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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 10 Feb 2016 [PDF]
• OIR Spokesman: Counter-ISIL Progress Continues AFPS 10 Feb 2016 -- As Iraqi security forces make progress in the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Canada's vow this week to expand its contributions in the fight is a welcomed commitment, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said today.
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Col. Warren via Teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq DoD 10 Feb 2016 -- Presenter: Colonel Steve Warren, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman
• Military Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 10 Feb 2016 -- 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 in Europe drumming up support against Daesh Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has called on the key members of the US-led coalition to expand their roles in the fight against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
• Two Aircraft Carrier Groups Replace Canadian Forces in Anti-Daesh Campaign Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. Steve Warren stated that US-led coalition against the Daesh in Iraq and Syria has deployed two aircraft carrier groups to replace withdrawn Canadian forces.
• US Intel Chief Skeptical About Afghan Reconciliation VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- The latest U.S. intelligence assessment is skeptical about proluspects for political reconciliation in war-torn Afghanistan and has warned it is at 'serious risk of a political breakdown during 2016.'

Defense Policy / Programs

• F-35 Program Moving Forward, Addressing Challenges, Official Says AFPS 10 Feb 2016 -- The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program is moving forward while addressing various challenges, the program's executive officer said today.
• Tinian Selected as Preferred Alternative for the PACAF Divert Activities and Exercises Initiative DoD 10 Feb 2016 - Air Force officials announced today the selection of Tinian as the preferred alternative for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands PACAF Divert Activities and Exercises Initiative. This is the modified Tinian only alternative described in the revised draft EIS.
• Readout of Secretary Carter's Meeting with Polish Minister of Defense Macierewicz DoD 10 Feb 2016
• Attachés use C-12 to support humanitarian efforts in Maldives AFNS 10 Feb 2016 -- Members of the Bangkok Defense Attaché Office recently completed a humanitarian mission to the Maldives.
• New runway opens, enhances readiness AFNS 10 Feb 2016 -- The Army Corps of Engineers, 51st Civil Engineer and 51st Operations Support Squadron completed a five-year project of constructing a new runway for Osan Air Base and began flying operations in January.
• Readout of Secretary Carter's Meeting with Czech Minister of Defense Martin Stropnicky DoD 10 Feb 2016
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Ash Carter's Meeting with Canadian Minister of National Defense Harjit Sajjan DoD 10 Feb 2016
• Bataan Hosts TBS During WARFEX NNS 10 Feb 2016 -- The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) hosted 250 Marine junior officers from The Basic School (TBS), Feb. 5-7, as part of a War Familiarization Exercise (WARFEX).
• CNO Visits McCampbell in India NNS 10 Feb 2016 -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson visited Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85) during the India's International Fleet Review (IFR) 2016.
• Deputy Secretary of State visits Camp Lemonnier NNS 10 Feb 2016 -- Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited service members forward deployed to the Horn of Africa and Camp Lemonnier, Feb. 8.
• Carter Meets with Defense Ministers in Brussels on NATO, ISIL AFPS 10 Feb 2016 -- Defense Secretary Ash Carter is in Brussels to attend a NATO defense ministers meeting and to meet for the first time with defense ministers of countries that are major contributors to the coalition fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraq and Syria.
• NATO boosts its defence and deterrence posture NATO 10 Feb 2016 -- NATO Defence Ministers took steps to strengthen the Alliance defence and deterrence posture on Wednesday (10 February 2016).
• Doorstep by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg NATO 10 Feb 2016
• NATO eastward build-up alarms potential aggressors: Stoltenberg Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the Western military alliance's build-up in eastern Europe is directed at any would-be aggressor.
• NATO to Boost Presence in Eastern Part of Alliance - Stoltenberg Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO defense ministers agreed on an enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of alliance.
• NATO Ramps Up Military Forces Near Russia to Cold War Levels Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- NATO defense ministers, meeting in Brussels Wednesday, are due to confirm a huge buildup of its military presence to Cold War levels in what it calls 'an enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of the alliance.'
• NATO and the European Union enhance cyber defence cooperation NATO 10 Feb 2016 -- NATO and the European Union face similar challenges in protecting their networks against the growing threat of cyber attacks. To help both organisations better meet this challenge, today a Technical Arrangement on Cyber Defence was concluded between the NATO Computer Incident Response Capability (NCIRC) and the Computer Emergency Response Team of the European Union (CERT-EU). The Technical Arrangement provides a framework for exchanging information and sharing best practices between emergency response teams.
• Britain to up naval deployment in Baltic to help NATO 'buildup against Russia' Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- Britain is planning to deploy more ships and troops to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) buildup against Russia.
• UK to step up NATO maritime commitment UK MOD 10 Feb 2016-- The UK will increase its maritime commitment to NATO exercises and activities, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced today.
• Ukrainian Army Expects 'Timely' Tripling of Western Assistance Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said that Ukraine has close cooperation with states, including member states of the NATO alliance and the financial aid of these countries could be tripled.
• Pentagon asks $146 million for Israel missiles, other programs Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- The US Defense Department has requested $145.8 million to fund Israel's missile systems and other military programs in fiscal year 2017.
• Iran Air Force equipped with Nasr cruise missiles ISNA 10 Feb 2016 -- Iran's Defense Ministry has delivered the first batch of a newly developed air-launched cruise missile, dubbed Nasr (Victory), to the country's Air Force.
• Iran to receive 1st batch of Russian S-300 system by 1st quarter of 2016: Dehqan Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan says the country will take delivery of the first batch of Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system in the first quarter of 2016.
• Three confirmed died in Indonesian air force jet crash People's Daily 10 Feb 2016 -- Three people were confirmed dead when an Indonesian air force jet crashed from mid-air into a housing area in East Java's Malang on Wednesday morning.
• February 10, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 10 Feb 2016
• Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz en route Springfield, Illinois The White House 10 Feb 2016
• Press Call on the U.S.-ASEAN Summit The White House 10 Feb 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 10, 2016

Other Conflicts

• 10 February 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 10 Feb 2016
• US, India considering joint patrols in South China Sea Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- The US and India have held talks about carrying out joint naval patrols in the South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the disputed waterway.
• UN health agency delivers medical aid inside Yemen's Taiz city after blocked entry UN News 10 Feb 2016 -- Following months of blocked access to the Yemeni city of Taiz, and in response to mounting emergency health needs, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today it has successfully delivered more than 20 tonnes of life-saving medicines and medical supplies to meet the most urgent needs of those with limited access to humanitarian aid.
• Yemeni forces target military bases in Saudi Arabia Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- Yemeni army and popular forces have launched rocket and artillery attacks on Saudi military bases in retaliation for Riyadh's deadly aggression.
• Saudi airstrike kills family of five in Yemen's Sana'a Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- Five members of a family have been killed in an airstrike carried out by Saudi warplanes on Yemen's capital, Sana'a.
• Russia Not 'Apologetic' for Syria Airstrikes VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- Russia's United Nations envoy said Wednesday his government is not "about to be apologetic" for its airstrikes in Syria, which have been widely criticized for targeting the armed opposition instead of Islamic State terrorists.
• Aid Worker, Former Prisoner Verify UN Report of 'Extermination' in Syrian Camps VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- Thousands of Syrians are disappearing and dying in government detention centers on a scale that amounts to state-sponsored 'extermination,' a U.N.-backed commission of inquiry reported Monday.
• Top US Envoy: Onslaught on Aleppo Causing 'Humanitarian Catastrophe' VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- The onslaught on Syria's Aleppo is creating an "unacceptable" flood of refugees and is causing a "humanitarian catastrophe," the top State Department official coordinating the global effort against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, Brett McGurk, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee Wednesday.
• Iraqi premier warns against sending troops to Syria Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- The Iraqi premier has warned against the deployment of ground troops to Syria, describing the envisioned move as a 'dangerous escalation."
• Saudi says ready to send troops to Syria Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- Saudi Arabia has expressed its readiness to deploy special forces to Syria if the US-led coalition allegedly hitting Daesh militants decides to deploy ground troops.
• Turkey buffer zone plan for Syria violates intl. law: Russia Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- The Russian foreign minister has censured Turkey's plan to establish a buffer zone in Syria, saying such a proposal contradicts the international law and will heighten tensions in the region.
• Syrian Army Storms Daesh Terrorists in Raqqa Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- Syrian government forces have attacked Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) and made gains in several strategically important areas of Raqqa, Fars reported.
• Military Escalation in Syria Inadmissible – Iraqi Prime Minister Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- Prime Minister Haider Abadi said that Iraq is against attempts to escalate foreign military presence in Syria and expects the international community to step in.
• Syrian Kurds to Continue Working With Russia to Halt Illegal Oil to Turkey Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- Syrian Kurds will develop a comprehensive partnership with Moscow
• Syrian Army Attacks Militants in Latakia, Recapturing Town of Bashoura Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- The Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces have reportedly managed to liberate another strategic town in the western province of Latakia.
• Iraq's Mosul Dam Seen At High Risk Of Failing, Deluging Millions RFE/RL 10 Feb 2016 -- Iraq's Mosul Dam, already the world's most dangerous, is increasingly at risk of a spectacular failure that would deluge millions of people downstream, according to a U.S. study released by the Iraqi parliament on February 9.
• Daesh demands extortion money from Iraqis willing to leave Fallujah Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group has announced that the residents of the central Iraqi city of Fallujah in Anbar Province must pay USD 1,000 in extorted money if they want to leave the terrorist-held city.
• Erdogan Slams US Support for Kurdish 'Terrorists' Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called partnership between Turkey and the United Stated 'strange', because of the US position on the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD), which is considered as terrorist organization by Ankara.
• Suicide Bombers Kill 58 Refugees in Nigerian Camp VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- Nigeria said Wednesday it will boost security at camps for refugees driven from their homes by violence, after two female suicide bombers killed at least 58 at a camp in Dikwa.
• More Than 60 Killed in Twin Suicide Bombing Attacks in Northern Nigeria Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- Over 60 people have been killed in a pair of suicide bomb blasts at a refugee camp in northern Nigeria.
• Israeli PM Pledges Border Fence to Protect Against 'Predators' Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to construct a fence around the entire perimeter of the country's land borders to protect it from external threats.
• Low on funds, UN and partners race ahead of rains to tackle needs in South Sudan UN News 10 Feb 2016 -- With humanitarian needs rising in South Sudan, the top United Nations relief official in the country has called for urgent funding to allow aid organizations to rapidly increase humanitarian action during the current dry season.
• Rights Group: UN CAR Mission Needs Help VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- Human rights group Amnesty International says more needs to be done to strengthen the U.N. mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA. In a new report, Amnesty argues weaknesses within the mission were exposed during violence last September. MINUSCA says it has learned from that experience.
• Central African Republic: UN report urges steps to end impunity for rights abuses UN News 10 Feb 2016 -- As the Central African Republic (CAR) prepares for the second round of presidential elections this weekend, a new United Nations report detailing violations and human rights abuses in the strife-torn nation's capital late last year has prompted the head of the UN peacekeeping mission there to call for urgent measures in the fight against impunity and to prevent future violations.

News Reports

• Kaesong Complex Closure Seen Squeezing Cash-strapped N. Korea VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- South Korea's decision to shut down an inter-Korean industrial complex is likely to impose a financial burden on North Korea, experts in Seoul said.
• Yonhap: N. Korean Military Chief Executed for Corruption VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- The chief of North Korea's military was executed this month on corruption and other charges, sources familiar with North Korean affairs said Wednesday, according to Yonhap News.
• North Korea Sanctions Pass US Senate VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- One day after America's top intelligence official warned of North Korea's nuclear, ballistic and cyber capabilities, the U.S. Senate passed expansive sanctions targeting Pyongyang and its foreign suppliers and collaborators.
• South Korea closes joint industrial park with North Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- South Korea says it has closed a joint industrial park with the North, accusing Pyongyang of using the complex to fund its controversial nuclear and missile programs.
• Rodong Sinmun Calls for Making Greater Leap Forward in Wake of Successful Satellite Launch KCNA 10 Feb 2016 -- The earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong-4 was a manifestation of the greatest glory to and the profound reverence for leader Kim Jong Il and a gift of most intense loyalty presented by our space scientists and technicians to Marshal Kim Jong Un, our dignified party, state and people, says Rodong Sinmun Wednesday in an editorial.
• North Korea keeps evading UN sanctions: UN report Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- A panel of United Nations (UN) experts says in a report that North Korea is circumventing the world body's sanctions through various measures.
• Japan Introduces Unilateral Sanctions Against N Korea Over Rocket Launch Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- The Japanese government announced on Wednesday the introduction of tougher sanctions against North Korea, including a ban on admission of foreign vessels to the Japanese ports following their visit to North Korea, in response to the recent launch of a long-range missile by Pyongyang.
• Guardian Council confirms former decision rejecting Imam's grandson IRNA 10 Feb 2016 -- The Guardian Council on Wednesday confirmed former decision to reject competence of grandson of late Imam Khomeini to run for the Guardian Council election saying he would have taken exam for religious jurisprudent.
• Pakistan Warns of Islamic State's Growing Reach VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- A senior Pakistani intelligence official admitted on Wednesday that the Islamic State group (IS) is a growing threat in Pakistan, according to media reports.
• French MPs Back Controversial Terror Measures VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- French lawmakers have approved controversial changes to the constitution the leftist government argues will help France better fight terrorism after last year's Islamist attacks. The vote Wednesday was just the first hurdle before the legislation becomes law.
• French Lawmakers Vote to Strip Terrorists of Nationality Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- France's national assembly has preliminarily approved a new constitutional measure that would make it possible to strip convicted terrorists of French citizenship.
• Iraqi Kurds Facing Economic Crisis Caused by Crude Price Slump, Daesh Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- Low oil prices and the threat posed by Daesh (Islamic State/ISIL) are about to ruin the Kurds' aspirations for independence and prosperity, Irish journalist Patrick Oliver Cockburn notes.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, February 10, 2016 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 10 Feb 2016
• Kremlin: No Link Between Kasyanov Incident, Chechen Leadership RFE/RL 10 Feb 2016 -- Allah Akhbar!' on a Moscow bridge near the one where Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot dead in February.
• Poroshenko Assures IMF He's Committed To Reform After Warning RFE/RL 10 Feb 2016 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko assured the International Monetary Fund (IMF) he remains committed to pursuing economic reforms and purging corruption from his government.
• IMF may cut aid to Ukraine over corruption Press TV 10 Feb 2016 -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has threatened to cut financial aid to Ukraine because the country has shown little progress in tackling corruption.