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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 18 Oct 2016 [PDF]
• Americans Advancing on Mosul with Iraqis and Kurds VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- More than 100 American troops are accompanying Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga forces in their push to take back the city of Mosul from Islamic State forces.
• Military Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 18 Oct 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.
• US forces in 'harm's way' as battle for Mosul goes forward: Pentagon Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- The Pentagon has acknowledged US troops will be heavily involved in the large-scale military offensive to wrest the Iraqi city of Mosul from Daesh terrorists.
• US airstrikes in Libya doubled in less than 30 days Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- The US military has dramatically increased the number of its airstrikes in Libya in less than a month, new data shows, further cementing President Barack Obama's record of taking more military action than any other American president.
• US drone attack kills eight in southern Yemen Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- At least eight people have lost their lives in an airstrike by a US unmanned aerial vehicle in southern Yemen, security sources say.
• Taliban, Afghan govt. in secret peace talks: Report Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- Representatives of the Taliban militant group and a delegation of the Afghan government have reportedly been engaged in secret peace talks since September.
• Afghan Official Confirms Secret Talks Restarted With Taliban In Qatar RFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- A senior Afghan official has confirmed that two secret rounds of peace talks between Afghanistan's government and Taliban representatives have been held in Doha, Qatar, since early September.
• Afghanistan: UN report finds July attack on peaceful protests in Kabul 'may amount to a war crime' UN News 18 Oct 2016 -- A new special human rights report released by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has concluded that the 23 July attack on a large, peaceful demonstration in the country's capital, Kabul, not only deliberately targeted civilians but also was a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which may amount to a war crime.
• Afghan Government in Secret Talks With Taliban VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- Senior Afghan government and Taliban representatives reportedly have held at least two secret meetings in recent days in a bid to resume a long-awaited peace dialogue to end the war in Afghanistan.
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Adm. Tidd on Joint Task Force-Matthew Relief Efforts in Haiti DoD 18 Oct 2016 -- Presenter: Admiral Kurt Tidd, commander, U.S. Southern Command
• U.S. Military Concludes Haiti Post-Hurricane Humanitarian Effort AFPS 18 Oct 2016 -- The 400 service members who took part in humanitarian relief efforts following Hurricane Matthew's wrath in Haiti are expected to return home in a couple of days, Navy Admiral Kurt W. Tidd, commander of U.S. Southern Command, told reporters at the Pentagon today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Hanscom looks to leverage industry to improve air picture AFNS 18 Oct 2016 -- A program office at Hanscom Air Force Base is working to improve and upgrade a system that provides comprehensive air surveillance and defense with a recent request for information and industry days.
• Admiral: Networked Threats Pose 'Significant Challenge' to Western Hemisphere AFPS 18 Oct 2016 -- Networked threats in Latin America pose a danger to U.S. national security and erode stability in the region, the commander of U.S. Southern Command said here today.
• Ivanov Calls Reported Plans To Create Russian Super Security Body 'Fake' RFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's former chief of staff, Sergei Ivanov, says a report that the Kremlin plans to create a monolithic new security agency is false.
• Share of Naval Equipment in Russia's Arms Exports Totals 10% Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- The share of naval equipment in Russia's total foreign orders arms sales in 2015 constituted about 10 percent and it was worth some 1.5 billion, according to Anatoly Punchuk, deputy director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation.
• Egypt Appeals to Russia for Supplies of Helicopters for Mistral Ships Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- Anatoly Punchuk, deputy director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), said that FSMTC received n appeal from the Egyptian side for the supplies of shipborne Ka-52.
• Russia's T-90 Tank Interests Vietnam Because It's 'More Modern' Than Rivals Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- Vietnam wants to buy Russia's T-90 battle tank because it is more modern than its Western rivals, People's Army of Vietnam colonel Nyugen Khak Ngyuety told Sputnik.
• Sub-Standard: India Struggling to Make French Scorpenes Seaworthy Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- Delays in the development of indigenous AIP and an inability to find a main weapon has left Indian Navy's scorpene class submarines struggling.
• Iran Air Force conducts e-warfare drills Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- Iran's Air Force has successfully conducted electronic warfare as part of large-scale three-day military drills in the central province of Isfahan.
• Huge Upgrades to Japan's Missile Defense May Bolster Security Against Pyongyang Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- In the wake of ballistic missile tests carried out by North Korea, Japan is planning to accelerate improvements to its missile defenses.
• Press Conference of President Obama and Prime Minister Renzi of the Republic of Italy The White House 18 Oct 2016
• October 18, 2016 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 18 Oct 2016

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• 18 October 2016 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 18 Oct 2016
• China building Fiery Cross Reef into naval, air force base CNA 18 Oct 2016 -- China is building Fiery Cross Reef, or Yongshu Reef in the Spratly Islands, into its largest joint military base for its navy and air force in the South China Sea, according to the latest issue of Kanwa Defense Review.
• Announcement of Cessation of Hostilities in Yemen US Dept. of State 18 Oct 2016
• Truce in Yemen as of Weds. night: UN special envoy IRNA 18 Oct 2016 -- The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced Monday a plan for the resumption of a comprehensive cessation of hostilities in the war-torn (Persian) Gulf nation.
• Militants reject withdrawal from Syria's Aleppo Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- Foreign-backed militant groups have rejected withdrawing their members from northern Syrian city of Aleppo amid an announcement by Damascus and Moscow of a halt in airstrikes on militant positions in the city.
• UN Ready to Carry Out Aid Operation in Aleppo After Humanitarian Pause Begins Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- Eight-hour pause is not sufficient, adding that a longer pause is needed to insure the humanitarian aid delivery to all areas in Aleppo, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Syria.
• Russia Says Air Strikes On Aleppo Halted RFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- Russia says the Russian and Syrian air forces are halting air strikes on the northern city of Aleppo.
• Sanctions against Russia over Syria possible: Germany Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- Measures against Russia over the deadly conflict in Syria remain on the table, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said ahead of talks between leaders from the two countries in Berlin.
• Iraqi Troops Advance Toward Mosul as ISIL Tries to Hide Movements AFPS 18 Oct 2016 -- Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga security forces are working together as they advance along several axes to liberate Mosul, Iraq, from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant control, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, director of Pentagon press operations, told reporters today.
• Mosul: UN mission calls for Iraqi unity behind Government forces fighting ISIL UN News 18 Oct 2016 -- With the military operations under way to wrest the control of Mosul from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) terrorists, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) today called on the Iraqi people to unite in support of their country's armed forces and is urging "that every step be taken to avoid civilian casualties."
• UN aid agencies brace for possible displacement 'catastrophe' caused by military offensive in Mosul UN News 18 Oct 2016 -- United Nations humanitarian agencies operating in Iraq are bracing for what could be a displacement catastrophe requiring the largest and most complex global response in 2016, in the wake of the military offensive under way to oust terrorists from Mosul, the country's second-largest city.
• Obama Confident Of IS Defeat After Second Day Of Mosul Offensive RFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says a battle now underway to recapture Iraq's northern city of Mosul from Islamic State (IS) militants will be "a difficult fight," but he is confident that Iraqi forces leading the military operation will defeat the militant group.
• Iraqi, Kurdish Fighters Make Gains in Battle to Retake Mosul From Islamic State VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- Iraqi and Kurdish forces say they have retaken a dozen villages outside Mosul, as they press to reclaim Iraq's second largest city from Islamic State militants.
• UN: No Large Displacement of Mosul Residents Yet VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- The United Nations said Tuesday that 36 hours into the Iraqi and Kurdish military offensive to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State group, it had not seen any immediate large outflows of residents from the city.
• Iraq Braces for 'Humanitarian Catastrophe' as Civilians Set to Flee Mosul VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- Beneath the barrage of weaponry being unleashed on Islamic State forces in Mosul live an estimated one-and-a-half million people, and aid agencies in Iraq are bracing for a humanitarian catastrophe. Up to a million civilians are expected to flee the fighting, adding to the already desperate refugee situation.
• Operation for full liberation of Mosul will not stop IRNA 18 Oct 2016 -- A senior Iraqi commander said here on Tuesday that the operation for full liberation of Mosul from Daesh terrorists would not stop.
• Secretary General: NATO stands in support of Iraq NATO 18 Oct 2016 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Iraqi Foreign Minister Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafari to NATO Headquarters on Tuesday (18 October 2016) for talks on the Alliance's support to Iraq.
• Tough battle in Mosul, but Daesh will be defeated: Obama Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- US President Barack Obama warned of a "difficult fight" ahead as Iraqi military forces move to liberate the city of Mosul, but expressed confidence that Daesh terrorists will be defeated.
• Russia warns against Mosul terrorists relocating to eastern Syria Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warns that his country could take "political and military" decisions if the Daesh Takfiri terrorists were redeployed to eastern Syria after being granted a safe passage from Mosul.
• Persian Gulf Arab states favorites of Daesh: Iraqi PM Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- Iraq's prime minister, whose country is engaged in a costly war with the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, has implied that a number of Arab governments in the Persian Gulf region have been aiding and abetting the terror outfit.
• UPDATES: Day 2 of the battle for Mosul Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- Tuesday marks the second day of military operations by the Iraqi army, volunteer Shia and Sunni fighters as well as Kurdish Peshmerga forces to liberate the city of Mosul, the last stronghold of Daesh Takfiri terrorists in Iraq, which they overran in June 2014. Operations to free the city have been the subject of long planning, and the large-scale offensives are targeting the city from three different directions. Below is a series of live updates on the second day of the battle for Mosul.
• Iraqi Mosul to Face Humanitarian Catastrophe - Russian Foreign Ministry Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that nobody had calculated the risks of the operation to liberate northern Iraqi city of Mosul, occupied by the Daesh, as well as had solved such issues as preparation of shelters, food and health for refugees that would flee the city.
• Kurds Call for Post-Liberation Plan for Mosul to Avoid Extremists Infiltration Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- Head of the Kurdish Regional Mission to the European Union said that a clear political plan that would be implemented after the liberation of Mosul from the Daesh should be elaborated to avoid infiltration of extremist groups into the city, the head of the Kurdish Regional Mission to the European Union.
• Iraqi Army Takes Control Over Nimrud During Mosul Liberation Operation Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- Iraqi troops regained control of the ancient city of Nimrud in the north of the country as part of the operation to liberate Mosul from the Daesh terrorists, local media reported on Tuesday.
• Kurdish Commanders Claim Quick Gains As Mosul Offensive Opens RFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- Kurdish commanders claimed wide advances as Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition jets, opened their assault on Mosul, part of a long-awaited effort to retake the northern Iraqi city from Islamic State militants.
• Battle for Mosul Putting Iraq Leadership, US Vision to the Test VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- One day into the Iraqi-led operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State terror group, a hopeful Pentagon proclaimed the effort "ahead of schedule," well aware the outcome could have a significant impact on U.S. strategy in the region.
• Presidents of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia to discuss Minsk deal Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- The Presidents of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to hold a Normandy format summit in the German capital to discuss the latest developments surrounding the Minsk deal on the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
• Al-Shabab militants kill at least 10 people in key Somali town Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- Al-Shabab militants have killed at least 10 people, including soldiers and civilians, in a key Somali town close to the capital Mogadishu after ramming a bomb-laden vehicle into a police station.
• Azerbaijan Calls on Int'l Mediators to Take Action to Resolve Karabakh Conflict Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- Azerbaijan expects international mediators to work for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• Malnutrition Spikes in North Cameroon Amid Boko Haram Conflict VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- Aid agencies are sounding the alarm about severe food insecurity throughout northern Cameroon as a result of the Boko Haram conflict.

News Reports

• From NATO to Islamic State, the US Presidential Candidates' Foreign Policy Positions VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- Concerned about the outcome of the U.S. presidential race, the world has been watching closely as Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump tout their plans for handling terrorism and other global issues.
• Ecuador Cuts Wikileaks Head's Web Access Over Election Meddling RFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- Ecuador's government said it temporarily restricted internet access for Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, because it opposed the group's meddling in the U.S. election.
• Ecuador Says It Restricted Assange's Internet Link VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- Ecuador's government admitted Tuesday that it had "temporarily restricted" WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's internet access at its London embassy after the site published documents from Hillary Clinton's U.S. presidential campaign.
• US Denies Role in Severing Assange's Internet Link VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- The U.S. State Department has denied any role in disconnecting the internet link of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
• US Admiral: Fewer Latin Americans Joining IS Fight in Mideast VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- The flow of foreign fighters traveling from Latin America to join Islamic State forces in the Middle East has been "significantly curtailed," a top U.S. admiral said Tuesday.
• Salehi: Design of Arak reactor worked out IRNA 18 Oct 2016 -- Vice-President and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi said on Tuesday that major part of design of Arak nuclear reactor has been worked out and only the heart remained to be installed.
• Iran, China discuss rebuilding Arak heavy-water reactor ISNA 18 Oct 2016 -- Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi has announced that the head of the organization Ali Akbar Salehi would head to Poland to discuss mutual ties.
• Third report on JCPOA presented to Majlis commission: Lawmaker IRNA 18 Oct 2016 -- A senior Iranian lawmaker said here on Tuesday that Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has presented the third report to National Security and Foreign Policy Commission regarding the nuclear deal known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• UK bank to close down Russian network's accounts Press TV 18 Oct 2016 -- The British bank National Westminster has decided to close down the accounts of the Russian broadcaster RT without offering any explanation.
• DPRK Delegate Speaks at UN Meeting KCNA 18 Oct 2016 -- A delegate of the DPRK made a speech at the discussion of the agenda "international cooperation in the peaceful use of space" at a meeting of the 4th Committee of the 71st UN General Assembly on October 13.
• Permanent station plans ride on mission People's Daily 18 Oct 2016 -- As a Chinese spaceship rockets through the void toward a rendezvous with a new Chinese space lab, experts say a monumental step in the nation's long march in space exploration is about to occur.
• Antares Rocket Takes Off to ISS Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- The US Antares carrier rocket equipped with two Russian RD-181 engines blasted off to the International Space Station with the Cygnus cargo ship from the Wallops Flight Facility for the first time, NASA TV live broadcast showed.
• Premier orders review of mini three links CNA 18 Oct 2016 -- Premier Lin Chuan (林全) said on Tuesday that he will instruct the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) to examine difficulties facing direct transport links from Taiwan's outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu to Fujian province in China -- commonly known as the three mini links -- and propose countermeasures.
• Hung not to mention 'one China, common interpretation' in Beijing CNA 18 Oct 2016 -- Chairman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) of the opposition Kuomintang will not mention her previous advocacy of "one China, common interpretation" when she visits Beijing to attend a cross-Taiwan Strait forum next month, according to Liao Kuo-tung (廖國棟), chief of the party's legislative caucus.
• Ukrainian Anticorruption Activists Dare 'Sissy Pants' Officials To Declare Assets RFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- Ukrainians are attempting to shame top public officials into disclosing their financial assets by calling those who don't "sissy pants."
• Controversial Political Deal Sets Congo Poll for April 2018 VOA 18 Oct 2016 -- The political parties taking part in the national dialogue in the Democratic Republic of Congo have adopted an agreement which delays elections by nearly two years to April 2018 and puts in place a power-sharing government to rule the country in the interim. But the main opposition coalition has rejected the deal.
• Duterte leaves Brunei with vows for stronger bilateral ties People's Daily 18 Oct 2016 -- Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte left Brunei for China Tuesday after wrapping up his first state visit to the sultanate.
• Court Makes Opposition Collect Signatures For Maduro Recall Vote Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- Venezuela's Supreme Court is about to initiate a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro.
• Crown Prince May Mount Throne After 15 Days of Mourning for Late Thai King Sputnik 18 Oct 2016 -- A new Thai monarch may ascend to the throne in 10 days, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Tuesday.
• An Inside Account Of Milosevic's Unfinished Trial RFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- The late Serbian ex-President Slobodan Milosevic died of a suspected heart attack in his prison cell on March 11, 2006, less than two months before his trial at The Hague war crimes tribunal was set to conclude.
• Haiti: UN special adviser calls for 'robust' hurricane response to tackle 'extremely difficult' situation UN News 18 Oct 2016 -- Hurricane Matthew, which ripped through Haiti 13 days ago, has left more than 700,000 people in an "extremely difficult situation," United Nations Special Adviser David Nabarro said today, and while steady progress is being made, led by Haitians themselves, the response must be accelerated as the needs are still great, frustrations are high, and access to hard-hit areas remains tough.
• U.S. Appeals Court Boots Defense Lawyers In Magnitsky Money Fraud Case RFE/RL 18 Oct 2016 -- WASHINGTON -- A U.S. appeals court has disqualified lawyers for a company accused of laundering the proceeds of a massive Russian tax fraud, whose fallout led Washington to sanction numerous Russians and helped poison U.S.-Russian relations.