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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 15 Nov 2016 [PDF]
• Counter-ISIL Strikes Target Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 15 Nov 2016 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Gains Made for Mosul, Tough Fighting Remains, DoD Spokesman Says AFPS 15 Nov 2016 -- Iraqi forces and Kurdish peshmerga are making gains in the approach to Mosul, but fierce fighting is expected in the dense terrain inside the northern Iraqi city, the Pentagon's press operations director said today.
• Hague Prosecutors Say U.S. Tortured At Least 61 Prisoners In Afghanistan RFE/RL 15 Nov 2016 -- Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court say they have "reasonable basis" to believe the United States committed "war crimes" by torturing prisoners in Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan: UN launches nine-month operation to assist returnees with emergency food and cash UN News 15 Nov 2016 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a nine-month operation to assist Afghanistan in dealing with the growing numbers of returnees from Pakistan, as well as and internally displaced people, by providing emergency food and funds.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US, Japan forces work together during Keen Sword AFNS 15 Nov 2016 -- Members from the Japan Self-Defense Forces and U.S. Forces, Japan, came together for Keen Sword 2017 at Yokota Air Base from Oct. 30 – Nov. 11.
• Tyndall AFB team develops solution to F-22 weapon's system issue AFNS 15 Nov 2016 -- A re-occurring weapon's system issue with an F-22 required a small team of Airmen to collectively work together recently to develop an innovative solution.
• Indo-Asia-Pacific Region Remains 'Most Consequential' to America, Pacom Chief Says AFPS 15 Nov 2016 -- The Indo-Asia-Pacific region remains the most consequential area for America's future, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command said here today.
• US Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft to Assist New Zealand in Earthquake Response Efforts NNS 15 Nov 2016 -- At the request of the New Zealand Ministry of Defence, the United States Navy is providing maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft to assist in life-saving efforts after the Nov. 13 earthquakes on the South Island of New Zealand.
• USS William P. Lawrence Joins Hawaii-Based Ships NNS 15 Nov 2016 -- Guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Nov. 14, as part of a homeport swap with USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), which departed Hawaii earlier in the year for its new homeport of San Diego.
• Japan, US Forces Complete Amphibious Operations during Keen Sword 2017 NNS 15 Nov 2016 -- U.S. Forces and Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) combined to complete a series of amphibious operations as part of Keen Sword 2017, Nov. 11.
• Newest Navy Destroyer Has Significant Ties to Logistics Community NNS 15 Nov 2016 -- The U.S. Navy's newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, future USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) was successfully launched at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard Nov. 12.
• USS Carney Departs Piraeus, Greece NNS 15 Nov 2016 -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) departed Piraeus, Greece, after a scheduled port visit Nov. 14.
• USS Decatur, USS Spruance Return to San Diego NNS 15 Nov 2016 -- Guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance (DDG 111) and USS Decatur (DDG 73) returned to San Diego, Nov. 14, following a seven-month Pacific Surface Action Group (PAC SAG) deployment in the western Pacific.
• Media Availability with Secretary Carter in Twentynine Palms, California DoD 15 Nov 2016 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
• Remarks by Secretary Carter to Troops at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California DoD 15 Nov 2016 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter; General William Mullen, United States Marine Corps
• Navy Officer Pleads Guilty in Massive Fraud and Corruption Scandal US Dept. of Justice 15 Nov 2016 -- A retired Navy Captain pleaded guilty today for his role in a massive bribery and fraud scheme involving a foreign defense contractor for the U.S. Navy.
• Philippine, U.S. troops to conduct small scale joint exercises this year People's Daily 15 Nov 2016 -- Philippine and U.S. troops will conduct a month-long joint military exercises, Philippine military announced on Tuesday.
• NATO chief says Trump will live up to all US commitments Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- The secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has expressed confidence that Donald Trump would live up to all US commitments to the military alliance.
• Doorstep statement by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the European Council NATO 15 Nov 2016 -- (As delivered)
• Russia aircraft carrier jets conduct first Syria anti-terror strikes Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- Russia says warplanes flying from its aircraft carrier, which was recently deployed off Syria, have conducted their first strikes against foreign-backed terrorists active in the war-torn Arab country.
• Aircraft carrier the Liaoning ready for battle at any time: senior officer People's Daily 15 Nov 2016 -- China's first aircraft carrier the Liaoning recently left a shipyard in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province to start a new training mission, with the political commissar of the carrier saying it is constantly prepared for war.
• Chinese Navy's frigate Handan reaches Pakistan for bilateral exercises People's Daily 15 Nov 2016 -- The Chinese Navy's frigate Handan on Tuesday docked at Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi to participate in bilateral joint drills in Pakistani waters.
• Chinese first aircraft carrier prepared for 'war': Navy Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- China says its first aircraft carrier is ready for a deterrent "war", a change from its previous status as a training ship, intended to allow the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to practice with carrier usage.
• NATO-Ukraine Commission discusses situation in eastern Ukraine NATO 15 Nov 2016
• Press Roundtable in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates US Dept. of State 15 Nov 2016
• November 15, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 15 Nov 2016

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for November 15, 2016

Other Conflicts

• 15 November 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 15 Nov 2016
• End to Yemen War Could Soon Be Reality VOA 15 Nov 2016 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says a cease-fire in Yemen could start as early as November 17, "provided that everybody does their part."
• Yemen forces hit Saudi command center in Najran Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- Yemeni forces have fired two ballistic missiles in counteroffensives against the southwestern Saudi Arabia region of Najran, hitting targets that included a Saudi military command center.
• Yemenis agree on truce beginning November 17: Kerry Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- Warring sides of the conflict in Yemen have agreed on a swift ceasefire agreement starting in the coming days, US Secretary of State John Kerry says.
• Trump natural ally to Syria if terror battle vows carried out: Assad Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says US President-elect Donald Trump will become a "natural ally" if he carries out his vow to battle "terrorists."
• Syria urges OPCW probe chemical attacks by terrorists Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- Syria has called for an investigation by the Hague-based agency responsible for eliminating chemical weapons into the use of chemical agents by terrorists against civilians in the country's battered city of Aleppo.
• Syria forces uncover tunnels used by militants near Damascus Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- Syrian military forces have discovered a network of long tunnels used by foreign-sponsored militants during a clear-up operation on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.
• Poor rains, supply bottlenecks exacerbating food security woes in war-torn Syria, UN warns UN News 15 Nov 2016 -- Reeling under the effects of a seemingly unending conflict, Syrian farmers may have "no other option" but to abandon food production, with grave consequences on food availability in the whole country, the United Nations agencies dealing with food security and emergency food relief warned today.
• Syria's Food Shortages Rise as Production Hits Record Low VOA 15 Nov 2016 -- United Nations agencies have warned that food shortages across Syria are growing as production hit a record low. A joint study by the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program found that five years of civil war was severely limiting the ability of farmers to cultivate their land.
• Russian Warplanes Strike Syrian Targets, as Barrel Bombs Hit Aleppo VOA 15 Nov 2016 -- Warplanes from Russia's lone aircraft carrier and a missile frigate struck targets in Syria on Tuesday, bombing areas southwest of the embattled city of Aleppo, as Syrian government aircraft renewed barrel bomb attacks on the city itself.
• One-third of east Mosul purged of Daesh terrorists: Iraq Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- Daesh Takfiri terrorists have been driven out of one-third of the eastern side of Mosul, Iraq says as the army forces and their allied fighters are conducting a major operation to liberate the strategic northern city.
• UN relief agencies deploy emergency humanitarian aid and resources to conflict-torn Mosul UN News 15 Nov 2016 -- A UNICEF-led multi-agency humanitarian convoy with emergency supplies for 15,000 children was the first to enter the Iraqi city of Mosul, while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) continues tracking displaced population movement and constructing emergency sites.
• Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence stranded on Bangladesh border Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims fleeing a surge in violence in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine are stranded on the Bangladesh border.
• Ukraine's Poroshenko Calls On Trump To Help Counter 'Russian Aggression' RFE/RL 15 Nov 2016 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called for Washington's "resolute support...in countering Russian aggression," as he and President-elect Donald Trump spoke by telephone for the first time since the U.S. election.
• Hague Prosecutor's Finding On Ukraine Conflict Gives Kyiv Legal Heft, But Little Else RFE/RL 15 Nov 2016 -- The lead prosecutor for the International Criminal Court has for the first time said the simmering conflict in Ukraine should be considered an international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
• 75k children could die in northeastern Nigeria, UN warns Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- The United Nations has warned that thousands of children will be at risk of dying in "a few months" across the militancy-riddled areas of northeastern Nigeria.
• Ban welcomes resolution of border dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon UN News 15 Nov 2016 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hosted today a signing ceremony on the margins of the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (popularly known as COP-22) in Morocco's capital Marrakech.
• Thousands Trapped by Fighting in South Sudan Receive Emergency Aid VOA 15 Nov 2016 -- The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said it is distributing life-saving items to more than 6,000 vulnerable families trapped by fighting in Yei River state over the last six months. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) say they welcome the relief aid but want to be allowed to safely return to their home villages so they can harvest the crops they planted. The food rations they are receiving are not enough to survive on.
• Burundi Risks Genocide, Rights Groups Warn VOA 15 Nov 2016 -- Human rights groups warn the tiny African country of Burundi is at risk of genocide, calling for international action as they released a new report Tuesday that documents widespread abuses under the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza.

News Reports

• India Confident of Strategic Partnership Under Trump VOA 15 Nov 2016 -- A strategic partnership built between India and the United States in the last two years is expected to deepen under a Trump administration.
• North Korean Diplomat on Trump Election: 'We Do Not Care' VOA 15 Nov 2016 -- North Korean state media initially praised Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, but following Trump's victory a senior official expressed indifference about the incoming president.
• Position of DPRK as Nuclear Power in East to Grow Strong: Rodong Sinmun KCNA 15 Nov 2016 -- The U.S. is feeling extremely uneasy and experiencing frustrations as its scenario to do harm to the DPRK through nuclear blackmail went up in smoke only to threaten the security of its mainland, says Rodong Sinmun Tuesday in a commentary.
• US President Obama reaffirms Iran's commitment to JCPOA IRNA 15 Nov 2016 -- American President Barack Obama confirmed Iran's commitment to the content of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• France believes Trump will not scrap JCPOA Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- French President Francois Hollande says he doubts that US President-elect Donald Trump would scrap Iran's nuclear agreement made with world powers.
• Republican Senator Warns Trump Over Russia Stance RFE/RL 15 Nov 2016 -- A senior Republican senator has warned President-elect Donald Trump against softening U.S. policy toward Russia, saying any "reset" of relations would be dangerous move.
• News Analysis: Ulyukayev Arrest Could End Up Costing Russia Dearly RFE/RL 15 Nov 2016 -- The arrest of Economic Development Minister Aleksei Ulyukayev - the most senior official to face trial in post-Soviet Russia - threatens to shake the country's political and economic structures to their foundations.
• Putin Fires Economics Minister Charged In Shock $2 Million Bribe Case RFE/RL 15 Nov 2016 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has fired Economic Development Minister Aleksei Ulyukayev, whose arrest on charges of large-scale bribe taking has jolted Russia's ruling elite.
• Russia's Extortion Charges Against Economy Minister Seen as Politics VOA 15 Nov 2016 -- Russian prosecutors charged Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev with extortion Tuesday and requested he be placed under house arrest in the highest-level corruption case of its kind in decades. Ulyukayev's lawyer said he denies the charges.
• Russian economy minister arrested over bribe allegation Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- Russian Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev has been detained on suspicion of taking $2 million of bribe in exchange for his ministry's support for a massive oil deal, investigators say.
• Russia economy minister sacked over bribery charges Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev, the Kremlin says after the official was charged with taking bribe to approve a state takeover.
• Ten Years On, No Justice In Case Of Assassinated Kremlin Critic In London RFE/RL 15 Nov 2016 -- Ten years after former Russian intelligence officer Aleksandr Litvinenko succumbed to a fatal dose of radioactive polonium in London, his wife lives with the pain of knowing his killers may never be brought to trial.
• Hong Kong court dismisses anti-China lawmakers from parliament Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- A court in Hong Kong has disqualified two lawmakers from the Chinese city's parliament after Beijing ruled that they should be barred from taking office over anti-China remarks.
• Three More Minnesota Men Sentenced for Providing Material Support to ISIL US Dept. of Justice 15 Nov 2016 -- Six of nine defendants expected to be sentenced this week for conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization, have now been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.
• Pakistan, China Jointly Open New International Trade Route VOA 15 Nov 2016 -- Pakistan and China this week activated a new international trade route through the southwestern Pakistani port of Gwadar to showcase a multi-billion-dollar economic cooperation agreement between the two close allies.
• S.Korean political heavyweights demand Park's resignation, impeachment over scandal People's Daily 15 Nov 2016 -- South Korean political heavyweights on Tuesday demanded President Park Geun-hye step down or be impeached over a scandal involving Park's longtime confidante.
• China's first cargo ship Tianzhou-1 to be launched in 2017 People's Daily 15 Nov 2016 -- China will send its first cargo ship, Tiangong-1, into space in 2017, said Qi Faren, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering in Baoding, Hebei province.
• Tsai outlines goals of `New Southbound Policy' at forum CNA 15 Nov 2016 -- President Tsai Ing-wen said Tuesday that the government is moving steadily forward in line with its "New Southbound Policy," and that it will pool its resources to promote related work in the short term.
• Britain Has No Overall Plan For Brexit, Leaked Memo Says RFE/RL 15 Nov 2016 -- Britain has no overall plan for Brexit and a negotiating strategy for leaving the European Union may not be agreed by the government for six months, a leaked memo suggests.
• Kyiv Locked Down As Hundreds Protest Ukraine's Government RFE/RL 15 Nov 2016 -- Ukrainian authorities locked down the heart of the capital on November 15 as hundreds of demonstrators protested outside government buildings over poor economic conditions and rising prices for vital necessities such as natural gas and bread.
• Kabila Defends Deal to Stay in Power Until 2018 VOA 15 Nov 2016 -- In a rare public appearance, Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila addressed parliament Tuesday one day after his government resigned in accordance with a deal that keeps him in office until elections scheduled for 2018. But much of the opposition continues to call for Kabila to step down.
• Egypt's Top Appeals Court Quashes Death Sentence Against Ousted President Morsi VOA 15 Nov 2016 -- Egypt's top appeals court has quashed a death sentence against former President Mohamed Morsi, along with sentences against five other top Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
• Egypt court annuls death sentence against ex-president Morsi Press TV 15 Nov 2016 -- Egypt's Court of Cassation has overturned a death sentence issued against ousted President Mohamed Morsi and ordered a retrial, judicial officials say.
• Egypt court overturns Morsi death sentence, orders retrial People's Daily 15 Nov 2016 -- An Egyptian court on Tuesday overturned a death sentence against ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and ordered a retrial in a mass jailbreak during the 2011 uprising, official news agency MENA reported.