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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 30 Jan 2015 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Rear Adm. Kirby in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 30 Jan 2015 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby
• Military Airstrikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 30 Jan 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria, using bomber and fighter aircraft to conduct six airstrikes, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported.
• More Airstrikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 30 Jan 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria, using fighter aircraft to conduct two airstrikes, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported.
• Taliban claims deadly shooting attack at Kabul airport Iran Press TV 30 Jan 2015 -- The Taliban militant group has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack at the Kabul airport, in which a gunman shot and killed three American security contractors and one Afghan man.
• Massachusetts Guard Helps Combat Blizzard AFPS 30 Jan 2015 -- Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker activated nearly 500 soldiers and airmen of the Massachusetts National Guard Monday in response to a historic January blizzard that dumped three feet of snow in areas of central Massachusetts.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD Moves Data to the Cloud to Lower Costs, Improve Security AFPS 30 Jan 2015 -- The Defense Department is moving its data to the cloud, driven by cost reductions, technical efficiencies and security considerations, Acting Chief Information Officer Terry Halvorsen told military and industry leaders gathered here yesterday.
• Natick designs new rucksack for paratroopers Army News 30 Jan 2015 -- He used to be one of them, so when paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division asked Rich Landry to design a rucksack to meet their needs, he was thrilled.
• Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Becomes Operational DoD 30 Jan 2015 -- The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) officially merge today into the newly established Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in ceremonies at both locations.
• USS Independence Departs San Diego for Florida NNS 30 Jan 2015 -- USS Independence (LCS 2) departed San Diego Jan. 30 for Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., to conduct operational evaluation and testing of the mine countermeasures mission package.
• Cope South experts exchange knowledge, techniques AFNS 30 Jan 2015 -- The flight line here at exercise Cope South 15 (CS15) is usually a flurry of activity every morning, with maintainers firing up auxiliary power units and loadmasters finalizing their cargo plan.
• Japanese forces train with 1st Recon to enhance amphibious capabilities USMC News 30 Jan 2015 -- The cold and gloomy morning starts with troops fighting against the waves of a surf line and feeling a rush of the cold ocean water drenching their bodies as they strategically ride in Combat Rubber Raiding Crafts along the coast of southern California.
• USS Elrod is Decommissioned NNS 30 Jan 2015 -- Placed into commission nearly 30 years ago, the guided-missile frigate USS Elrod (FFG 55) was decommissioned today during a Naval Station Norfolk ceremony, led by Cmdr. Brad Stallings, commanding officer.
• Bonhomme Richard ARG Embarks 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit NNS 30 Jan 2015 -- The Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) embarked Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to participate in amphibious integration training (AIT) and a certification exercise (CERTEX).
• Secretary General's Annual Report: Alliance adapts to changed security environment NATO 30 Jan 2015 -- The year 2014 was a 'black year' for European security but NATO has been able to respond to the changing environment, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during the launch of his Annual Report Friday (30 January, 2015).
• Deputy Secretary General Vershbow in Tbilisi: implementation of the Wales Summit decisions on Georgia is on track NATO 30 Jan 2015 -- At the end of a two-day visit to Georgia, NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said that Georgia is a model for its region and a country that is an exporter of security.
• NATO Chief Warns Of Challenges After 'Black Year' RFE/RL 30 Jan 2015 -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said the alliance must prepare for further challenges after a 'black year' of Russian intervention in Ukraine and terror attacks on Europe's streets.
• Channels of Military Communication Between NATO, Russia to Remain Open Sputnik 30 Jan 2015 -- Channels of military communication between NATO and Russia must remain open to avoid incidents, as both sides have increased their military presence near each other's borders, the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday.
• NATO Scrambles Jets After Russian Refueling Aircraft Flies Over Baltic Sea Sputnik 30 Jan 2015 -- NATO fighter jets have been deployed to intercept a Russian refueling aircraft over the Baltic Sea, Latvian military officials announced on Friday.
• Russia Says It Will Bolster Forces In 'Strategic' Areas RFE/RL 30 Jan 2015 -- Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says Russia will strengthen its forces in 'strategic areas' as part of efforts to ensure no other country can dominate it.
• New Russian Anti-Air System Prevented Terrorist Attacks on Sochi Olympics Sputnik 30 Jan 2015 -- Russia's newest 'Tor' anti-air defense system was used to prevent drone-based terrorist attacks against the Winter Olympics in Sochi, a representative of the plant that produces the systems told Sputnik.
• Russia to Keep Up With US, NATO Military Capability Sputnik 30 Jan 2015 -- Measures taken by the Russian Defense Ministry to develop the Strategic Nuclear Forces and raise the capabilities of regular troops will prevent the United States or NATO's superiority over Russia, General Staff head Valery Gerasimov said Friday.
• Russia to Ensure Defense of Country Without Arms Race Says Defense Ministry Sputnik 30 Jan 2015 -- The Russian military will fulfill its task of guaranteeing superiority upon completion of the state weapons program, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Friday.
• Scores of PLA officers punished People's Daily 30 Jan 2015 -- More than 200 senior People's Liberation Army officers have been reprimanded, demoted or removed from their posts for problems exposed by military auditors, PLA Daily reported on Thursday.
• India Considering Adding Japanese Soryu-Class Submarines to its Fleet Sputnik 30 Jan 2015 -- New Delhi is considering a project to build six Japanese Soryu-class diesel-electric submarines in an Indian shipyard, according to Indian media resources.
• MOD continues to support regeneration of Portsmouth Naval Base UK MOD 30 Jan 2015 -- Defence Secretary has shortlisted 3 companies to make use of the ship halls at HMNB Portsmouth supporting jobs and growth in the region.
• Poland Open to Arms Sales to Ukraine Sputnik 30 Jan 2015 -- Poland is open to selling weapons to Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna said Friday.
• January 30, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 30 Jan 2015
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 1/30/2015 The White House 30 Jan 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 30, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 30 January 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 30 Jan 2015
• UN relief agencies in Ukraine urge full access to affected populations in country's east UN News Centre 30 Jan 2015 -- The United Nations in Ukraine is alarmed over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the eastern part of the country, where heavy fighting has intensified in recent days, and is calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities to allow aid to reach civilians.
• Ukraine Peace Talks Dropped as Civilians Die VOA 30 Jan 2015 -- At least 12 civilians on both sides of the eastern Ukraine conflict were killed Friday as a new round of peace talks between Kyiv and pro-Russia separatists failed to materialize after a cease-fire ruptured early in the year.
• Ukraine's pro-Russians vow to continue attacks if Minsk talks fail Iran Press TV 30 Jan 2015 -- Pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine have vowed to continue their attacks on the Ukrainian army positions if the new peace talks with Kiev fail to bring any practical results.
• Belarus says Minsk talks on Ukraine crisis 'cancelled' Iran Press TV 30 Jan 2015 -- Belarus says the awaited Minsk peace negotiations between representatives of Ukraine's government and pro-Russian forces have been cancelled after Ukrainian officials refused to show up.
• Shelling attacks kill 11, injure dozens in Donetsk Iran Press TV 30 Jan 2015 -- At least 11 people have been killed and dozens of others injured in the past 24 hours as a result of shelling attacks on pro-Russian forces operating in Ukraine's volatile eastern region of Donetsk, local officials say.
• Ukraine Rebel Leader Says Government Forces Surrounded RFE/RL 30 Jan 2015 -- A pro-Russian separatist leader says Ukrainian troops near a Donetsk region town are surrounded and should surrender their weapons or face death.
• Ukraine Peace Talks Reportedly Postponed As Casualties Mount RFE/RL 30 Jan 2015 -- Kyiv and pro-Russian rebels traded accusations over deadly attacks in eastern Ukraine as planned peace talks in Minsk were reportedly postponed.
• Donetsk, Luhansk Ready Only for Mutual Heavy Weaponry Pullback, Ceasefire Sputnik 30 Jan 2015 -- The self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DPR and LPR) are ready to announce a ceasefire and pull back heavy weaponry to positions agreed in a reconciliation memorandum if Kiev does the same, the republics' envoys said in a joint statement Friday.
• Infighting rages on between militant groups in Syria Iran Press TV 30 Jan 2015 -- Fierce exchanges of fire have broken out between members of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front and militants from another Takfiri group, affecting several areas in the northwestern part of Syria.
• Jihadists' Rivalries in Syria Result in Violent Executions VOA 30 Jan 2015 -- The cellphone video obtained by opposition activists of the execution of a Syrian woman accused of adultery is heartbreaking. Made to kneel as she protests her innocence in front of a gathering crowd of masked armed fighters and curious onlookers in a public square, her executioners then announce her crime and one of them steps forward and kills her with a single fatal shot to the head.
• Six killed in ISIL new attack on Iraq's Kirkuk Iran Press TV 30 Jan 2015 -- Latest reports say ISIL Takfiri militants have launched a surprise attack on the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk from different fronts, killing at least six Peshmerga fighters.
• Heavy Fighting Near Kirkuk, Twin Blasts Hit Baghdad Market VOA 30 Jan 2015 -- Fierce fighting erupted Friday between Islamic State militants and Kurdish Peshmerga forces near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Officials say a senior Kurdish commander and at least eight of his fighters were killed. Meanwhile, at least 27 people were killed in back-to back bomb blasts in Baghdad.
• Japan forces unwelcome in S.China Sea People's Daily 30 Jan 2015 -- China has reiterated its support for free South China Sea navigation. There is no reason for Japan to expand air patrols into the region, altering the geopolitical landscape and acting like a protagonist.
• Israel to build 430 new settler homes: NGO Iran Press TV 30 Jan 2015 -- The Israeli regime has approved plans for the construction of some 430 new illegal settler homes on occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, reports say.
• UN appeals for funds as ongoing violence sends desperate Nigerians fleeing to Cameroon UN News Centre 30 Jan 2015 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is appealing for more funds to help address the recent exodus of refugees into Cameroon from Nigeria, saying that a risk in attacks on both sides of that border has made it increasingly risky for humanitarian agencies to operate there.
• Northern Cameroon in Turmoil as Boko Haram Attacks Increase VOA 30 Jan 2015 -- The World Food Program reports it is scaling up operations in Cameroon as the number of refugees from Boko Haram attacks increases. WFP says it plans to assist more than 96,000 people in Cameroon, including Nigerian refugees, internally displaced people and local host communities.
• World Food Program Cuts to Affect Nearly 150,000 Refugees in Uganda VOA 30 Jan 2015 -- The World Food Program (WFP) says it must cut its assistance to Uganda by half due to a shortfall in funding. The move will impact some 150,000 Ugandans living in refugee settlements, $30 million is needed to continue the needed level of assistance.
• Dozens Killed in Pakistani Shi'ite Mosque Bombing VOA 30 Jan 2015 -- Authorities in Pakistan say a powerful bomb ripped through a crowded Shi'ite Muslim mosque Friday, killing at least 58 worshipers and wounding many others.
• Ban voices optimism on Colombia peace as talks scheduled to resume UN News Centre 30 Jan 2015 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced encouragement as Colombian stakeholders prepare to resume peace talks in Havana, Cuba, next week in an effort to end the country's decades-long internal conflict.

News Reports

• Meet Yevgeny Fyodorov, The Russian Lawmaker Who Wants More Western Sanctions RFE/RL 30 Jan 2015 -- Russia's economy is tanking. The price of oil has flat-lined. New western sanctions are in the pipeline. One proposal -- to disconnect Russia from the SWIFT payment system -- could wreak havoc on the financial system.
• Russia Sanctions More U.S. Officials In Response To Magnitsky List RFE/RL 30 Jan 2015 -- Russia says it has blacklisted an additional four U.S. citizens in response to Washington's decision to sanction more Russians suspected of human rights abuses.
• New Saudi King Implements Major Government Reshuffle Sputnik 30 Jan 2015 -- Saudi Arabia's newly-inaugurated monarch, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, issued a series of key orders on Thursday; he has called for a major government shake-up and offered financial support to a large number of citizens.
• Canada's Spy Agency to Be Given New Counter Terrorism Powers Sputnik 30 Jan 2015 -- The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is expected to be given more powers in new anti-terrorism measures to be unveiled Friday, CBC News reported.
• Islamic State Affiliate In Egypt Claims Attack That Killed Dozens RFE/RL 30 Jan 2015 -- Militants affiliated with Islamic State (IS) fighters have claimed responsibility for a deadly wave of attacks in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on January 29 that officials say killed at least 26 people, primarily soldiers.
• Islamic State Deadline Passes For Japanese And Jordanian Hostages RFE/RL 30 Jan 2015 -- The fate of a Japanese journalist and a Jordanian air force pilot held by Islamic State (IS) militants remains unclear after the passing of a January 29 deadline set by the captors.
• Jordan, Japan Await News on Fate of IS Hostages VOA 30 Jan 2015 -- The fates of two Islamic State hostages -- a Japanese journalist and a Jordanian air force pilot -- remained unknown Friday, a day after the latest deadline passed for a prisoner swap.
• Somali Terror Suspect's Light Sentence Raises Questions VOA 30 Jan 2015 -- When federal agents stopped 18-year-old Abdullahi Yusuf at the Minneapolis airport last May he had a ticket to Istanbul, Turkey. The Somali-American teen had gotten a passport just a few weeks earlier. He hadn't told his father where he was going. But the Federal Bureau of Investigation believed he wanted to join terrorist fighters battling the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.
• At African Union Summit, Ban promises UN support to build back Ebola-hit countries UN News Centre 30 Jan 2015 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today assured African leaders gathered for a summit in Addis Ababa of the support of the United Nations in helping the countries affected by Ebola "build back stronger than ever," while the head of the UN development agency tasked with leading the Organization's recovery efforts urged the world to stay the course in aiding hard-hit West Africa.
• IFRC Warns Complacency Could Set Back Ebola Progress VOA 30 Jan 2015 -- The number of new Ebola cases in West Africa is dropping. But the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) says the fight against Ebola is not over and warns that complacency could lead to preventable deaths.
• Erdogan slammed for seeking authority to dissolve parliament Iran Press TV 30 Jan 2015 -- A senior member of the Turkish opposition has criticized the president for seeking the authority to dissolve parliament, saying that such powers will turn Turkey into a dictatorship.
• Chinese leadership stresses ensuring quality of reform People's Daily 30 Jan 2015 -- A plan approved by the central leadership on Friday mandated intensified efforts to improve the quality and implementation of reform measures.