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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Counter-ISIL Strikes Hit Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 26 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.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US, South Korea Discuss Status of Forces Agreement Before Trump Inauguration Sputnik 26 Nov 2016 -- On Tuesday, government officials from Seoul and Washington met to discuss the ongoing deployment of nearly 30,000 American soldiers in South Korea as well as the changes to the arrangement that President-elect Donald Trump may seek.
• Russia Protests Ukraine's Plan to Fire Missiles Above Crimea Waters Sputnik 26 Nov 2016 -- Russia protested on Friday Ukrainian military's plan to fire missiles in airspace above Crimean territorial waters in the Black Sea.
• Russia May Use Iran's Hamadan Base if Admiral Kuznetsov Moves Away From Syria Sputnik 26 Nov 2016 -- Russia could use Iran's Hamadan airbase in case the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier used for anti-terror strikes in Syria moves away from the Syrian borders for a new mission, the Russian upper house of parliament's defense committee chair said Saturday.
• Iran Could Allow Russia to Use Hamadan Base If Necessary for Syrian Operation Sputnik 26 Nov 2016 -- Iranian Defense Minister stated that Iranian authorities could allow Russia to use the Hamadan air base in western Iran for Moscow's aerial operation against terrorist in Syria if the situation in the crisis-torn Middle Eastern nation demanded it.
• IRGC Navy Commander: World powers admit Iran's power of deterrence IRNA 26 Nov 2016 -- The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said the world hegemonic powers especially the US admit Iran's power of deterrence.
• Chief of staff hails navy forces achievements IRNA 26 Nov 2016 -- Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri on Saturday hailed the navy forces' achievements.
• Iran May Need Naval Bases in Syria, Yemen - Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sputnik 26 Nov 2016 -- Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Hossein Baqeri said that Tehran may need naval bases on the coasts of Yemen and Syria.
• Purchase of Russia's Su-30 Jets on Iran's Defense Ministry's Agenda - Minister Sputnik 26 Nov 2016 -- Iranian Defense Minister said that Defense Ministry is considering purchase of the Russian Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter jets.
• Iraqi parliament passes law legalizing Popular Mobilization Units Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- The Iraqi parliament has approved a law to give full legal status to fighters from Popular Mobilization Units, who have joined forces with government forces in counter-terrorism operations against Daesh Takfiri militants across the country.
• Iraq's Parliament Adopts Law Legalizing Shi'ite Militias RFE/RL 26 Nov 2016 -- Iraq's parliament approved a law on November 26 that would transform the Popular Mobilization forces, a coalition of Shi'ite militias that play a role in fighting Islamic State, into a legal and separate military corps.
• Stronger Together: Iraqi Parliament Backs Motion to Merge Shia Militia With Army Sputnik 26 Nov 2016 -- The Iraqi parliament voted in favor of Shia militia joining the country's army, first deputy parliament speaker Humam Hamoudi said on Saturday.
• Pakistan's Prime Minister Appoints New Army Chief RFE/RL 26 Nov 2016 -- Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has appointed Lieutenant General Qamar Javed Bajwa as the new army chief to replace the outgoing General Raheel Sharif.
• Pakistan Appoints New Military Chief VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- Pakistan's prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, appointed his new military chief Saturday to replace Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, who is due to retire on November 29 when his official three-year term ends.
• Japan mulls deployment of US THAAD missiles Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- Japan is moving closer to the deployment of a US missile system which is set to further escalate tensions in the region.
• Kim Jong Un Guides Skiing Training of Mountain Infantry Battalion under KPA Unit 1045 KCNA 26 Nov 2016 -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army (KPA) Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, guided the skiing training of the mountain infantry battalion under KPA Unit 1045.
• Japan Scrambles Jet Fighters Amid Flight of Chinese Aircraft Near Okinawa Sputnik 27 Nov 2016 -- The fighters of Japan's Air Self-Defense Forces (JASDF) have raised to the sky on Saturday after the Chinese Air Force aircraft were spotted near the Japanese island of Okinawa, local media reported Saturday.
• Hong Kong seized armored vehicles from Taiwan on China tip: media CNA 26 Nov 2016 -- Hong Kong customs seized a shipment of nine armored vehicles aboard a ship originating in Kaohsiung and bound for Singapore that was transiting through Hong Kong on Nov. 23 after it was tipped off by China, Hong Kong media reported Saturday.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Saudi airstrike kills a dozen civilians in Yemen's Hudaydah Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- At least a dozen people, including women and children, have been killed when Saudi fighter jets carried out an airstrike against a residential neighborhood in Yemen's western coastal province of Hudaydah.
• War on Yemen waged by US, Saudi Arabia: Ansarullah Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement has accused the US, which has recently put forward a peace plan for the war-torn country, of leading the ongoing aggression against Yemen along with Saudi Arabia.
• Syrian army declares liberation of Hanano in eastern Aleppo Press TV 27 Nov 2016 -- Syrian armed forces and allies have managed to seize control of a key district in the northwestern city of Aleppo, which has been a flash point over the past few months.
• Syria Touts Recapture of Key District in Rebel-Held Aleppo VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- After days of heavy combat, Syria said Saturday that its Russia-backed army had gained "full control" of a key rebel-held district in the war-torn city of Aleppo.
• Can Syrian Army Find New Volunteers? VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- The announcement this week by Syria's embattled military that it will form an all-volunteer unit is an indication that the government is struggling in its fight against rebels and the Islamic State group, analysts say.
• US missile strikes Iraqi forces' command tent in Tal Afar: Hashd al-Shaabi Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- The Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi forces, in Iraq say the US-led coalition fired a missile at their command tent at the recently liberated Tal Afar Airport after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met with commanders there.
• Daesh mortar attack leaves 16 Iraqi civilians dead in Mosul Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- At least 16 civilians have lost their lives in a mortar attack by members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group on residential neighborhoods in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which government forces and allied fighters are trying to recapture from the militants.
• Terrorists to receive punsihment on battleground: Ayatollah Sistani Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- Iraq's top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has condemned a recent deadly attack targeting pilgrims near Hillah, saying the perpetrators of the carnage will pay for their crimes on the battleground.
• 6 killed as Pakistani soldiers, militants engage in shootout Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- Armed militants have attacked a mosque at an army facility in northwestern Pakistan, prompting a gunfight with army soldiers that left a total of six people dead.
• Suicide Bombers Attack Pakistan Army Base Near Afghan Border VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- Pakistan's military says that an early morning suicide attack on one of its regional bases near the Afghan border left four assailants and two soldiers dead.
• South Sudan agrees to deployment of peacekeeping force Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- South Sudan's government has finally agreed to the deployment of a new regional force mandated by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to the country to contain civil fighting.
• South Sudan Agrees to Additional UN Force Deployment in Capital Sputnik 27 Nov 2016 -- In a reversal of its previous position, South Sudan has agreed to allow an increase of UN peacekeeping troops in the country "without conditions."
• Somali Forces Arrest Suspect in Deadly Market Attack VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud says an arrest has been made in the car bombing that killed at least 20 people in a crowded market in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, on Saturday.
• Car bomb attack kills 10 at busy market in Somali capital Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- At least 10 people have been killed in a car bomb attack in a crowded market in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, police say.

News Reports

• Statement by the President on the Passing of Fidel Castro The White House 26 Nov 2016
• The Passing of Fidel Castro US Dept. of State 26 Nov 2016 -- Press Statement by John Kerry, Secretary of State
• Cuba's Fidel Castro dies Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- The legendary leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, has died, the Cuban president and his brother has announced. Castro was 90.
• Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro dies at 90 People's Daily 26 Nov 2016 -- Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro died late Friday at the age of 90, said his brother Raul, the current leader of Cuba.
• Obituary: Cuban Revolutionary Leader Fidel Castro, 1926-2016 RFE/RL 26 Nov 2016 -- Fidel Castro, the man who led Cuba for nearly a half century has died at the age of 90, his brother, President Raul Castro, announced on national television.
• Former Cuban President Fidel Castro Dies At Age of 90 - Reports Sputnik 26 Nov 2016 -- Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has died aged 90, Cuban state TV has announced.
• Former Cuban President Fidel Castro Dies at 90 VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- Former Cuban President Fidel Castro is dead at the age of 90, his brother, Cuban President Raul Castro announced.
• Fidel Castro made revolutionary mark on history People's Daily 26 Nov 2016 -- Cuba's revolutionary leader and former president Fidel Castro died on Friday.
• Iran's president condoles death of Cuba's revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has extended his condolences to the Cuban government and nation as well as the Latin American people over the death of Cuba's revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro.
• World reacts to death of Fidel Castro Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- The death of Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro at the age of 90 has drawn an array of reactions from world leaders and politicians.
• Castro icon of independence-seeking fights: Iran FM Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has offered his condolences over the death of the legendary leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, saying he was an icon of the oppressed people's struggle for independence.
• Trump Calls Fidel Castro 'Brutal Dictator' As Others Pay Tribute To Late Cuban Leader RFE/RL 26 Nov 2016 -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has described the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro as a "brutal dictator" and said he hoped his death would lead to "freedom" for the Cuban people.
• As Cuba mourns passing of former President Fidel Castro, Ban offers condolences, UN support UN News 26 Nov 2016 -- Speaking on behalf of the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this morning extended condolences to the Cuban people and to the family of former President Fidel Castro Ruz, who passed away overnight at the age of 90.
• Is Castro's Death a Hopeful Turning Point? VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- Six decades after declaring history would absolve him, Fidel Castro's life has ended and his troubled human rights legacy can be considered.
• Castro's Death, Trump's Election Make Cuba's Course Harder to Predict VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- Scholars, diplomats and investors who study U.S.-Cuban relations are trying to figure out what will happen to the island's economy and its relations with the United States following the death of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
• Will Trump Roll Back Obama's Cuba Deal? VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- President-elect Donald Trump has been a longtime critic of the Cuban government and U.S. President Barack Obama's efforts to normalize relations with the country, vowing to roll back all of Obama's executive actions related to Cuba.
• In Life and Death, Castro Splits Cubans, US Policy VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- In life and death, Fidel Castro split Cubans - those who remained on the island, by choice or lack thereof, and those who left, by rickety raft or plane. Likewise, U.S. policy divided the community on both sides of the Florida Straits. Now the U.S., which in recent years revived diplomatic relations with Cuba, is on the cusp of an administration change that could once again alter the relationship.
• Fidel Castro Left Mark on Somalia, Horn of Africa VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- One place besides Miami where few tears will be shed over the death of Fidel Castro is Somalia, where his military involvement left a mark.
• Raul Castro Changed Cuba After Brother Stepped Aside VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- Raul Castro permanently succeeded his elder brother as Cuba's president in February 2008, but he had led the communist country for more than a decade prior to Fidel's death on Friday.
• Trump Calls Vote Recount Efforts a 'Scam' as Clinton Team Joins Wisconsin Effort VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- President-elect Donald Trump has called efforts by the Green Party to force recounts in three swing states a "scam," as his former Democratic rival's campaign joined the recount efforts in the Midwestern swing state of Wisconsin.
• Chinese Think Tank: US Will Pursue 'Regional Hegemony' Under Trump Presidency Sputnik 26 Nov 2016 -- On Friday, a Chinese government think tank drafted a report indicating that the US will pursue "regional hegemony" in the South China Sea under President-elect Donald Trump.
• Ex-President Yanukovych Says Supports Ukraine's Territorial Integrity Sputnik 26 Nov 2016 -- Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said Friday he was dreaming of the end of the war in Donbas and its restoration.
• Ukraine Calls For Holodomor Famine To Be Recognized As 'Genocide' RFE/RL 26 Nov 2016 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called for the Holodomor, the Ukraine famine of the 1930s, to be recognized as "genocide."
• Erdogan warns EU about extending state of emergency Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has censured the European Union, warning that Ankara could extend a state of emergency in place since the abortive coup of July 15.
• South Koreans in biggest rally to demand Park ouster Press TV 26 Nov 2016 -- Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have marched in the capital Seoul for the 5th week to demand the ouster of President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal.
• Over 1.5Mln Expected to Gather in S.Korea for 5th Week of Anti-President Rallies Sputnik 26 Nov 2016 -- Over 1.5 million protesters are expected to attend the rally in Seoul on Saturday, in response to allegations of President Park Geun-hye's involvement in the influence-peddling and corruption scandal linked to her confidante, local media reported.
• Police Thwart Youth Protest Against DRC's Kabila VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- Youth groups who want DRC President Joseph Kabila to stand down at the end of his term in December tried to organize a protest in Kinshasa on Saturday, but police prevented it. It was the third time this month that such a demonstration had been blocked.
• Afghan, Pakistani Leaders Discuss Tense Bilateral Ties VOA 26 Nov 2016 -- Pakistani and Afghan leaders met Saturday on the sidelines of an international conference in Turkmenistan to discuss issues straining ties between their two countries.