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News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 29 Oct 2015 [PDF]
• Military Airstrikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Iraq AFPS 29 Oct 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Carter to Visit Asia-Pacific Region Discuss Rebalance with Partner-Nations' Leaders AFPS 29 Oct 2015 -- Defense Secretary Ash Carter begins an eight-day trip to the Asia-Pacific region tomorrow, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters today.
• US/CHINA Discussion Readout NNS 29 Oct 2015 -- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Johnathan Richardson participated in a video teleconference (VTC), Oct. 29, with his Chinese counterpart, People's Liberation Army (Navy) (PLA(N)) Commander Adm. Wu Shengli to discuss ongoing engagements between the two navies and recent operations in the South China Sea.
• U.S., Chinese naval officials to discuss South China Sea situation: U.S. official People's Daily 29 Oct 2015 -- Adm. John Richardson, the US Navy's Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), and China's navy commander Adm. Wu Shengli are about to speak on Oct. 29 via video teleconference to discuss the situation in the South China Sea and Sino-U.S. navy relations.
• AF announces KC-46A preferred, reasonable alternatives AFNS 29 Oct 2015 -- Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, has been chosen as the preferred alternative for the first Reserve-led KC-46A Pegasus main operating base, Air Force officials announced Oct. 29. The KC-46As are expected to begin arriving in 2019.
• KC-46A equipment processing begins at McConnell AFNS 29 Oct 2015 -- Another step toward the KC-46A Pegasus flying over Kansas started late October as 22nd Logistics Readiness Squadron Airmen began paving an innovative path through the maintenance equipment review process.
• Cybersecurity program shapes mission assurance for AF core missions AFNS 29 Oct 2015 -- Task Force Cyber Secure has made progress in addressing mission assurance and cybersecurity challenges for Air Force core missions, according to Air Force leaders.
• ACC intel officer shares new ISR perspective AFNS 29 Oct 2015 -- Air Combat Command's senior intelligence officer shared her perspective on fusion warfare with the intelligence community, defense industry and media during an Oct. 22 assembly at the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
• US, Polish airmen build capabilities, partnership AFNS 29 Oct 2015 -- The 86th and 182nd Airlift Wings are participating in bilateral training with the Polish Air Force here during Aviation Detachment 16-1 in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve from Oct. 12 through Nov. 6.
• Navy to Christen Guided Missile Destroyer Rafael Peralta DoD 29 Oct 2015-- The Navy will christen its newest guided-missile destroyer Rafael Peralta, Saturday, Oct. 31, during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine.
• U.S., Chile Strengthen Partnership NNS 29 Oct 2015 -- Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), Carrier Strike Group (CSG) NINE, and embarked Carrier Air Wing TWO hosted several Chilean officers, Oct. 13-24, as part of UNITAS Pacific (PAC).
• Gerald R. Ford Sailors Train for the Future aboard GW NNS 29 Oct 2015 -- When USS George Washington (CVN 78) pulled away from the pier at Naval Air Station North Island, in San Diego, Sept. 8, she took 42 Sailors from Pre-commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) with her.
• USS Santa Fe returns From Western Pacific deployment NNS 29 Oct 2015 -- The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Santa Fe (SSN 763) returned to Pearl Harbor, Oct. 28, completing a regularly-scheduled six-month deployment to the Western Pacific.
• US, ROK Air Defense Exercise Strengthens Naval Partnership NNS 29 Oct 2015 -- The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) conducted air defense exercises (ADEX), Oct. 26-29, during bilateral training off the east coast of the Korean peninsula.
• Detainee Transfer Announced DoD 29 Oct 2015 -- The Department of Defense announced today the repatriation of Ahmed Ould Abdel Aziz from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the Government of Mauritania.
• Osan U-2s celebrate nearly 40 years of surveillance AFNS 29 Oct 2015 -- U-2 aircraft from the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron have spent almost 40 years delivering vital imagery and signals intelligence to command leaders throughout the Korean Peninsula.
• Demos as Japan resumes US base expansion Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- The Japanese government has resumed the controversial expansion of a US base on the Okinawa Island in a move that is set to trigger more and more protests by residents.
• NATO opens Trident Juncture exercise to international observers NATO 29 Oct 2015 -- Observers from member nations of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and from other countries around the world have been invited to witness NATO's biggest military exercise in over a decade, Trident Juncture 2015, which is currently taking place in Italy, Spain and Portugal.
• NATO Denies Plans to Increase Troops Near Russia Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- NATO Deputy Spokesperson Carmen Romero said that NATO does not consider an option to increase its military presence near Russia.
• Kremlin Warns NATO Buildup on Russian Border Threatens Global Security Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that advance of NATO and its military infrastructure toward Russian borders is both undesirable and dangerous.
• US sensors detect Russian submarines near communications cables Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- US intelligence officials warn that Russian submarines, with a significant and unsettling capability, could cut critical undersea communications cables between the US and Europe, in the event of a conflict.
• Russian Anti-Carrier Plane Reportedly Buzzes USS Ronald Reagan Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- The USS Ronald Reagan reportedly scrambled fighter jets to escort Russian naval surveillance aircraft flying through the area east of the Korean Peninsula.
• Russian aircraft approach US aircraft carrier Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- Two Russian jets have been intercepted by US warplanes after flying near an American aircraft carrier, the US Navy says.
• Russian Admiral Grigorovich Frigate Holds Drills in Baltic Sea Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- The crew of Russia's Admiral Grigorovich frigate successfully carried out artillery fire exercises, hitting a cruise missile used as a target, according to the Russian Baltic Fleet's spokesman.
• The Long Farewell Of Russia's First Casualty In Syria RFE/RL 29 Oct 2015 -- People began gathering outside the blue and brown house at the end of Sovetskaya Street early in the morning. By the time Vadim Kostenko's open coffin was carried out into the chilly autumn day, there were about 400 people to fall into the procession behind him and follow him down to the cemetery.
• Iraq to hire 10,000 new paramilitary forces: Finance minister Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- Iraq's Finance Minister Hoshiyar Zebari speaks during an interview with Reuters in Baghdad October 28, 2015.
• Baghdad Information Center Nearly Ready for Full-Fledged Operations Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- Hakim Zamili the head of the Iraqi parliament's defense and security committee said that at the moment there was a lack of coordination with the Iraqi army on carrying out airstrikes against ISIL in Syria, but Iraq had already used some of the information collected by the Baghdad Information Center.
• India to Upgrade Fleet of Russian-Made Ilyushin Aircraft Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- The Indian Defense Ministry on Thursday cleared a proposal to upgrade the country's fleet of Russian-made Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes and Il-78 aerial tankers, The Times of India said.
• Government of Thailand - Evolved Seasparrow Missiles (ESSM) DSCA 29 Oct 2015 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Thailand of Evolved Seasparrow Missiles (ESSM) and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $26.9 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on October 28, 2015.
• Explosions at Ukrainian Depot With Over 3,500 Tonnes of Munitions Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- Over 3,500 metric tonnes of munitions are kept at a military depot caught in a blaze after two gun rounds in the Kiev-controlled town of Svatove in eastern Ukraine, a local official said Thursday.
• October 29, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 29 Oct 2015
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 10/29/2015 The White House 29 Oct 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 29, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 29 October 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 29 Oct 2015
• Commentary: The U.S. should never play with fire in South China Sea People's Daily 29 Oct 2015 -- U.S. warship USS Lassen illegally entered waters near Zhubi Reef, part of China's Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, on October 27, 2015. China has monitored, tracked and issued warnings to the U.S. warship.
• Beijing vows to respond to US ships in South China Sea Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- China has warned the United States navy against any violation of its territorial waters, saying that it will take "necessary measures" in reaction to US incursions off the disputed islands in the South China Sea.
• Vietnam Gives Noncommittal Response to US Patrol in S. China Sea VOA 29 Oct 2015 -- Two days after the United States sailed a warship within the 12-nautical-mile zone of man-made islands in the hotly disputed waters of the South China Sea, Vietnam has given a noncommittal response to the incident.
• China slams Japan over record air force confrontations People's Daily 29 Oct 2015 -- Japan's claims that it is having to scramble jets against Chinese planes with record frequency 'only serve to remind us of Japan's long-term tracking, surveillance and disturbance of China's ships and aircraft,' according to a Chinese defense spokesperson.
• Senior UN official pleads for access to Yemeni city of Taiz to avert humanitarian tragedy UN News 29 Oct 2015 -- The World Food Programme (WFP) today pleaded for the "'safe and immediate access" to Taiz, where food aid last reached the besieged city in southern Yemen five weeks ago, warning that "if this situation continues the damage from hunger will be irreversible."
• Over 1,000 Daesh militant backups arrive in Yemen's Aden to fight Ansarullah Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- Over 1,000 militants have arrived in the Yemeni city of Aden to join the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the war-torn country and fight against the Houthi Ansarullah fighters.
• Saudi warplanes kill 13 Yemenis in attack on bus Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- At least 13 people have been killed in Saudi military attacks on a bus carrying the employees of a private company in Yemen's southwestern Ta'izz Province.
• Iran FM urges 'non-interference' in Syria's internal affairs Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif addresses reporters upon arrival in Vienna, Austria, on October 29, 2015.
• Russia, Citing Talks, Opposes Measure To Bar Syrian Barrel Bombs RFE/RL 29 Oct 2015 -- Russia has said it opposes a draft United Nations Security Council resolution aimed at stopping barrel-bomb attacks in Syria, contending it could jeopardize international peace talks.
• Vienna Talks To Focus On Syria Conflict, Involve Iran For First Time RFE/RL 29 Oct 2015 -- Talks among international foreign ministers on ending the Syrian conflict are under way in Vienna - a gathering that will include Iran, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main regional backer, for the first time.
• Defense Ministry Trolls US Over Comments on Russian 'Recklessness' in Syria Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- Responding to recent commentary by a US army spokesman that Russia has been 'reckless' and 'indiscriminate' in its campaign of airstrikes in Syria, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov countered by noting that Russia is using its most advanced munitions and targeting systems, and releasing the footage from missions for the public to see.
• Russian Deputy FM Confirms Holding Meetings With Free Syrian Army Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that Free Syrian Army does not have single commander and headquarters.
• US: Talks on Syria Aimed at Future Without Assad VOA 29 Oct 2015 -- The United States said it would use Friday's international talks on Syria to pave the way for a future without President Bashar al-Assad.
• MSF: Syria Bombings Hit Hospitals Hard, Thousands Displaced VOA 29 Oct 2015 -- Airstrikes in Syria have killed at least 35 patients and medical staff in 12 hospitals since an escalation in bombings began in late September, the international humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders said Thursday.
• The cost of freedom from Islamic State IRIN 29 Oct 2015 -- After living under the rule of the so-called Islamic State for more than a year, Khalil al-Abbassi knew he had to get out. But he was also well aware that leaving his home in Mosul in northern Iraq wouldn't be easy or cheap.
• OPCW Confirms Joint Probe With Iraq on Chemical Weapon Use by ISIL Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- A team of specialists from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will assist the government of Iraq in investigation of the allegations of ISIL usage of chemical weapons, according to OPCW spokesman Malik Ellahi.
• Islamic State Causes Serious Harm to Iraq Oil Industry - Oil Ministry Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- According to Iraqi Oil Ministry, Islamic State actions in Iraq have caused serious harm to Iraqi oil industry stripping the country of up to 400,000 barrels of oil daily.
• Rebels abduct 12 UN contractors in South Sudan Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- Rebels in South Sudan have abducted 12 UN contractors operating a barge carrying fuel, weapons and equipment for international peacekeepers.
• Senior LeT militant commander shot dead in disputed Kashmir Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- Indian security forces have shot dead a high-ranking commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group during an exchange of gunfire in Indian-administered Kashmir.
• Senior UN relief official urges more support for people in protracted crises in central and eastern Africa UN News 29 Oct 2015 -- Warning of worsening violence and humanitarian crises across areas of East and Central Africa, the Head of Operations for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), John Ging, today called for additional support to "people and communities who have faced years of crisis in Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia."

News Reports

• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, October 29, 2015 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 29 Oct 2015
• UN: North Korea Providing Slave-Like Workers To Russia, China RFE/RL 29 Oct 2015 -- More than 50,000 North Koreans have been sent to work abroad, mainly in Russia and China, in conditions that a United Nations expert says amount to forced labor.
• UN Claims 50,000 North Koreans Work Abroad in Slave-Like Conditions Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- According to UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, as many as 50,000 North Korean nationals sent overseas have been working in conditions that can be best described as 'forced labor'.
• WHO: 5,000 Deaths from TB in North Korea Last Year VOA 29 Oct 2015 -- About 5,000 North Koreans died of tuberculosis last year according to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Official: UN, N. Korea Discuss Possible Human Rights Visit VOA 29 Oct 2015 -- The United Nations' human rights office is in talks with North Korea about a possible visit to Pyongyang by the world body's top human rights official, a U.N. official has told VOA.
• US used Christian NGO to spy on North Korea Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- The United States has used a Christian non-governmental organization (NGO) as a front for an espionage program to spy on North Korea, a new report reveals.
• Rafsanjani: Iran Considered Nuclear Deterrent In 1980s RFE/RL 29 Oct 2015 -- Iran considered pursuing a nuclear deterrent when it began its nuclear program in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq War, a former president has been quoted as saying.
• US court will not halt NSA phone spy program Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- A US federal appeals court has rejected efforts by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to stop bulk collection of millions of Americans' phone records.
• Be Prepared! Always Prepared! Putin Decrees New Komsomol-Type Youth Group RFE/RL 29 Oct 2015 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the creation of a new national youth organization, the latest in a long line of Kremlin-backed youth movements that stretch back to the Komsomol and Pioneers groups of the Soviet Union.
• EU Suspends Most Belarus Sanctions For Four Months RFE/RL 29 Oct 2015 -- The European Union has cited 'improving relations' in deciding to formally suspend most sanctions against Belarus for four months.
• Six keywords describing 13th Five-Year Plan by China's Xi People's Daily 29 Oct 2015 -- Economic development has been a top priority in the 13th Five-Year Plan, experts said before the opening of the Fifth Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee.
• Two more Japanese detained in China over 'espionage' Press TV 29 Oct 2015 -- China has arrested two Japanese nationals over "spying," an official says, following the detention of two other Japanese individuals on similar charges earlier this year.
• China Confirmed the Four Japanese Spies: Embassy People's Daily 29 Oct 2015 -- Four Japanese spies have been confirmed found in China recently, spokesman He Zhenliang in Chinese Embassy to Japan confirmed during the press conference on October 28, 2015, Jiji Press reported.
• Human rights must be at the heart of historic election period in Myanmar - UN expert UN News 29 Oct 2015 -- A United Nations independent expert today called on all those in positions of authority in Myanmar to ensure that respect for the human rights of all must be at the core of the historic elections due to take place in 10 days' time.
• Russia Signs Contract With Eutelsat to Launch Satellites Through 2023 Sputnik 29 Oct 2015 -- Russia's space agency Roscosmos said in a statement that a subsidiary of Russia's Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center signed a contract with Eutelsat, the French-based satellite provider, to put the companies satellites into orbit during the period of 2016-2023.
• Germany To Send Back Thousands Of Afghan, Balkans Migrants RFE/RL 29 Oct 2015 -- Germany has toughened its response to an accelerating influx of migrants, pledging to send rejected asylum seekers back to the Balkans and Afghanistan.
• 'Very significant number' of Eritreans joining exodus to Europe - UN Assembly told UN News 29 Oct 2015 -- "A very significant number" of Eritreans are fleeing a country "that is not in a situation of conflict or unrest" to seek a life free from fear, the head of a UN-appointed commission of inquiry on human rights in the east African nation told the UN General Assembly today.
• Moldovan Assembly Dismisses Government RFE/RL 29 Oct 2015 -- The Moldovan parliament has voted overwhelmingly to dismiss the government of Prime Minister Valieriu Strelet.
• Is Buhari Doing Enough to Fight Graft in Nigeria? VOA 29 Oct 2015 -- President Muhammadu Buhari won a historic election victory in Nigeria this year in part by pledging to tackle corruption. But nearly five months after he took office, some are skeptical that he's doing enough to make good on his promise.