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News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 13 May 2015 [PDF]
• Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 13 May 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.
• NATO decides to maintain presence in Afghanistan NATO 13 May 2015 -- NATO Foreign Ministers decided today (13 May 2015) that the Alliance will maintain a presence in Afghanistan after the end of its current mission Resolute Support.
• Search Continues for Missing U.S. Helicopter in Nepal AFPS 13 May 2015 -- The search is continuing for a U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Huey helicopter reported missing in Nepal with six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese service members aboard, Joint Task Force 505 officials reported today.
• Nepal intensifies search operation for missing U.S. chopper People's Daily 13 May 2015 -- Nepal has intensified search of U. S. military helicopter carrying six Marines and two Nepalese Army personnel that went missing since Tuesday afternoon, said a Nepali minister on Wednesday.
• USS Kauffman, U.S. Coast Guard Team Nab Narcotics NNS 13 May 2015 -- In collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard, the guided-missile frigate USS Kauffman (FFG 59) recovered approximately 630 kg of cocaine, worth an estimated wholesale value of approximately $23 million in international waters in the drug transit zone of the Eastern Pacific, May 6.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Weighs Right-of-Passage Display in South China Sea VOA 13 May 2015 -- U.S. officials say the Pentagon is considering sending U.S. military ships and aircraft to assert freedom of navigation in the South China Sea — a direct challenge to China, which is rapidly manufacturing artificial islands in the disputed territorial waters.
• US Plans Military Patrols to Counter Beijing's Expansion in S. China Sea Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- Tensions in the South China Sea just became a lot more heated. According to a US official, the Pentagon is drafting plans to begin military patrols around China's land reclamation projects in the Spratly Archipelago.
• President Nominates Milley, Richardson to Lead Army, Navy AFPS 13 May 2015 -- President Barack Obama has nominated Gen. Mark A. Milley as the next Army chief of staff, and Adm. John M. Richardson as the next chief of naval operations, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said here today.
• Remarks by Secretary Carter on Personnel Nominations in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 13 May 2015 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
• DoD Announces Appointment of James Baker as Director of the Office of Net Assessment DoD 13 May 2015 -- Secretary of Defense Ash Carter has appointed James H. Baker to serve as the director, Office of Net Assessment. Baker succeeds Andrew Marshall who retired in January after 42 years of service in the Department of Defense.
• Nomination for Next Chief of Naval Operations Announced NNS 13 May 2015 -- Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced today during a Pentagon press briefing that he has recommended Adm. John M. Richardson as the next Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). A career submarine officer, Richardson is currently director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. If confirmed, Richardson will replace Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert who has been CNO since September 2011. Greenert will retire this fall after 40 years of naval service.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Ash Carter's Meeting with Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud DoD 13 May 2015
• USS O'Kane (DDG 77) Biggest DSRA IN PHNSY History NNS 13 May 2015 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane (DDG 77) completed its move to Dry Dock 4 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on March 4 to begin its drydocking selected restricted availability (DSRA), the biggest in Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (PHNSY) history.
• USNA Plebes Undergo Sea Trials NNS 13 May 2015 -- The U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) freshman class endured 14 hours of rigorous physical and mental challenges during the annual Sea Trials training exercise, May 12, as part of the culmination of their plebe year.
• Navy Holds Sundown Ceremony for SH-60B Sea Hawk Helicopter NNS 13 May 2015 -- Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing Pacific hosted a Sundown Ceremony for the SH-60B Sea Hawk helicopter in Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73's hangar at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California, May 11.
• Abraham Lincoln Installs Primary Air Search Radar, another RCOH Milestone Achieved NNS 13 May 2015 -- Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Newport News Shipbuilding's shipyard workers reached another milestone during the current refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) May 5, successfully reinstalling the ship's AN/SPS-48 primary air search radar antenna on Lincoln's island.
• US House Committee Proposes to Increase Nuclear Triad Modernization Funds Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- Over the next ten to fifteen years, the Navy and Air Force will spend over $100 billion each to modernize all three units of the nuclear triad: ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), nuclear-capable bombers, and land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
• Romania or Bust? Pentagon Announces New Military Games in Eastern Europe Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- More than 350 American soldiers and 80 US Army vehicles will begin a 400 kilometer 'cavalry march' across Romania, with cover from US Air Force, on their way to multinational exercises, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.
• Kerry Urges Closer Ties Among Allies in Battling IS VOA 13 May 2015 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Wednesday for closer ties among allies in the battle against the Islamic State militant group.
• NATO FMs' meeting to focus on Ukraine, anti-terror People's Daily 13 May 2015 -- NATO foreign ministers gathered on Wednesday in southern Antalya province of Turkey for a meeting as Ukrainian crisis and the threat of the Islamic State (IS) group on top of the agenda.
• New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty not on Russia's agenda - diplomat TASS 13 May 2015 -- An issue of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) is not on Russia's agenda at the moment due to unstable global situation concerning the strategic balance, Mikhail Ulyanov, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, said on Wednesday.
• Putin orders to complete trials of new military hardware showed at Victory Parade TASS 13 May 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin set a task at a defense meeting on Wednesday to complete as soon as possible all the trials of military hardware for the army demonstrated at the WWII Victory Parade in Moscow on May 9.
• Russian engineers to make combat vehicles invisible to enemy thermal scopes TASS 13 May 2015 -- Russia's Concern Tractor Plants (CTP) will present by the end of the year a prototype of electric transmission for infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) that will make armored vehicles invisible to the enemy's thermal scopes, the concern's Vice President and co-owner Albert Bakov told TASS on Wednesday.
• Russian Defense Ministry to receive 250 BMD-4M, Rakushka vehicles TASS 13 May 2015 -- The Russian Defense Ministry is to receive more than 250 airborne troops' combat vehicles BMD-4M and armored personnel carriers BTR-MDM Rakushka over three years to come under a contract with the Tractor Plants concern, its first vice-president and co-owner, Albert Bakov has told TASS.
• First phase of Russian-Chinese naval drills over - Black Sea Fleet command TASS 13 May 2015 -- The first phase of the Russian-Chinese naval exercise Maritime Cooperation-2015 is over and it was a success, the chief of the Black Sea Fleet's staff, Vice-Admiral Alexander Nosatov, has told the media.
• China Builds Latest ASW-Capable Corvette Warship Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- Images from Chinese state television suggest that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has commissioned the latest in its Type 056 Jiangdao-class corvette vessels.
• France Offers Poland Subs, Cruise Missiles Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- France has offered to supply Poland with submarines and missiles that were requested by the country's Defense Ministry.
• War Games: Japan and Philippines Hold Military Exercise in South China Sea Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- Amid rising tensions in the disputed South China Sea, the latest in a series of provocative joint military exercises took place between the Philippines and Japan. This despite the fact that Japan doesn't even have an official claim in the region.
• Spanish Airbus Conducts A400M Test Flight After Crash in Seville - Company Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- Spain's Airbus military aircraft division successfully conducted a test flight of its test A400M plane Tuesday, three days after the company's plane crashed in the Spanish city of Seville, company's officials said.
• Belarusian army to get new Polonez multiple rocket launch systems in 2016 TASS 13 May 2015 -- Belarus' new multiple rocket launch systems Polonez are planned to be delivered to the country's troops in 2016, Belarusian Defense Minister Andrey Ravkov told journalists on Wednesday.
• N Korean Defense Chief Executed After Falling Asleep During Military Event Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- North Korea has executed its Defense Minister Hyon Yong-chol for falling asleep during military event attended by country's leader Kim Jong Un, Yonhap reported Wednesday, citing South Korea's National Intelligence Agency.
• DPRK to conduct artillery-firing drill near disputed sea border with S.Korea People's Daily 13 May 2015 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will conduct artillery-firing drills for three days through Friday near the disputed inter-Korean maritime border, South Korea's military said Wednesday.
• German Defense Ministry May Have Manipulated G36 Rifles Report Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- The G36 assault rifle has been part of the standard equipment of German soldiers since 1996, but a number of serious shortcomings have been recently revealed.
• Japan - UGM-84L Harpoon Block II Missiles DSCA 13 May 2015 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Japan for UGM-84L Harpoon Block II Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $199 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on May 12.
• Norway - AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder Missiles DSCA 13 May 2015 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Norway for AIM 9X Block II Sidewinder Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $345 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on May 12.
• Arms Trade Treaty vital to halting flow of 'portable, casual instruments of death', Security Council told UN News 13 May 2015 -- The widespread availability of small arms and light weapons, and their ammunition, is the common factor in over 250 conflicts witnessed across the globe in the last decade, the United Nations Secretary-General told the Security Council today, pointing to 50,000 deaths along with displacement levels unseen since the Second World War as direct consequences of such violence.
• Gulf States Coming to Washington With Big Wish List VOA 13 May 2015 -- Leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries begin talks in Washington this week that are expected to center on an anticipated nuclear deal with Iran. Analysts say that GCC leaders bring with them high hopes, but low expectations.
• May 13, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 13 May 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 13, 2015
• Lockheed Martin Receives $174 Million Contract for ATACMS Missile Production Lockheed Martin 13 May 2015 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) received a $174 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract for Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) production for the U.S. Army and the United Arab Emirates. ATACMS is the U.S. Army's only tactical long-range precision-strike surface-to-surface weapon system.
• Nation starts research on naval jet People's Daily 13 May 2015 -- China's aviation industry is working on the development of aircraft with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities needed for an important role in the Chinese navy's future operations, military experts said.

Other Conflicts

• 13 May 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 13 May 2015
• UN Peacekeeper Immunity Challenged VOA 13 May 2015 -- A new initiative has been launched to block U.N. peacekeepers from being granted immunity when accused of sexual exploitation and abuse. At least 50 such alleged incidents occurred last year, but Code Blue Campaign supporters say the actual number is probably much higher.
• Iran Warns of War if Aid Ship to Yemen Attacked Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- The deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces warned on Tuesday that Iran would retaliate in force against any country, which attacks an Iranian ship heading to Yemen with humanitarian aid cargo on board.
• Iran warns Saudis, US against hindering Yemen aid ship IRNA 13 May 2015 -- Iran's Defense Ministry in a statement released on Wednesday warned Saudi Arabia and US about consequences of blocking an Iranian humanitarian aid ship sailing to Yemen.
• Yemen crisis needs political solution: Zarif ISNA 13 May 2015 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on the United Nations to play its role in stopping the Saudi aggression against Yemen.
• Yemen: UN welcomes ceasefire as 'lifesaving' humanitarian relief begins to arrive UN News 13 May 2015 -- The top United Nations humanitarian official has welcomed the commencement of a ceasefire in Yemen aimed at allowing the delivery of "lifesaving" relief and aid to the country's civilian populations.
• Massive UN Aid Operation Set to Take Off in Yemen VOA 13 May 2015 -- A massive United Nations aid operation is set to take place in Yemen over the next few days if a recently announced temporary humanitarian cease-fire holds.
• NATO stands firm in support for Ukraine NATO 13 May 2015 -- NATO Foreign Ministers have reconfirmed their full support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and have called on Russia to cease its destabilisation of eastern Ukraine. Under the chairmanship of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the Allied ministers met with their Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin in a session of the NATO-Ukraine Commission in Antalya, Turkey on Wednesday (13 May 2015).
• Joint statement of the NATO-Ukraine Commission NATO 13 May 2015 -- "We, the Foreign Ministers of the NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC), met today in Antalya, Turkey, to review progress made on our joint cooperative agenda. We also discussed the security situation in eastern Ukraine, the implementation of the Minsk agreements and prospects for a lasting settlement, as well as the situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea of Ukraine."
• NATO Chief on Ukraine: Actions Speak Louder Than Words Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has opened the organization's two-day meeting, attended by US Secretary of State John Kerry, by increasing pressure on Russia over Ukraine amid calls for thousands of troops to be sent to the Baltic region.
• Artillery shells damage schools, kindergarten in eastern Ukraine Press TV 13 May 2015 -- Two school buildings and a kindergarten have been reportedly damaged in artillery attacks in the city of Gorlovka, in Ukraine's restive east.
• Kerry to Russia: Live up to Minsk agreement Press TV 13 May 2015 -- US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Russia to implement a peace deal to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, saying sanctions are in place to secure peace in the country.
• Fresh Blast Hits Ukraine's Government-Held Odesa RFE/RL 13 May 2015 -- An overnight explosion near the Black Sea port city of Odesa has damaged a rail line and delayed trains for hours but reportedly did not cause any injuries.
• Evidence Mounts That Russia Supplied Buk Missiles To Ukraine Separatists RFE/RL 13 May 2015 -- More and more evidence is emerging that seems to document a large Russian military convoy that traveled to eastern Ukraine in June 2014 and brought Buk antiaircraft systems to Russia-backed separatists fighting against Kyiv.
• Syrian soldiers, Hezbollah forces gain strategic grounds in Qalamoun Press TV 13 May 2015 -- Syrian government forces backed by fighters from the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah have made major advances in the mountainous Qalamoun region, north of Damascus and along the border with neighboring Lebanon.
• Army clashes with ISIL terrorists leave dozens dead in Syria's Homs Press TV 13 May 2015 -- At least four dozen people have been killed in clashes between Syrian government forces and ISIL Takfiri terrorists in the central Homs Province, reports say.
• US Officials Alarmed at New Syrian Rebel Alliance VOA 13 May 2015 -- Battlefield gains by insurgents in northern Syria, in an alliance dominated by an al-Qaida affiliate, and hardline Islamist militias are presenting the Obama administration with a dilemma – whether to support the new insurgent momentum against President Bashar al-Assad or to have nothing to do with it, U.S. officials say.
• China 'severely concerned' about remarks by US officials on territorial waters Press TV 13 May 2015 -- China has expressed concern over a plan by the United States to bolster its military presence in the disputed waters of the South China Sea in a move the Pentagon has described as 'demonstrating freedom of navigation.'
• Pentagon planning to send US military aircraft, Navy ships near China Press TV 13 May 2015 -- The United States is planning to send warplanes and warships to the South China Sea in order to put pressure on China over its artificial islands in the region, American officials say.
• China 'Deeply Concerned' Over US Plans to Patrol South China Sea Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- Beijing is seeking an explanation from Washington for its recently revealed plans to deploy warships in the waters off the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, the country's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
• Rebel group responsible for 'grave violations' in DR Congo massacres, says UN report UN News 13 May 2015 -- A United Nations human rights report released today says that a Uganda-based rebel group has committed grave violations of international humanitarian law in crisis-riven north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

News Reports

• US House Passes Surveillance Reform Bill to Rein In NSA VOA 13 May 2015 -- The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed legislation that both extends the Patriot Act passed after the September 11th terrorist attacks and ends the bulk collection of the phone data of millions of Americans.
• Are You Being Swept Up in US Intelligence Surveillance? VOA 13 May 2015 -- As U.S. lawmakers debate whether to continue an American spy agency's massive collection of telephone metadata or approve a less intrusive version, experts say the program may not be as critical as it was once thought to be.
• Burundi: UN chief urges calm amid country's political crisis UN News 13 May 2015 -- Amid reports of political upheaval in Burundi, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called urgently today on all parties in the country to exercise calm and restraint, and reminded the country's leaders of the need to preserve peace and stability.
• Expert: General Behind Burundi Coup is Well Respected VOA 13 May 2015 -- The man behind Burundi's apparent May 13 coup, Major-General Godefroid Niyombare, is well known and respected, according to an expert in the region.
• Burundi president overthrown: Top general Press TV 13 May 2015 -- Amid escalating tensions in the African state of Burundi, a top general announces the overthrow of President Pierre Nkurunziza.
• Burundi's Interior Minister Denies Coup VOA 13 May 2015 -- A top Burundian official is dismissing claims of a coup by a renegade general.
• Obama Hails US-Saudi Ties VOA 13 May 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says the United States and Saudi Arabia have an "extraordinary friendship" that dates back to former U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, more than seven decades ago.
• Russia's Vnesheconombank To Back Suspect In Spy Case RFE/RL 13 May 2015 -- A bank owned by Russia will pay the legal costs for a banker charged with participating in a Cold War-style Russian spy ring, his lawyer said May 12.
• German Spy Chief to Testify Next Week in NSA Snooping Scandal Sputnik 13 May 2015 -- German intelligence chief Gerhard Schindler will testify next week before the parliament's investigative committee on the expanse of cooperation between the national spying agency BND and its US counterpart NSA, German parliament Bundestag announced Wednesday.
• 44 killed as gunmen attack passenger bus in Pakistan's Karachi People's Daily 13 May 2015 -- At least 44 people were killed and 11 others injured when gunmen opened fire at a passenger bus carrying about 60 to 65 people of a minority group in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday morning, local media and officials said.
• More Than 40 Killed After Gunmen Attack Bus In Karachi RFE/RL 13 May 2015 -- Gunmen have opened fire on a bus carrying members of the minority Ismaili sect in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, killing at least 43 people in an attack that drew swift condemnation from the Pakistani government, India, and the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili community.
• Questions Raised Over Poroshenko's Role In Valuable Kyiv Land Deal RFE/RL 13 May 2015 -- An investigation by RFE/RL shows that Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko may have used his presidential influence to shut down investigations into a land deal aimed at building a private mansion on a historic site in the Ukrainian capital.
• Rights Groups Lament Silence On Andijon 10 Years After Massacre RFE/RL 13 May 2015 -- Ten years after the Andijon massacre in Uzbekistan, rights activists say the regime of Uzbek President Islam Karimov has frightened witnesses into silence -- including those who have sought refuge as exiles abroad.
• Malaysia and Thailand leave migrant boats adrift IRIN 13 May 2015 -- As Europe focuses on the migrants in the Mediterranean, another humanitarian crisis is playing out on a stretch of water between the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants have been deserted by smugglers and left adrift for days without food or water.