminary probe into possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories.
• DR Congo: UN mission chief voices 'full solidarity' as Government battles armed groups UN News Centre 16 Jan 2015 -- The top United Nations official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has expressed 'full solidarity' and support for the country's Government as it continues in its fight against armed groups operating on its territory.
• Reconciliation, dialogue, human rights vital to spirit of peace in El Salvador – UN chief UN News Centre 16 Jan 2015 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Salvadorans to keep the spirit of peace alive, as he attended at a ceremony commemorating the 23rd anniversary of El Salvador's 1991 Peace Accords.

News Reports

• CIA Insists White House Knew About Spying on Senate Committee Sputnik 16 Jan 2015 -- A report by the CIA's Office of the Inspector General, released on Wednesday, reveals that the White House failed to take measures to prevent the CIA from gaining access to the computer drive used by the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating the CIA's torture program, despite being aware of its intentions, the Huffington Post reported on Thursday.
• Kerry Visits Paris As European Antiterrorism Raids Launched RFE/RL 16 Jan 2015 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed solidarity with the French people, hours after security forces in France, Belgium, and Germany carried out dozens of raids against suspected members of Islamist militant cells.
• Across Europe, Terror Raids Follow Paris Attacks VOA 16 Jan 2015 -- In cities across Europe, police are conducting raids and making arrests, striving to ease tensions that have risen exponentially since attacks in and near Paris last week claimed 17 victims.
• Kerry: US, France Will Persevere Against Terrorism VOA 16 Jan 2015 -- The United States and France will persevere together against terrorism, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday in Paris during a series of solemn tributes honoring victims of last week's attacks and showing solidarity with America's 'oldest ally.'
• US General Says Islamic State Recruiting Fighters in Afghanistan, Pakistan Sputnik 16 Jan 2015 -- A top military commander for NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan says that the Islamic State militant group is conducting a recruitment drive in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Army Times reports.
• President Announces Expanded Cooperation with UK on Cyberthreats AFPS 16 Jan 2015 -- President Barack Obama announced his intent to expand cooperation with the United Kingdom in battling cyberthreats during a joint media availability today with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron at the White House.
• US, Britain to Establish Joint 'Cyber Cell' VOA 16 Jan 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have pledged to increase cooperation on a number of issues facing their two nations, including cybersecurity.
• Third avian flu virus strain detected in Taiwan Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2015 -- A third highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza has been detected in southern Taiwan.
• US, Britain Oppose New Iran Sanctions VOA 16 Jan 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron say they oppose any new sanctions on Iran, saying they would jeopardize ongoing talks on Tehran's nuclear program.
• PLA officers placed under investigation People's Daily 16 Jan 2015 -- Liu Zheng, deputy head of the People's Liberation Army's General Logistics Department, is under investigation for suspected legal violations, the PLA said on Thursday.
• China Anti-Graft Probe Puts Chief Spy in the Spotlight Sputnik 16 Jan 2015 -- Ma Jian, a top Chinese intelligence is being investigated by China's top anti-graft agency, the South China Morning Post reported.
• Violence, arrests and mistrust ahead of Burundi polls IRIN 16 Jan 2015 -- A fortnight after a five-day battle took place in northwest Burundi, very few details have emerged about the armed group which entered the country and was eventually defeated by the army. With elections due later in May or June amid a climate of mistrust between the government and opposition, the fighting and information scarcity has fuelled anxieties.
• Space Corporation Says Russia Could Export 30 More Rocket Engines to US Sputnik 16 Jan 2015 -- Russian rocket manufacturer Energia is currently in talks with US space launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA) over a contract to deliver 30 additional RD-180 rocket engines, Energia head Vladimir Solntsev said Friday.
• Russia, US Sign $1Bln Contract on RD-181 Rocket Engine Deliveries Sputnik 16 Jan 2015 -- Russian rocket producer Energiya has signed a $1 billion contract with US Orbital Sciences Corporation for the delivery of 60 RD-181 engines, the company's press service said Friday in a statement.
• NASA New Horizons Spacecraft Begins Encounter With Pluto Sputnik 16 Jan 2015 -- NASA's New Horizons spacecraft's long-awaited encounter with Pluto has recently begun after a voyage of more than 3 billion miles, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• European Space Agency: Missing Beagle-2 Mars lander found after over 10 years Iran Press TV 16 Jan 2015 -- The European Space Agency (ESA) says it has found the Beagle-2 Mars lander, which has been missing on the planet for more than ten years.