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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Casualty Update 09 Nov 2015 [PDF]
• Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 09 Nov 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.
• Pentagon Chief: US Prepared to Do More in Syria VOA 09 Nov 2015 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said if the U.S. finds additional groups willing to fight Islamic State militants in Syria, he and President Barack Obama are prepared to deploy additional U.S. forces there.
• Breakaway Faction Challenges New Taliban Leadership RFE/RL 09 Nov 2015 -- An upstart challenger is adding some muscle to its claim that it is the legitimate leader of the Taliban.
• Civil Society Leaders Begin Unofficial Pakistani-Afghan Talks VOA 09 Nov 2015 -- Officials, civil society activists and politicians from Pakistan and Afghanistan are holding a two-day unofficial dialogue in Islamabad on how to lessen bilateral tensions, address misconceptions and build mutual confidence for jointly promoting peace and security on both sides of their shared border.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Navy Announces Submarine to be Named Massachusetts DoD 09 Nov 2015 -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Nov. 8 that SSN 798, a Virginia-class attack submarine, will bear the name USS Massachusetts during a taped video message at Gillette Stadium.
• U.S. and Royal Canadian Navies Conclude TGEX 2015 NNS 09 Nov 2015 -- The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) participated in a Task Group Exercise (TGEX) off the coast of Southern California from Oct. 19 to Nov. 6.
• U.S. Marine engineers improve security at Camp Manion USMC News 09 Nov 2015 -- As the efforts of Task Force Al Taqaddum (TFTQ) advise and assist team continue, so does the sustainment, improvement and growth of Camp Manion at Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq. The task force is composed of U.S. Marines, sailors, soldiers, and airmen; all in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve.
• LCS Crew 102 Turns over Fort Worth NNS 09 Nov 2015 -- LCS CREW 102, successfully completed a crew swap with LCS Crew 101, aboard the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) during a rotational deployment to the Asia-Pacific Nov. 7.
• SECNAV Completes Partnership-Building Visit to Egypt NNS 09 Nov 2015 -- Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus met with Egypt's minister of defense, Lt. Gen. Sedky Subhi and chief of the Navy, Rear Adm. Osama Rabie, during a partnership-building visit to Cairo Nov. 9.
• US military to expand Europe presence over Russia Press TV 09 Nov 2015 -- US military officials have proposed plans to expand the American presence in Europe in a bid to counter Russia in the event of a crisis, a new report says.
• Romania uses NATO airlift capability to transport burn victims for treatment NATO 09 Nov 2015 -- Romania has made use of a NATO airlift project to transport victims of a nightclub fire in Bucharest for treatment in the United Kingdom and Norway. Under NATO's Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) project, Romania activated a C-17 aircraft, which flew from its base in Pápa, Hungary to Bucharest on Sunday (8 November 2015) to collect victims of a serious fire which took place on 30 October.
• Five Military Drills Begin Simultaneously in Lithuania Sputnik 09 Nov 2015 -- Military exercises Baltic Host 2015, Arcade Fusion 2015, Maple Arch 2015, Iron Sword 2015 and Confidence 2015 are scheduled to begin in Lithuania on November 9 and continue for about a month.
• Israel to receive less US military aid than Netanyahu requested: White House Sources Press TV 09 Nov 2015 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be getting what he wants from US President Barack Obama during his trip to the United States, according to White House sources.
• India Successfully Test Fires Agni-IV Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile Sputnik 09 Nov 2015 -- India successfully test-fired an unarmed Agni-IV intermediate range ballistic missile on Monday
• Russia, Iran 'sign S-300 delivery deal' Press TV 09 Nov 2015 -- A Russian official says Tehran and Moscow have signed a contract for the long-overdue delivery by Russia of 300 missile defense systems to Iran.
• Clear Skies: Iran About to Acquire Russian S-300 Missile Defense Systems Sputnik 09 Nov 2015 -- Russia has signed a contract with Iran on the delivery of S-300 missile defense systems and as soon as the first part of the contract is fulfilled.
• Contract with Iran for S-300 to be signed in 2016 - Russian delegation at Dubai Airshow ISNA 09 Nov 2015 -- The new contract with Iran for delivery of the S-300 air defense missile systems will be signed early next year, a spokesman for the Russian delegation at the Dubai Airshow 2015 international aerospace show said.
• Saudi Arabia to Upgrade F-15 Fighter Jets Amid Middle East Instability Sputnik 09 Nov 2015 -- Saudi Arabia will upgrade its US-built F-15 Eagle fighter jets, defense contractor Lockheed Martin with the sensor suite that includes Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP), LANTIRN Extended Range (ER) navigation pods and Infrared Search and Track (IRST) systems.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 11/9/15 The White House 09 Nov 2015
• Remarks With British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 09 Nov 2015 -- Remarks by John Kerry, US Secretary of State
• November 9, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 09 Nov 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for November 09, 2015
• Russia's Kalashnikov in Talks With India to Launch Joint Arms Concern Sputnik 09 Nov 2015 -- Kalashnikov CEO Alexei Krivoruchko said that concern has begun negotiations with Indian companies to produce weapons in the country.

Other Conflicts

• 9 November 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 09 Nov 2015
• Leaked ASEAN Document Repeats Call for Code of Conduct in S. China Sea VOA 09 Nov 2015 -- According to a draft document of the ASEAN chairman's statement for the upcoming leaders summit in Kuala Lumpur, the group's views on disputes in the South China Sea will be little changed from last year.
• Syria troops recapture village in Aleppo from Daesh militants Press TV 09 Nov 2015 -- Syria's government forces have recaptured a village in the northern province of Aleppo from Daesh Takfiri militants.
• Syrian Army Kills 40 Militants, Destroys 20 Armored Vehicles Near Palmyra Sputnik 09 Nov 2015 -- Syrian Army carried out 98 sorties in three days, the army's spokesman told reporters.
• Syrian Army, Russian Aerospace Forces Push Militants Back in Latakia Sputnik 09 Nov 2015 -- Syrian military, supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces and local militia, took control of the Ghmam settlement some 16 miles northeast of Latakia, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported Monday.
• Syrian Troops Kill Almost 60 Islamists in Failed ISIL Attack on Airbase Sputnik 09 Nov 2015 -- The Syrian armed forces have repelled an attack of ISIL militants on an airbase killing 58 jihadists.
• Zarif: Iran believes in democratic means to resolve Syria crisis IRNA 09 Nov 2015 -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that the Islamic Republic of Iran believes in democratic means to resolve the Syrian crisis and armed conflict is of no use.
• Iran to attend Syria peace talks in Vienna: Official ISNA 09 Nov 2015 -- A senior Iranian official said the Islamic Republic will participate in the upcoming talks on Syria to help find a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in the Arab country.
• UN refugee agency delivers aid to eastern Ukraine for first time in months UN News 09 Nov 2015 -- The United Nations refugee agency has managed to deliver aid for the first time in over two months to areas of eastern Ukraine beyond Government control where two million people are in urgent need of assistance, reaching 12,000 people – a "small drop in the ocean of needs" – with plans to expand greatly as the harsh winter sets in.
• Nigerian authorities detain top militant in Abuja Press TV 09 Nov 2015 -- A man suspected of being one of the most-wanted members of the Takfiri Boko Haram terrorist group has been detained in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, Nigerian military says.
• DR Congo: Security Council calls for total neutralization of foreign, local armed groups in east UN News 09 Nov 2015 -- The United Nations Security Council today called for the elimination of local and foreign armed groups which have for decades devastated the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and urged the immediate resumption of joint operations between the UN peacekeeping force's Intervention Brigade and the national army.
• South Sudan: UN relief wing warns of 80 per cent increase in food insecurity over past year UN News 09 Nov 2015 -- South Sudan remains engulfed in a spiral of violence – with clashes in southern and central Unity state having "intensified with grave consequences for civilians" – leaving at-risk populations food insecure and vulnerable to diseases, the United Nations humanitarian wing has warned, announcing that relief organizations on the ground are boosting efforts there despite access challenges and lagging funding.
• UN Cites Improvements in Somalia, Looks Ahead to 2016 VOA 09 Nov 2015 -- The United Nations' top diplomat in Somalia, Nicholas Kay, says the country is steadily transforming from a failed state to a recovering one, as he addressed a special session of the U.N. Security Council on Somalia.
• Security Council enhances role of UN support office in Somalia UN News 09 Nov 2015 -- The Security Council today approved a successor operation to the six-year-old United Nations Support Office for the African Union Mission to Somalia, known as UNSOA, underlining the role of the new entity to close gaps in UNSOA's ability to deliver and to "consolidate and prioritize its efforts in line with the [Council's] strategic objectives in the country."

News Reports

• Myanmar's election commission announces first series of election result People's Daily 09 Nov 2015 -- Myanmar's Union Election Commission (UEC) on Monday released the first series of the result of the general election held on Sunday following the opening of the election results center in Nay Pyi Taw.
• Myanmar's ruling party concedes defeat in parliamentary polls Press TV 09 Nov 2015 -- The acting chairman of Myanmar's ruling Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) has conceded defeat in parliamentary elections to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD).
• Myanmar Opposition Party Wins First Seats in Expected Landslide VOA 09 Nov 2015 -- Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's political party has won the first seats in what is expected to be a landslide victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections.
• '90 Percent' Certainty Russian Plane Downed By Bomb RFE/RL 09 Nov 2015 -- An official with the investigation into the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt has said it was likely caused by a bomb.
• Burundi experiencing 'deep political crisis' with hundreds dead since April, Security Council told UN News 09 Nov 2015 -- Senior United Nations officials today warned the UN Security Council that Burundi is at a critical juncture, experiencing a deep political crisis and rapidly escalating violence with serious implications for the country's stability and ethnic harmony, as bodies are regularly dumped in the streets of the capital, Bujumbura, and thousands of people flee the bloodshed.
• Foreign Minister: 'Burundi Not in Flames' VOA 09 Nov 2015 -- Burundi's foreign minister denied Monday that the country is in an escalating spiral of violence.
• Talks between Xi and Ma spark debate on both sides of Straits People's Daily 09 Nov 2015 -- The curtain fell on the landmark meeting between Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore on Saturday.
• Summit With Chinese Leader Spotlights Unmet Expectations in Taiwan VOA 09 Nov 2015 -- Presidents from Taiwan and China moved to cement goodwill at a first-ever meeting Saturday. But little applause emanated from Taiwan, which is China's political and military rival of nearly seven decades. Taiwanese say seven years of closer ties have brought few tangible benefits, such as economic growth or a homeland safe from war.
• Xi-Ma meeting turns historic page in cross-Strait relations: official People's Daily 09 Nov 2015 -- The historic meeting between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore will have great significance on the development of cross-Strait relations, the mainland's Taiwan affairs chief said in a statement released late Sunday.
• Nahavandian: Cooperation with US depends on progress of JCPOA IRNA 09 Nov 2015 -- Presidential Office chief of staff Mohammad Nahavandian said on Monday that the progress in enforcing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is a test for seriousness and honesty of the United States and Iranian cooperation with the US.
• Obama, Netanyahu Look to Move Past Iran Differences VOA 09 Nov 2015 -- With a handshake over the "extraordinary" bond between their two countries, U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought Monday to dispel the discord that was most visibly seen during the U.S.-led negotiations on a nuclear deal with Iran earlier this year.
• Obama, Netanyahu Meet on Israeli Security, Middle East Unrest VOA 09 Nov 2015 -- U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Washington Monday, trying to find ways to cope with what the U.S. leader described as a deteriorating security environment in the Middle East.
• Jordanian Kills 4 at US-funded Police Training Center VOA 09 Nov 2015 -- A Jordanian police officer killed two Americans, a South African, and a fellow Jordanian at a police training facility outside the capital Amman on Monday before being fatally shot by local forces.
• Catalonia approves plans for secession from Spain Press TV 09 Nov 2015 -- Catalonia's regional parliament has approved a plan to set up a road map for independence from Spain by 2017, in defiance of repeated calls by the central government in Madrid, which has branded the secessionist campaign as totally illegal.
• Catalonia Takes First Steps to Splitting From Spain Sputnik 09 Nov 2015 -- The parliament of the autonomous Spanish region of Catalonia will vote on a resolution to start a bid for independence from Spain. The pro-independence parties are expected to pass the resolution after winning a comfortable majority in the September 27 regional elections.
• HDZ conservative party claims victory in Croatia vote Press TV 09 Nov 2015 -- Croatia's conservative opposition Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has claimed victory in the country's parliamentary elections.
• Poland's New Ruling Party Announces Right-Wing Cabinet Sputnik 09 Nov 2015 -- Beata Szydlo, leader of Poland's new ruling party, the right-wing eurosceptic Law and Justice Party (PiS) who will become the country's prime minister, presented the new cabinet of Poland.
• Serbia Claims 'Victory' As Kosovo Is Kept Out Of UNESCO RFE/RL 09 Nov 2015 -- Kosovo has failed to win membership in UNESCO, falling short in a narrow vote that Serbia's president swiftly hailed as a "victory" for his country.
• Flooding wreaks havoc in Baghdad, overall emergency response hurt by lagging funds - UN relief wing UN News 09 Nov 2015 -- Torrential downpours have caused flooding in and around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, prompting a state of emergency to be declared in areas overwhelmed by heavy rains, with more than 80,000 displaced people sheltering in some 40 sites and camps, according to the latest update from the United Nations humanitarian wing.