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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 14 Oct 2015 [PDF]
• Coalition Airstrikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Iraq, Syria AFPS 14 Oct 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 Begins Deployment of 300 Military Personnel to Cameroon for Surveillance Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- According to US President Barack Obama, Washington plans deploy approximately 300 US military personnel to Cameroon.
• US Forces Going to Cameroon to Monitor Boko Haram VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- President Barack Obama is sending U.S. military personnel to Cameroon to conduct airborne surveillance of Boko Haram militants.
• After six years on the rise, Afghan opium crop cultivation declines – UN survey UN News 14 Oct 2015 -- Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan decreased 19 per cent in 2015, compared to the previous year, according to the latest Afghanistan Opium Survey figures released today by the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
• UN: Afghan Opium Production Down 48% VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported Wednesday that the amount of opium produced in Afghanistan during the current year dropped by 48 percent.

Defense Policy / Programs

• USS Hampton Returns Home from Deployment NNS 14 Oct 2015 -- The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Hampton (SSN 767) returned to its homeport Oct. 11 following an extended deployment.
• Carter: Unstable Budget Harms Defense Capabilities, Innovation AFPS 14 Oct 2015 -- For the seventh year in a row Congress has failed to pass a defense appropriations bill in time for the fiscal year, and for four years the Defense Department and other agencies have struggled against sequestration impacts, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today.
• Remarks by Secretary Carter at the Association of the U.S. Army Sustaining Member Luncheon, Washington, D.C. DoD 14 Oct 2015 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
• Readout of Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work's Office Call with Finland's Permanent Secretary for Defense DoD 14 Oct 2015
• Marines Exchange Precision Weapons Training during KMEP 15-13 USMC News 14 Oct 2015 -- U.S. Marines exchanged scout sniper training and tactics with Republic of Korea Marines as part of Korean Marine Exchange Program 15-13 on Baengnyeong Island, Sept. 9-11, 2015.
• U.S. Marines strengthen partnership in Senegal USMC News 14 Oct 2015 -- U.S. Marines are exercising a cooperative security location and training with Senegalese military partners in Dakar, Senegal.
• NMCB 3 Successfully Completes Mount Out Exercise NNS 14 Oct 2015 -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 conducted a 48-hour mount out exercise (MOX) at Camp Shields, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 6-8.
• U.S., Indian, Japan Navies to Participate in Malabar 2015 NNS 14 Oct 2015 -- Naval ships, aircraft and personnel from India, Japan and the United States will participate in exercise Malabar 2015, Oct. 14-19, 2015.
• Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Ship Visits Pearl Harbor NNS 14 Oct 2015 -- China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) midshipmen training vessel Zheng He (Type 679, Hull 81) arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Oct. 12 and is expected to stay until Oct. 16.
• US will 'fly, sail and operate' in South China Sea Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has taken on China, saying the United States military forces will be present in the South China Sea like other international waters.
• Tokyo Intends to Overturn Okinawa Governor's Veto on US Base Relocation Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- The Japanese government has filed a complaint with the land and infrastructure minister to invalidate Okinawa governor's decision to revoke his predecessor's approval of the US military base relocation within the prefecture, local media reported on Wednesday.
• NATO program develops tactical leaders AFNS 14 Oct 2015 -- Fighter pilots from seven allied countries, including the U.S., U.K., Spain, Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, and Italy completed the NATO Tactical Leadership Program here Oct. 9.
• North Atlantic Council starts two-day working visit to Montenegro NATO 14 Oct 2015 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ambassadors from the North Atlantic Council arrived in Montenegro on Wednesday (14 October 2015) for a two-day working visit to assess the country's progress on reforms and its perspectives for membership in the Alliance.
• Russia to Continue Pursuing Independent Foreign Policy Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia will continue to pursue an independent, multivector foreign policy corresponding to the national interests.
• Russian Military in Arctic to Get Permafrost-Resistant Office Equipment Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- The Russian military will receive office equipment that is resistant to Arctic permafrost and other adverse conditions associated with sea and field missions, the equipment manufacturer said Wednesday.
• IRGC to use new generation of long-range missiles: Cmdr. Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced plans for an overhaul in the elite force's missile program, saying a new generation of long-range missiles are to replace the current stockpile.
• Iran Broadcasts Footage of Underground Missile Base VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- Iranian state television broadcast footage Wednesday of an underground tunnel packed with missiles and launcher units, just days after Iran test-fired a long-range ballistic missile.
• Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - UH-60M Black Hawk Utility Helicopters DSCA 14 Oct 2015 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for UH-60M Black Hawk Utility Helicopters and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $495 million.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 10/14/2015 The White House 14 Oct 2015
• October 14, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 14 Oct 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 14, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 14 October 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 14 Oct 2015
• Saudi airstrikes kill five more people in Yemen Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- Saudi Arabian warplanes have targeted Yemen's Sa'ada and Ta'izz provinces, respectively in the northwest and southwest of the impoverished country, taking the lives of five people.
• Turkey Warns US, Russia on Arming Syria Kurds VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- Turkey has warned both the United States and Russia against arming Kurdish forces in Syria, saying they are connected to what Ankara calls Kurdish terrorists within Turkey. Analysts say the West sees the Kurds as a vital ally in countering the spread of the Islamic State terror group, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
• Russia cuts off Daesh arms supply routes in Syria's Aleppo Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- Russian fighter jets have cut off the arms supply routes of the Daesh Takfiri group in Syria's northwestern province of Aleppo.
• Syria army continues operation against militants Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- Syrian government forces have continued their operations against Takfiri terrorists across the country, making new gains and inflicting heavy losses on the militants.
• Syria Launches Mass Offensive Against ISIL to Free Damascus Suburb Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- Syrian Armed Forces began a large-scale operation to free Jobar and Harasta, two eastern suburbs of the nation's capital Damascus, from terrorists, a military source said.
• US, Russia Note Progress in Syria Air Safety Talks VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- U.S. and Russian defense officials have concluded a third round of talks on rules for conduct in the air over Syria – and are finalizing a memorandum of understanding that will establish basic safety rules and avoid inadvertent collisions.
• Iraq: Army, volunteer forces capture Beiji oil refinery IRNA 14 Oct 2015 -- The Iraqi army and volunteer forces seized full control over Beiji oil refinery in Salahuddin province on Wednesday evening after killing ISIL's top military commander in the region, Abu Soleiman al-Askari.
• Iraq: UN envoy expresses concern over growing tension and violence in Kurdistan region UN News 14 Oct 2015 -- In Erbil today, the United Nations Envoy for Iraq discussed concerns about the recent political tension and violence in the Kurdistan region with political party leaders and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
• Iraqi forces closes in on Ramadi as officials praise heroism Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- Iraqi troops and volunteer fighters have made significant gains in their joint operation to retake areas from the Daesh Takfiri group in the western province of Anbar with military officials vowing that victory in the tough battle is very near.
• 37 Takfiri Daesh militants slain in Iraqi army airstrikes Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- At least 37 members of the Takfiri Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group have been killed in separate operations by the Iraqi air force in the country's crisis-hit western province of Anbar.
• The Russian People Saw A Strikingly Different Picture Of MH17 Findings RFE/RL 14 Oct 2015 -- As Western media broadcast somber footage from a darkened room in the Netherlands dominated by an assembly of dented, shrapnel-riddled pieces of a passenger jet shot down over Ukraine's conflict zone last year, the pictures on Russian TV on October 13 were dramatically different.
• Russia Requests UN Open New MH17 Probe VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- Russia has asked the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency, to open a new investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17 last year over eastern Ukraine.
• Israeli Police Kill Attackers in Two Stabbings VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- Israeli police shot and killed two assailants in separate stabbings in Jerusalem amid a wave of Palestinian stabbing and shooting attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers.
• Eight more PKK militants die in restive southeast Turkey Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- At least eight members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been killed in a Turkish military operation in the restive southeastern part of the country.
• Boko Haram Has Kidnapped Over 45,000 People Since 2012 Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- The Nigerian House of Representatives has urged the country's federal government to establish a state authority which would be tasked with searching for those adults and children who had been kidnapped by Boko Haram.
• Moscow Urges Parties to Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict to Renounce Use of Force Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow beleives that further escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is simply unacceptable.
• Central African Republic: UN agency delivers food aid to thousands displaced by recent violence in capital UN News 14 Oct 2015 -- The World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that aid workers have reached more than 30,000 newly displaced people in desperate need of food in the Central African Republic's capital, Bangui, where the situation remains "tense and volatile" after a new surge in violence.
• Uganda pullout boosts South Sudan peace prospects IRIN 14 Oct 2015 -- Uganda's withdrawal of several thousand troops deployed in South Sudan since December 2013 is likely to increase the chances of peace, but could it prove pivotal?
• Expanded role means UN Support Office in Somalia will require increased investment, Security Council told UN News 14 Oct 2015 -- The United Nations Support Office for the African Union Mission in Somalia (UNSOA) will need to be "significantly" strengthened, the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support told the UN Security Council today, with its efforts reprioritized around strategic objectives set by the 15 member body and within areas of African Union operations with the Somali National Army.

News Reports

• Supreme Leader's Office acknowledges Parliament ratify JCPOA IRNA 14 Oct 2015 -- The Supreme Leader's Office on Wednesday acknowledged ratification of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action by the Parliament.
• GC approves JCPOA IRNA 14 Oct 2015 -- Guardian Council on Wednesday approved the bill for implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action the parliament made into law.
• Iran's Guardian Council passes bill on implementation of JCPOA Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- Iran's Guardian Council has passed a bill that allows the administration to implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed upon by the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group of countries on July 14.
• Iran progress tied with revolutionary ideology: Ayatollah Khamenei Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says as long as the revolutionary movement and ideology continue to exist, Iran's progress, influence, grandeur and spiritual dominance will increase in the region and beyond.
• Iran's Guardian Council of Constitution Approves Nuclear Deal Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- Iran's Guardian Council of the Constitution has approved the nuclear deal Tehran negotiators agreed on earlier this year with the six world powers, local media reported Wednesday.
• Iran's Guardian Council Approves Nuclear Deal VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- Iran's powerful Guardian Council has approved implementing the country's nuclear deal with a group of world powers.
• Tanzania's Coming Election Raises Threat to Albinos VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- As Tanzania gears up for October 25 elections, the demand for good luck charms is rising. And so is the danger to albinos: Some people mistakenly believe their unusually white body parts hold mystical powers – perhaps enough to guarantee victory in the polls.
• S. Korean Official: UN Seeks New Action Over N. Korea Human Rights VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- The United Nations is making a renewed effort to bring North Korean officials to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for human rights violations, a South Korean official told VOA on Wednesday.
• In Turkey, UN deputy chief says response to migration and refugee movement 'being tested as never before' UN News 14 Oct 2015 -- The world's ability to respond to migration and refugee movement is "being tested as never before," the United Nations deputy chief today said speaking at the Global Forum on Migration and Development taking place in Istanbul, Turkey, while recalling some key principles underscored by the UN to address this global challenge.
• Australia looks to Philippines to solve refugee conundrum IRIN 14 Oct 2015 -- With the failure of its scheme to resettle refugees in Cambodia and growing concerns about its offshore detention centres, the Australian government is hoping the elusive solution to what has become a policy nightmare might be found in the Philippines.
• Three senior Turkish security officials sacked after Ankara bombings Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- Three top security officials in the Turkish capital, Ankara, have been dismissed in the wake of the recent twin bomb blasts that rocked the city.
• Erdogan Seizes Upon Ankara Bombing Errors VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- Three senior Turkish security officials have been suspended following the nation's deadliest terrorist attack Saturday in the capital, Ankara. Their suspension comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged mistakes were made over the attack.
• 'Wilson Doctrine offers no protection for MPs' communications' Press TV 14 Oct 2015 -- A tribunal in the UK has said that the MPs have no protection from having their communications read by the security agencies.
• British Court Rules UK Politicians Are Fair Game for GCHQ Spies Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- The UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) ruled on Wednesday that the long-standing Wilson Doctrine, thought to protect British lawmakers from intelligence interception, had no legal force.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, October 14, 2015 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 14 Oct 2015
• Moscow Court Gives Ex-Head of Ukraine Defense Plant Six Years for Espionage Sputnik 14 Oct 2015 -- A former head of Ukraine's Znamya defense enterprise who holds Ukrainian citizenship was sentenced to six years in prison for espionag e by the Moscow City Court.
• U.S. Report: Nonstate Actors Inflict 'Significant Damage' On Global Religious Freedoms RFE/RL 14 Oct 2015 -- The United States says rebel and terrorist organizations like the Islamic State (IS) extremist group caused 'significant damage' to religious freedoms and committed 'by far some of the most egregious human rights abuses' across the globe in 2014.
• Remarks at the Release of the 2014 Report on International Religious Freedom US Dept. of State 14 Oct 2015
• US Targets Domestic Terrorism With New Position VOA 14 Oct 2015 -- The U.S. Justice Department is creating a position to coordinate investigations into the growing number of domestic terrorism cases in the United States.
• Security Council renews mandate of UN mission in Haiti, maintains recommended troop levels UN News 14 Oct 2015 -- The Security Council this morning extended the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) for one year, until 15 October 2016, at the UN Secretary General's recommended force levels of up to 2,370 troops and 2,061 police.