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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 06 Jan 2017[PDF]
• Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 06 Jan 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• ISIL Leader Killed in Syria AFPS 06 Jan 2017 -- A Syria-based Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant leader and facilitator was struck and killed by a coalition precision airstrike Dec. 31, 2016, in Raqqa, Syria, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Turkey Says Reconsidering U.S. Coalition's Use Of Strategic Air Base RFE/RL 06 Jan 2017 -- Turkish officials are suggesting that they may stop the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) militant group from using a strategically important air base near its border with Syria.
• II MEF Marines Deploying to Afghanistan Spring 2017 USMC News Release 06 Jan 2017-- At the request of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, approximately 300 Marines will deploy to Helmand Province Afghanistan in Spring 2017 in support of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transfer of Guantanamo Bay inmates continues, despite President-elect Trump's tweet opposition People's Daily 06 Jan 2017 -- The Pentagon on Thursday had four inmates transferred from the Guantanamo Bay prison to Saudi Arabia in a continuous bid to empty the facility as much as possible before U.S. President Barack Obamaleaves office on Jan. 20.
• US sends four Gitmo inmates to Saudi Arabia Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- The United States has sent four prisoners from the country's notorious prison facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to Saudi Arabia.
• US Army Deploys Thousands of Troops and Dozens of Tanks to Eastern Europe Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- The US military has begun the deployment of 4,000 troops and 87 tanks to Eastern Europe, German media reported on Thursday.
• Pivot to Asia: US Navy Deploying New Airborne Early Warning Aircraft to Japan Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- The US Navy announced Thursday that it will deploy its leading-edge early-warning surveillance aircraft to Japan in February. The aircraft, developed by defense contractor Northrop Grumman and the latest in air defense technology, can detect missile attacks and stealth aircraft as well as coordinate other ships and aircraft during combat.
• Patrol team has unique desert mission AFNS 06 Jan 2017 -- Members of the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron base security zone patrol team have a more unique mission than the average security forces Airman while on deployment at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.
• Upgrade advances A-10s search capability AFNS 06 Jan 2017 -- A-10C Thunderbolt IIs assigned to active duty fighter squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base are in the process of having new lightweight airborne recovery systems installed.
• AF, NASA partner for mission success AFNS 06 Jan 2017 -- Developed in the mid-1990s by the NASA Geographic Information System office, the Flood Impact Analysis Tool illustrates the effects of localized tidal storm flooding.
• Cash-Strapped US Military Expected to Struggle to Meet Trump's Defense Vision Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- Incoming US President Donald Trump has pledged to increase military capacity, but any extra money needs to be spent on plugging gaps in the Pentagon's over-ambitious budgeting, retired US Army Lieutenant General Thomas W. Spoehr wrote in the National Interest on Thursday.
• China taking indirect retaliatory action against THAAD deployment in S Korea: Seoul Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- South Korea says China is taking "indirect action" against Seoul's months-long decision to deploy a US advanced missile system on its territory.
• Chinese Nuke Sub Had Docked Too Close for Indian Comfort Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- India may have to rework its maritime strategy because of heightened Chinese interest in its vicinity. The Indian strategic community is again aflutter over the visit of a PLA Navy submarine to Karachi.
• Iran still ready to arm Lebanese Army: MP IRNA 06 Jan 2017 -- Iran is still ready to go on with its decision to arm the Lebanese Army but it stays with Beirut to take the final decision in this regard, says the head the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.
• Soldiers Mutiny in 3 Ivory Coast Cities VOA 06 Jan 2017 -- Soldiers in Ivory Coast launched mutinies in three cities on Friday in a bid for higher pay.
• Former soldiers seize Ivory Coast city Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- Former soldiers in the Ivory Coast have taken control of the city of Bouake, causing a shutdown in the West African country's second-largest metropolitan city.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 1/6/2017 The White House 06 Jan 2017
• January 6, 2017 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 06 Jan 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 06, 2017
• C919 expected to experience maiden flight in early 2017 People's Daily 06 Jan 2017 -- China's first homegrown jumbo jet, the C919, is expected to have its maiden flight in the first quarter of 2017, according to Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC), the manufacturer of the aircraft. The C919 was moved to the test flight center on Dec. 25, 2016.

Other Conflicts

• 6 January 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 06 Jan 2017
• Russia Starts Drawing Down Forces in Syria VOA 06 Jan 2017 -- Russia is beginning a draw-down of its military resources in Syria.
• Russia says begun drawing down forces in Syria amid truce Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- Russia says it has begun to draw down its military forces in Syria under a ceasefire agreement between opposition groups and the government.
• Russian Military Says It Has Begun Drawdown Of Forces In Syria RFE/RL 06 Jan 2017 -- Russia's military has begun a drawdown of its forces in Syria, media reports quoted the chief of Russia's general staff as saying.
• Russia Announces Further Syria Troops Pullout as New Ceasefire Holds Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- Russia is going to continue its military pullout in Syria after completing a range of objectives and in the wake of the renewed ceasefire in the war-torn country, according to the statement of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff.
• Russian Armed Forces Begin Syria Phaseout With Admiral Kuznetsov Carrier Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- Russia has started the reduction of its military group in Syria.
• Russian Naval Aviation Destroys 1,252 Terrorist Targets in Syria Over 2 Months Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- The Russian carrier-based aviation conducted 420 sorties, destroying 1,252 terrorist targets in Syria over two months, commander of the Russian military group in the country Col. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov said on Friday.
• Waterborne diseases threatening children in Damascus: UN Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- The United Nations has warned that water shortage poses a serious threat to children in the Syrian capital of Damascus where 5.5 million residents have been scrambling for clean water for nearly two weeks amid acts of sabotage by foreign-backed militants.
• Some 200 militants lay down weapons, join Syrian army Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- Nearly 200 militants from several villages on the southwestern outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus, have turned themselves in and joined the ranks of the Syrian army.
• Turkey Urges UN To Consider Sanctioning Parties Violating Syrian Truce RFE/RL 06 Jan 2017 -- Turkey's foreign minister said he and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed imposing sanctions on parties that violate the week-old cease-fire in Syria.
• Russia Cuts Military Presence in Syria to Turn Military Success to Political Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- Syria's opposition High Negotiations Committee's (HNC) adviser Yahya Aridi said that the Russian work in Syria has succeeded in achieving the goals set.
• Ten Armed Group Leaders Join Syrian Ceasefire, Total at 104 Groups Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- Another ten armed groups in the province of Hama signed application forms to join the cessation of hostilities in Syria, according to the Russian reconciliation center.
• Triumph in the Sky: Russia Blankets Syria With S-300, S-400 Air Defense Network Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- The Russian task force in Syria has created a unified air defense network using advanced S-300 and S-400 "Triumf" surface-to-air missile systems, which can reliably defend the nation against aerial attacks both on land and at sea, commander of the Russian military group in the country Col. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov said on Friday.
• Syrian refugees in Lebanon face economic hardship and food shortages - joint UN agency study UN News 06 Jan 2017 -- A joint United Nations agency study has revealed that Syrian refugees in Lebanon remain highly vulnerable and that despite living there for years, their economic situation continues to be difficult, leaving more than a third food insecure.
• Car bomb explosion kills 5, injures 13 in northwest Baghdad Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- Security officials in Iraq say at least five civilians have lost their lives when a powerful bomb explosion ripped through a commercial district in the capital Baghdad.
• Iraqi govt. forces make fresh gains in militant-held Mosul Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- Iraqi army soldiers, backed by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units, have made further advances into Mosul as they seek to drive out Daesh Takfiri terrorists from their last urban stronghold in the violence-wracked Arab country.
• Iraq forces regain control of villages in Anbar Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- The Iraqi army has liberated seven villages in Anbar Province close to the border with Syria from Daesh control.
• Iraqi Army Drive on Mosul Creates 330,000 More Displaced Persons - UN Spokesman Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- 330,000 people were displaced by military operations in the Mosul area in Iraq, according to UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
• Libya's Dismemberment Begins? Chad Declares Military Operation in Border Region Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- On Thursday, the government of Chad announced a military operation along its border with Libya amid threats that Islamist militants from the Libyan city of Sirte may attempt to flee into the central African country, Reuters reports.
• UN to probe Myanmar crackdown on Rohingya Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- The United Nations is conducting a probe into a harsh military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar following reports of rapes, killings, and torture against the minority group in the Buddhist-dominated country.
• UN rights expert to assess potential abuses in northern Myanmar UN News 06 Jan 2017 -- An independent United Nations expert will assess the human rights situation in Myanmar starting next week, it was announced, following increasing concerns about civilians in Kachin State and the escalating violence in Rakhine State.
• Abbas warns US over embassy relocation to Jerusalem al-Quds Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has firmly warned US President-elect Donald Trump of the potential consequences of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, describing the likely move as an "aggression" against the independent state of Palestine.
• Turkey confirms PKK behind bomb attack at Izmir courthouse People's Daily 06 Jan 2017 -- Turkish authorities have no doubt that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was behind the bomb attack in Izmir that killed two people, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Friday.

News Reports

• ODNI Statement on Declassified Intelligence Community Assessment of Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections Director of National Intelligence 06 Jan 2017-- On December 9, 2016, President Barack Obama directed the Intelligence Community to conduct a full review and produce a comprehensive intelligence report assessing Russian activities and intentions in recent U.S. elections.
• Trump Decries 'Witch Hunt' In Russian Hacking Furor, Urges Probe Of Leaks RFE/RL 06 Jan 2017 -- President-elect Donald Trump on January 6 called the furor over alleged Russian hacking a "political witch hunt" and requested a congressional investigation into leaks from a classified intelligence report.
• Trump Calls For Investigation Of Media Leaks From Russian Hacking Report RFE/RL 06 Jan 2017 -- President-elect Donald Trump has called for a congressional investigation into an NBC News report featuring details from a classified intelligence report about alleged Russian computer hacking targeting U.S. elections.
• Detailed Intel Report on Russian Alleged Hacking of US Election Released Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- A declassified report of alleged 'Russian hacking' does not make an assessment on the impact of hacking on the election outcome, according to the intelligence community. Voting machines were not tampered with, according to the analysis.
• After Intel Briefing Trump Says Hacking Had No Effect on Outcome of Election Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- President-elect Donald Trump has now been briefed on alleged Russian meddling in the US election and issued a statement reiterating that there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election.
• Trump Meets with US Intelligence Leaders on Russia Hacking VOA 06 Jan 2017 -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has dismissed the idea that Russia hacked into the recent presidential election process, received a full briefing Friday from top U.S. intelligence officials. Trump later released a statement calling the meeting "constructive" and said that he has "tremendous respect for the work and service done by the men and women of this community to our great nation."
• Reports: U.S. Knows Which Russians Provided Hacked E-Mails To WikiLeaks RFE/RL 06 Jan 2017 -- U.S. media are reporting that U.S. intelligence agencies have identified the Russians they say provided hacked e-mails to WikiLeaks in an effort to influence the November presidential election.
• Biden Calls On Trump To 'Grow Up,' Criticizes Spat With Intelligence Community RFE/RL 06 Jan 2017 -- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has told President-elect Donald Trump to "grow up" and criticized his public spat with the intelligence community.
• Biden to Trump: 'Grow up Donald, time to be an adult' Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- Outgoing US Vice President Joe Biden has harshly criticized Donald Trump, saying it is time for the president-elect to "grow up" and act like "an adult."
• Reports: Trump To Nominate Former U.S. Senator As New Intelligence Chief RFE/RL 06 Jan 2017 -- U.S. media are reporting that President-elect Donald Trump intends to nominate former U.S. Senator Dan Coats (Republican-Indiana) to be his director of national intelligence.
• Trump urges all US ambassadors to quit before January 20 Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- US President-elect Donald Trump has called on all US ambassadors to hand in their resignations before he is sworn in on January 20, according to some diplomats.
• Mexico will pay US back for border wall, Trump insists Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- US President-elect Donald Trump says Mexico will "later" repay for the construction of a wall on the US-Mexican border to be built with money from American tax payers.
• Trump Denies Reports Border Wall Will Be Taxpayer-funded VOA 06 Jan 2017 -- President-elect Donald Trump on Friday refuted claims that American taxpayers would be on the hook for a border wall with Mexico.
• Iran deal will not be cancelled under Trump: Senator Corker Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- The head of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has warned that the United States could trigger a crisis if it pulled out of the nuclear deal with Iran.
• Top Republican Senator Believes Trump Will Abide By Iran Nuclear Deal RFE/RL 06 Jan 2017 -- A leading Republican senator says he expects President-elect Donald Trump to enforce the landmark deal with Iran that curtailed its atomic programs in exchange for lifting crippling sanctions.
• Kerry praises nuclear agreement with Iran in his departure memo Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- US Secretary of State John Kerry has hailed the outgoing Obama administration for its efforts to sign the landmark nuclear agreement with Iran.
• U.S. Nuclear Engineer Pleads Guilty to Violating the Atomic Energy Act US Dept. of Justice 06 Jan 2017-- Szuhsiung Ho, aka Allen Ho, 66, a naturalized U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully engage or participate in the production or development of special nuclear material outside the U.S., without the required authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in violation of the Atomic Energy Act.
• Defector: Criticism of Nuclear Program Only Strengthens Kim VOA 06 Jan 2017 -- A high-ranking North Korean defector says clashing with Pyongyang over its nuclear program has strengthened Kim Jong Un's leadership, but continued human rights criticism and increased information from the outside world will over time lead to the downfall of the authoritarian and repressive regime.
• Taiwan President Heading to the Americas to Protect Fragile Foreign Relations VOA 06 Jan 2017 -- Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen will start a trip Saturday to the United States with the possibility of advancing relations with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump after a surprise call last month, and to Central American countries that could someday switch allegiance from Taipei to its powerful rival China.
• Ex-vice president insists on validity of '1992 consensus' CNA 06 Jan 2017 -- The consensus of "one China, different interpretations" reached between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in 1992 cannot be overturned by a political party or individual, former Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said Friday.
• China Launches Next-Gen Telecommunications Satellite Sputnik 06 Jan 2017 -- China has successfully launched a new-generation telecommunications satellite, the country's Defense Ministry has announced.
• Turkey dismisses 6,000 more workers over links to botched putsch Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- Turkey has expelled over 6,000 more police personnel, civil servants and academics as the government widens its crackdown on the opposition following the abortive mid-July 2016 coup.
• Gambia tops agenda of ECOWAS meeting in Ghana Press TV 06 Jan 2017 -- West African leaders are set to gather in Ghana to resolve the political deadlock in the Gambia.
• Utility Bills Arrive 18 Years Late For Surprised Uzbek Households RFE/RL 06 Jan 2017 -- Eighteen years might seem long enough to let bygones be bygones, even for utility bills.