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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 07 Feb 2017[PDF]
• U.S., Coalition Continue Strikes Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq AFPS 07 Feb 2017 -- 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.
• ISIL Fighters Trapped in Western Mosul, Pentagon Spokesman Says AFPS 07 Feb 2017 -- As Iraqi security forces continue the push to liberate Mosul, terrorists with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant find themselves trapped in the city's west, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
• Afghanistan: UN condemns deadly suicide attack in Kabul near Supreme Court UN News 07 Feb 2017 -- The United Nations condemned today's suicide attack outside the Supreme Court complex in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and stressed that those behind the deadly bombing must be held to account.
• Readout of Secretary Mattis' Call with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani DoD 07 Feb 2017
• Explosion kills at least 20 in Afghan capital near Supreme Court Press TV 07 Feb 2017 -- At least 20 people have been killed in a terrorist attack when a person detonated an explosive-laden vest outside the Supreme Court building in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, officials say.
• At Least 20 Killed In Kabul Suicide Bombing RFE/RL 07 Feb 2017 -- At least 20 people, including women and children, have been killed in a suicide attack outside Afghanistan's Supreme Court building in Kabul, the Health Ministry says.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Goldfein Describes Challenges Facing the Air Force AFPS 07 Feb 2017 -- The Air Force chief of staff spoke about the challenges facing his service and what the Air Force must do in the future for the joint force, during a meeting with the Defense Writers' Group today.
• Budget Controls Must Be Lifted To Boost Readiness, Vice Chiefs Say AFPS 07 Feb 2017 -- Military readiness will suffer if the budget constraints imposed by the Budget Control Act of 2011 are not repealed and are allowed to again take effect in fiscal year 2018, the military's vice chiefs of staff told members of the House Armed Services Committee today.
• Readout of Secretary Mattis' Call with Mexico Secretary of National Defense General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda and Secretary of the Navy Admiral Vidal Soberón Sanz DoD 07 Feb 2017
• ISR, cyber coordinate capabilities for maximum effect at Red Flag AFNS 07 Feb 2017 -- Created in 1975, Red Flag was established by Gen. Robert J. Dixon, then commander of Tactical Air Command, to more realistically train forces for combat.
• USNS Yuma Completes Acceptance Trials NNS 07 Feb 2017 -- Future expeditionary fast transport USNS Yuma (EPF 8) successfully completed acceptance trials Jan. 26 after two days of underway evaluation in the Gulf of Mexico.
• USS Porter Arrives in Constanta, Romania NNS 07 Feb 2017 -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) arrived in Constanta, Romania, for a scheduled port visit, Feb. 3.
• Exercise Cutlass Express 2017 NNS 07 Feb 2017 -- Located on the horn of east Africa, Djibouti is one of two countries serving as exercise locations for the annual naval training exercise Cutlass Express 2017, which kicked off Jan. 31.
• Trump Calls on NATO Members to Pay Up Amid Fragmented European Defense Sector Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- Despite describing NATO as "obsolete" ahead of the US presidential election, Donald Trump has said in a speech to troops at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa that he is not anti-NATO, but simply wants all members to pay up, which is a complex issue because of Europe's fragmented defense industry.
• Joint press point with NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller and the President of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Dodon NATO 07 Feb 2017
• Japan's new missile defense system couldn't intercept Chinese missiles in real battle: experts People's Daily 07 Feb 2017 -- The U.S. and Japan successfully conducted a missile interception test off the Hawaiian islands on Feb. 4. The USS John Paul Jones destroyed the target ballistic missile using its Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA interceptor, reports stated. But an expert pointed out that Japan's new weapon is unable to threaten China.
• Seoul Mulls Possibility to Take China to WTO Over THAAD Retaliation Measures Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- Seoul considers a possibility to send a case of Chinese unfair retaliation measures regarding South Korean businesses to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for arbitration, Yonhap reported Tuesday, citing an official.
• Taiwan to build 66 advanced trainer planes by 2026 CNA 07 Feb 2017 -- Taiwan's Air Force signed an agreement Tuesday to commission a domestic military-run institute to build 66 advanced trainer planes, signaling a step forward in the government's efforts to develop the local defense industry.
• UK High Court to review arms deals with Saudi Arabia Press TV 07 Feb 2017 -- The UK High Court is set to review the country's weapons deals with Saudi Arabia, after activists accused the government of British Prime Minister Theresa May of complicity in Riyadh's war crimes against Yemen.
• Ivory Coast soldiers mutiny again over bonuses, grievances Press TV 07 Feb 2017 -- Soldiers in Ivory Coast have mutinied in a town in the southeast of the country, renewing an attempt to secure promised bonuses and make other grievances heard.
• Norway Arms Itself to Deflect Difficult-to-Detect Russian Subs Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- Of late, Norway seems to have caught the common Russophobia bacillus from its neighbor Sweden. First came "Russian hackers" who allegedly are prying into Norwegian state secrets. Then "invisible" Russian submarines that lurk in Arctic waters arrived.
• Russia stresses stronger security cooperation with Afghanistan Press TV 07 Feb 2017 -- The Russian foreign minister has underlined Moscow's determination to bolster security and economic cooperation with its "long-time partner" Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan Favors Deeper Cooperation With Russia on Security Issues Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- Afghanistan's top diplomat said Kabul sought deeper security cooperation with Moscow.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sean Spicer, 2/7/2017, #9 The White House 07 Feb 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 07, 2017
• Russia to Start Churning Out Armata Tanks in 2018 Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- Russia will start the mass production of the advanced T-14 Armata battle tanks in 2018.
• HAL-BAE Manufactured Combat Hawk Finds No Takers in India Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and BAE are aiming to woo the attention of countries which are potential targets of the Pakistan-China developed JF-17 Thunder.

Other Conflicts

• 7 February 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 Feb 2017
• Ideals and values that inspired creation of International Criminal Court still hold true - UN adviser UN News 07 Feb 2017 -- The setting up of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was a "reckoning" for those who had long disregarded the lives and dignity of their people, the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide has said and warned that withdrawing from the tribunal could have grave implications for victims seeking redress for serious human rights violations.
• Commentary: Meddling in Diaoyu Islands issue doomed to be bad deal for Washington People's Daily 07 Feb 2017 -- Three days after U.S. defense chief James Mattis' remarks on the Diaoyu Islands in Tokyo, China conducted a new round of regular patrol in the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands on Monday, showing the world its firm will and determination to safeguard its national sovereignty.
• Turkish Forces Kill 21 Daesh Terrorists in Northern Syria in 24 Hours Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- The Turkish army announced that it had killed 21 Daesh terrorists in Syria over the course of 24 hours.
• Russia, Turkey, Iran and UN hash out details of monitoring regime for Syria ceasefire UN News 07 Feb 2017 -- The delegations of Russia, Turkey and Iran as well as United Nations representatives held their first meeting yesterday to discuss the establishment of a ceasefire implementation regime in Syria that was decided at the 23-24 January talks held in the Kazakh capital of Astana, a UN spokesperson in Geneva said today.
• Russia rejects accusations of airstrikes on Syria's Idlib Press TV 07 Feb 2017 -- Russia has refuted reports about its alleged role in air raids on Syrian city of Idlib, saying its jets have not targeted the militant-held northwestern city since the start of 2017.
• In Syria, The Rebels Turn On Each Other RFE/RL 07 Feb 2017 -- 2017, it seems, will be no less chaotic than its predecessor -- an aphorism made plain by a mere glance at the state of international politics extending from Paris to Washington. But nowhere is this trend clearer than in that most tumultuous of countries, Syria. The end of 2016 saw the fall of the city of Aleppo, the primary stronghold of the rebels battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Now, it appears, the rebels are beginning to turn on one another.
• Amnesty: Thousands Killed In Mass Hangings At Syrian Military Jail RFE/RL 07 Feb 2017 -- The Syrian government has executed as many as 13,000 people, many of them civilian opposition supporters, in mass hangings at a military jail near Damascus, Amnesty International says.
• Russian Tu-22M3 Bombers Demoralize and Strike Fear Into Daesh in Deir ez-Zor Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- The Syrian troops in Daesh-besieged Deir ez-Zor have significantly improved their positions thanks to Russian airstrikes, the Russian General Staff said.
• 'Deliberate Lie': Russian MoD Denies Reports of Airstrikes on Syria's Idlib Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- The Russian Defense Ministry denied Tuesday media reports alleging that the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out an airstrike on the Syrian city of Idlib.
• Defense Officials 'Deeply Concerned' About Violence in Eastern Ukraine AFPS 07 Feb 2017 -- Defense officials are concerned about the recent violence in eastern Ukraine, a Defense Department spokesman said today.
• Merkel 'appeals to' Putin regarding peace in eastern Ukraine Press TV 07 Feb 2017 -- Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Russia's President Vladimir Putin to use his "influence" on pro-Russians in eastern Ukraine to help establish peace in the war-ravaged region.
• Ukraine Increasing Military Presence in Donbass, Sends Nationalists There Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- Kiev is stepping up its military presence along the contact line in Donbass and has sent nationalist militants there, the Russian Investigative Committee said.
• Thousands of children out of school as classrooms shelled in eastern Ukraine - UNICEF UN News 07 Feb 2017 -- With thousands of children forced out of school in eastern Ukraine due to last week's surge in fighting, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have strongly condemned the indiscriminate shelling of schools, and called for all sides to immediately recommit to the ceasefire signed in Minsk in August 2015.
• Myanmar Wants 'Firm Evidence' of Abuses Against Rohingya VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- The government of Myanmar says it needs "firm evidence" rather than allegations before it investigates U.N. reports of abuses against the Rohingya community by its security forces.
• Rohingya, Rights Groups Resist Bangladesh Refugee Relocation Plan VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- Since the Bangladesh government announced it has begun a process to relocate the country's Rohingya refugees to a remote island in Bay of Bengal, a new tension has gripped refugee Mohammad Eliyas.
• Israeli legislation on settlements violates international law, says UN chief Guterres UN News 07 Feb 2017 -- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today deeply regretted the adoption by Israel's legislative body, the Knesset, of the so called "Regularisation bill," saying the measure contravenes international law and will have "far-reaching legal consequences" for the country.
• Palestinians Seek International Action after Israel Legalizes Settlements VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- The Palestinian Authority is calling for the international community to punish Israel for a new law that legalizes thousands of Jewish homes built on Palestinian-owned land in the West Bank.
• Land urgently needed to avert 'drastic deterioration' in Burundian refugee camps in neighbouring countries UN News 07 Feb 2017 -- Stalled peace talks in Burundi are forcing hundreds to flee every day seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, the United Nations refugee agency warned today, appealing for more support, particularly land to shelter for new arrivals and to ensure protection of children and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence.
• Conditions Deteriorating in Overcrowded Burundi Refugee Camps VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- The U.N. refugee agency warns conditions in camps for Burundian refugees in countries of asylum are deteriorating and more land is urgently needed to accommodate the growing number of new refugee arrivals.
• President: South Sudan National Dialogue Begins in March VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- South Sudan President Salva Kiir says the national dialogue he proposed in December will get underway in early March.

News Reports

• Adapting to increased military pressure, ISIL shifts to 'dark web,' UN Security Council told UN News 07 Feb 2017 -- The terrorist group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh), is on the defensive militarily in several regions, but is also adapting to military pressure by resorting to covert communications such as the 'dark web,' the top United Nations political affairs official warned today.
• UN Report: Military Pressure on IS has Group on 'Defensive' VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- The United Nations says the so-called Islamic State terror group has not been able to withstand sustained military pressure in several conflict zones at once and is on the defensive.
• 'You Think Our Country's So Innocent?' Trump's 'Truth Bomb' Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- "Putin's a killer." This was the claim made by Fox News "journalist" Bill O'Reilly during his recent interview with Donald Trump. Trump's reply came in the form of a simple question. "What, you think our country's so innocent?"
• Homeland Security Chief Says He Should Have Delayed Trump Travel Ban VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told lawmakers Tuesday that he should have delayed implementation of President Donald Trump's executive order to suspend the country's refugee admissions program and temporarily ban travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.
• Taiwan bid to join U.S. fast entry program not affected by travel ban CNA 07 Feb 2017 -- Taiwan's plan to join the United States Global Entry program, which would allow Taiwanese travelers easier entry into the U.S., will not be affected by U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration ban, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.
• US: Iran 'Kidding Itself' If It Doesn't Realize Trump Has New Approach VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- The White House has dismissed a defiant message from Iran's supreme leader about Donald Trump, saying Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should realize "there is a new president in office."
• Trump exposes reality of US: Ayatollah Khamenei IRNA 07 Feb 2017 -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday said that the US new President Donald Trump has exposed the reality of that country to the world.
• Iran's Supreme Leader Says Trump 'Reveals America's Real Face' RFE/RL 07 Feb 2017 -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said he is grateful to U.S. President Donald Trump for showing "the real face of America."
• President: JCPOA can become role model for similar negotiations IRNA 07 Feb 2017 -- President Hassan Rouhani said that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action reached between Iran and G5+1 can become a role model for similar negotiations in the world and lead to establishment of security and stability in the region.
• Govt. spokesman: Iran's blocked assets released IRNA 07 Feb 2017 -- Government spokesman, Mohammad-Baqer Nobakht, said on Tuesday that Iran's blocked assets are released.
• AEOI chief: Good nuclear news to come on April 9 IRNA 07 Feb 2017 -- Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi on Monday said that good nuclear news will be announced on the National Nuclear Day (April 9).
• Russia receives first prepayment for Bushehr 2nuclear plant ISNA 07 Feb 2017 -- Moscow received first prepayment for construction of Bushehr 2 nuclear power plant, Russian ambassador to Iran announced.
• Iran receives last consignment of yellowcake from Russia Press TV 07 Feb 2017 -- Iran has received the final consignment of a 149-tonne shipment of uranium from Russia as part of its 2015 nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group of countries, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says.
• China Seen as Key to Financial Sanctions on North Korea VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- China's willingness to implement existing sanctions is vital to financial pressure on the development of nuclear arms by North Korea, a former senior U.S. official said Tuesday.
• North Korea Plans to Continue Satellite Launches Despite UN Objections Sputnik 07 Feb 2017 -- North Korea intends to continue launching satellites, despite UN Security Council sanctions and resolutions.
• China to test near-space flight of solar drone People's Daily 07 Feb 2017 -- China will test how its largest solar drone performs near-space flight this year, according to the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA) Tuesday.
• Wife Says Gravely Ill Putin Critic Was Poisoned VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- The wife of Russian journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent opposition activist and Kremlin critic, says "acute poisoning" has left her husband gravely ill in a Moscow hospital.
• Scottish lawmakers to vote on rejecting 'catastrophic' Brexit plan Press TV 07 Feb 2017 -- Scotland is underscoring its displeasure with the British government's march towards Brexit with lawmakers in Edinburgh voting to reject the "catastrophic" mechanism of leaving the European Union.
• Mortar Rounds Shake Mogadishu Ahead of Somali Presidential Vote VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- Five mortar rounds exploded near Mogadishu airport in the capital of Somalia Tuesday evening, ahead of a parliament meeting on Wednesday to elect the country's next president.
• Security Tightened in Mogadishu Before Wednesday Election VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- Security has been tightened in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, before Wednesday's presidential election. The run-up to the vote has been tumultuous with repeated delays and allegations of corruption.
• Somalia steps up security in Mogadishu ahead of election Press TV 07 Feb 2017 -- Somali authorities have begun a lockdown of Mogadishu in order to step up security across the capital ahead of a planned presidential election.
• Businessman Jovenel Moise Sworn In as Haiti's President VOA 07 Feb 2017 -- Jovenel Moïse was sworn in as the president of Haiti Tuesday morning, following an extended and complicated two-year election cycle.
• Romanian President Blasts Government Over Crisis RFE/RL 07 Feb 2017 -- Romania's President Klaus Iohannis says the Social Democrat-led government has caused a "fully fledged" political crisis by pushing with a decree that would have weakened the country's anticorruption drive and triggered the largest mass protests since the collapse of communism.