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Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 09 Feb 2017[PDF]
• Counter-ISIL Strikes Continue in Syria, Iraq AFPS 09 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.
• Trump lashes out at McCain for criticizing deadly Yemen raid Press TV 09 Feb 2017 -- President Donald Trump has lashed out at Republican Senator John McCain for criticizing the recent US raid in Yemen in which an American special forces trooper died.
• Trump Targets Senator McCain Over Criticism of Yemeni Raid VOA 09 Feb 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump targeted Republican Senator John McCain on Twitter Thursday, saying McCain's criticism of a U.S. military raid in Yemen in which a Navy Seal was killed only "emboldens the enemy."
• Russia trying to 'publicly legitimize the Taliban': US commander Press TV 09 Feb 2017 -- The commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan has accused Russia of trying to undermine the United States in the country by attempting to "publicly legitimize the Taliban."
• Resolute Support Commander: More Troops Needed to Break Afghan 'Stalemate' AFPS 09 Feb 2017 -- A few thousand more troops for the train, advise and assist mission in Afghanistan would help to break what is now a stalemate with the Taliban, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and other adversaries there, the commander of NATO's Resolute Support mission and of U.S. forces in Afghanistan said here today.
• U.S. Commander Says Fight Against Taliban In Afghanistan Is A Stalemate RFE/RL 09 Feb 2017 -- WASHINGTON -- A top U.S. commander says the war against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan has ground to a stalemate.
• Top US General: Afghanistan War Still a 'Stalemate' VOA 09 Feb 2017 -- The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson told the Armed Services Committee he believes the U.S.-backed Afghan forces are "in a stalemate" in the 15 year-old war. He said to break that stalemate he needs "a few thousand" more soldiers to accompany the 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Report: Trump Called Obama-Era Nuclear Reduction Treaty a Bad Deal on Putin Call Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- Sources inside the White House have revealed that US President Donald Trump paused to ask aides what the New START treaty was, during a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, before telling Putin it was one in a string of bad deals completed by the Obama administration.
• From flightline to frontline: 386 ELRS manages process for moving munitions AFNS 09 Feb 2017 -- Aerial porters can often appear to be flightline fortune tellers. They can gauge the intensity of ongoing war efforts through the amount and types of items that come across their cargo yard, everything from vehicles to missiles. As the battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant continues to heat up, aerial porters work hard to keep supplies moving downrange, especially munitions such as rockets for High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.
• AF releases new guidance on civilian hiring freeze AFNS 09 Feb 2017 -- The Air Force has released additional guidance in regard to the federal civilian hiring freeze implemented Jan. 23.
• On the Move: 517th MCT continues to support rotational units Army News 09 Feb 2017 -- Members of the 517th Movement Control Team, 25th Transportation Battalion, 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command supported port clearance operations for the Green Lake vessel at Pier 8, Busan, Feb. 3-8. They successfully demonstrated their capability of providing transportation support while utilizing commercial ground assets.
• Networked mission command requires 'seamless framework,' say Army leaders Army News 09 Feb 2017 -- The future of networked mission command faces a number of challenges, chief among them being a current reliance on a variety of different networks -- all with their own specialties, systems, and communications methods.
• Air defense community needs large, collective exercise, says brigadier general Army News 09 Feb 2017 -- The Roving Sands air and missile defense exercise, last held 28 years ago, served as a platform for doctrine development, a demonstration of technology, and ultimately as a validation of the expertise of the units who participated.
• Navy to Christen Littoral Combat Ship Tulsa DoD 09 Feb 2017 -- The Navy will christen its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship, USS Tulsa (LCS 16), during a 10 a.m. CST ceremony Saturday, Feb. 11 in Mobile, Alabama.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis' Call with Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa DoD 09 Feb 2017
• Off-road, expeditionary all-terrain vehicles on their way to infantry Marines USMC News 09 Feb 2017 -- Infantry Marines will soon receive ultralight off-road vehicles that will improve mission readiness by providing rapid logistics support in the field.
• Navy Experimental Diving Unit Sailors Test New Equipment at 500 Feet NNS 09 Feb 2017 -- Six Sailors assigned to the Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) at Naval Support Activity Panama City (NSAPC) "resurfaced" Feb. 2 after completing an 11-day simulated dive in the Ocean Simulation Facility (OSF) by being compressed to the equivalent of a depth of 500 feet.
• Exercise Cutlass Express 2017 Comes to an End NNS 09 Feb 2017 -- Maritime forces from eastern Africa, west Indian Ocean nations, Europe, and the United States, as well as several international organizations concluded the sixth iteration of the annual multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express, Feb. 8, in concurrent closing ceremonies in Le Chaland, Mauritius and Djibouti, Djibouti.
• Navy's Red Hill Tanks Pass Tightness Testing, Show No Leaking NNS 09 Feb 2017 -- The Navy announced Feb. 7 it completed routine tank tightness testing for the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.
• Carderock's Anechoic Flow Facility Experiences Unprecedented Turbulence NNS 09 Feb 2017 -- Years of work by engineers at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division's Anechoic Flow Facility (AFF) to revitalize the facility are paying off today, with unprecedented research now underway thanks to new gear.
• US Marine Corps Eager to Accelerate Growth of F-35 Fleet Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- A top aviation official wants the US government to buy 37 F-35Bs annually, an uptick from 20 aircraft per year.
• Japan Court Rejects Lawsuit Demanding Flight Restrictions at US Kadena Airbase Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- An Okinawa court has rejected a lawsuit filed by over 100 Japanese residents demanding restrictions for US air force flights at the Kadena Air Base, media reported Thursday.
• Southcom Chief Stresses Innovation, Cooperation in Countering Threats AFPS 09 Feb 2017 -- Fighting transregional and transnational threats requires building networks stronger than those that are keeping those threats in business, the commander of U.S. Southern Command told members of the American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America and the Caribbean at a luncheon in Miami yesterday.
• Joint press point with NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller and the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Volodymyr Groysman NATO 09 Feb 2017
• Moldovan PM, President Disagree On NATO Office In Chisinau RFE/RL 09 Feb 2017 -- Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip has urged the Foreign Ministry to accelerate the opening of a NATO liaison office in Chisinau after President Igor Dodon had earlier called on alliance officials not to rush in establishing the office.
• Lithuania to Start Receiving US Rotation Forces Equipment on Friday - MoD Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- Several US rotation forces' units are set to arrive on Friday in Lithuania, the country's Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.
• Russian Official Calls Romania 'A Clear Threat' And NATO Outpost RFE/RL 09 Feb 2017 -- A Russian Foreign Ministry official says Moscow views Romania as a NATO outpost and a "clear threat" because it hosts part of a U.S. missile shield in Europe.
• NATO's Deployment in Baltics Threatens Russia - Deputy Foreign Minister Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) military deployment in the Baltics poses a threat to Russia and does not suggest that the buildup will end there, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik.
• Russian MoD Confirms Tu-160 Strategic Bombers' Patrols Over Neutral Waters Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers conducted on Thursday patrol flights over neutral waters in the Northern hemisphere without violating international rules, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
• Russian Aerospace Forces Snap Air Defense at Moscow Area of Engagement Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- Russian Aerospace Forces tested air defense systems in the Moscow area of engagement as part of three-day nationwide snap checks, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
• Fresh Talk In Balkans Of Reinstating Military Draft RFE/RL 09 Feb 2017 -- Croatia is reportedly planning to bring back a "light" form of the military draft in 2019.
• Norway 'Cannibalizes' Own Frigates, Gnaws at Navy's Backbone Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- While Norway prepares itself for a thorough defense update, its armed forces have been lumbered by snowballing problems with materials. Of late, serious deficiencies have been uncovered in Norwegian frigates, which significantly reduces their operation abilities and leads to "cannibalization."
• Philippines Interested in Buying Russia's Weapons Amid Tensions With US Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- The Philippines is showing interest to purchasing Russian arms, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik.
• Washington, Seoul Believe Pyongyang May Have 60 Nuke Warheads, Secret Facilities Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- South Korean and US intelligence agencies are reporting that North Korea has the ability to build up to 60 nuclear warheads, as the country has been secretly producing highly-enriched uranium (HEU) at higher levels than previously thought.
• India's Anti-Ship Missile Maiden Hits Target in Arabian Sea Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- India is currently carrying out its biggest inter-service exercise to test its combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Indian Navy, and the assets of the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard.
• Pakistan: India's Alleged 'Secret Nuclear City' Threatens Regional Peace VOA 09 Feb 2017 -- Pakistan is warning rival India's rapid expansion of its nuclear weaponry and construction of a "secret nuclear city" to produce a thermonuclear arsenal pose a direct threat to Islamabad and the region at large.
• India, Indonesia to Hold Joint Air Combat Drills Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- India and Indonesia will also hold their first ever joint air combat exercises. Joint air exercises are very important as Indonesia had evinced interest in India's light combat aircraft Tejas.
• Rouhani: Iran military development for defense purposes IRNA 09 Feb 2017 -- President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday Iran has shown that it has no intention to interfere in other countries' internal affairs and its military development is solely for defense purposes.
• Defense minister: US claims on Iran missile test 'fabricated' IRNA 09 Feb 2017 -- Minister of Defense Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said on Thursday that US recent claims on Iran's new missile test are fake and 'fabricated to make enemies, wage psychological war and promote Iranophobia.'
• Britain and Italy stand together to tackle security threats UK MOD 09 Feb 2017 -- The Defence Secretary has underlined Britain and Italy's close defence partnership on NATO and EU operations during talks in Rome.
• Background Press Call on Prime Minister Abe's Visit to the White House The White House 09 Feb 2017
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sean Spicer, 2/9/2017, #11 The White House 09 Feb 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 09, 2017

Other Conflicts

• UN calls for 50 per cent increase in funding for mine action in 2017 UN News 09 Feb 2017 -- The United Nations has launched a $511 million international appeal for humanitarian mine action in conflict and post-conflict settings for 2017, a 50 per cent increase from last year's $347 million consolidated appeal.
• Ambassador: Russia will avoid interfering in South China Sea disputes People's Daily 09 Feb 2017 -- Russia will not interfere in disputes surrounding the South China Sea, and it warns other countries against doing so as well, Russian ambassador to China Andrey Denisov said.
• Dozens killed in Saudi push to take Yemeni port Press TV 09 Feb 2017 -- Nearly three dozen people have been killed after Houthi fighters and militias loyal to resigned president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi clashed for the control of a strategic coastal city in Ta'izz province.
• Saudi Frigate Attacked by Houthis Returns to Base Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- A Royal Saudi warship struck by Houthi bombers safely returned to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a coastal city approximately 40 miles west of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
• Syrian army forces recapture villages on southern edge of al-Bab Press TV 09 Feb 2017 -- Syrian army forces have managed to establish control over several villages in the strategic northern province of Aleppo following intense clashes with Takfiri Daesh militants.
• Putin condoles with Erdogan after mistaken airstrikes kill 3 Turkish troops Press TV 09 Feb 2017 -- Moscow has "expressed condolences" to Ankara over the accidental death of three Turkish soldiers in Russian counter-terrorism air raids in Syria.
• Kremlin Confirms Accidental Russian Airstrike Kills Turkish Soldiers in Syria Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Sputnik that Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over an accidental Russian airstrike that had killed Turkish soldiers in Syria.
• Putin, Erdogan Agree to Expand Russia-Turkey Military Coordination in Syria Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed in a phone call on Thursday the situation in Syria and steps aimed at expanding joint efforts in the fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups in the war-torn country, the Kremlin press service said.
• Russian MoD Denies Reports of Alleged Strikes in Syria by Tochka-U Systems Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- The Russian Defense Ministry denied reports of alleged strikes in Syria carried out by Russia's Tochka-U ballistic missile systems.
• Kremlin Comments on Alleged Russian Supply of Tochka Ballistic Missiles to Syria Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- Kremlin has no information on US media reports of alleged Russia's supplies of Tochka tactical ballistic missiles (NATO reporting name SS-21 Scarab) to Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.
• Under Siege in al-Bab, IS Faces Retreat to Raqqa VOA 09 Feb 2017 -- As Islamic State fighters make a last stand against Turkish-backed troops in a key strategic city in northern Syria, IS appears to have few options as to where it can retreat.
• Israeli authorities approve over 1,000 settler units in West Bank Press TV 09 Feb 2017 -- The Tel Aviv regime has green-lighted the construction of over 1,000 new settler units in the occupied West Bank, a few days after the Israeli parliament passed legislation legalizing settler outposts built on private Palestinian land.
• Fighting reaches 'worrying proportions' in South Sudan's north-east - UN mission UN News 09 Feb 2017 -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) today voiced concern about an escalation in the fighting between Government and opposition forces in the west bank of the River Nile in the African country's north.
• Central African Republic: Senior UN official condemns armed, forceful entry into hospital UN News 09 Feb 2017 -- Denouncing forceful entry by armed individuals into a hospital in the Central African Republic's restive PK5 neighbourhood with the intention to kill some of the patients, a senior United Nations humanitarian official has emphasized that such incidents are in violation of the international humanitarian law.

News Reports

• US Appeals Court Refuses to Reinstate Trump Travel Ban VOA 09 Feb 2017 -- A federal appeals court Thursday refused to reinstate President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations.
• US appeals court maintains suspension of Trump's Muslim ban Press TV 09 Feb 2017 -- A US federal appeals court has rejected a request from the Justice Department to restore President Donald Trump's executive order banning citizens of seven Muslim countries from entering the United States, setting up a potential showdown in the Supreme Court.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, February 9, 2017 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 09 Feb 2017
• Top U.S. Senator Suggests Empowering Trump Officials Who Are Tough On Russia RFE/RL 09 Feb 2017 -- A top U.S. senator has suggested lawmakers should empower officials in Donald Trump's administration whose views on Russia diverge sharply from those voiced by the president.
• Some Republican Senators Want Trump to Take Tough Stance on Russia VOA 09 Feb 2017 -- Nine Republican senators have signed a letter calling on President Donald Trump to take a tough stance when dealing with Russia, though they did encourage the president to "seek common ground."
• CIA Chief's Ankara Visit Sparks Hope of Reset in Bilateral Relations VOA 09 Feb 2017 -- Ankara rolled out the red carpet Thursday for U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, who met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.
• Fears Of Deportation For North Korean Defector Living In Russia RFE/RL 09 Feb 2017 -- Choe Myong Bok has lived in Russia since 1999, has carved out a living working odd jobs, and resides in St. Petersburg with his partner and their two young children.
• Russia: Iran nuclear deal contributing to int'l security IRNA 09 Feb 2017 -- Russia in a statement on Thursday, released following the meeting between Sergey Ryabkov and Abbas Araqchi, announced that both Tehran and Moscow remain to believe that Iran's nuclear deal contributes to regional and global security.
• Trump cautioned against designating Iran's IRGC as terrorist organization Press TV 09 Feb 2017 -- The US State and Defense Departments have cautioned President Donald Trump against designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, a report says.
• Moscow Disagrees With Trump Over Iranian Nuclear Deal Sputnik 09 Feb 2017 -- Moscow does not agree with US President Donald Trump that the deal with Iran on its nuclear program was bad, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday.
• U.S. secretary of state reaffirms Six Assurances to Taiwan CNA 09 Feb 2017 -- New U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has recently reaffirmed the Six Assurances regarding U.S. policy toward Taiwan in response to questions from U.S. Senator Ben Cardin before he won confirmation as secretary of state from the Senate on Feb. 1.
• Macedonia Blasts U.S. Congressman's Claim It's 'Not A Country,' Should Be Divided RFE/RL 09 Feb 2017 -- Macedonia has angrily rejected a U.S. lawmaker's assertion that it "is not a country" and should be divided among Kosovo, Bulgaria, and possibly other neighbors.
• UN and international partners express support for working with new Somali president UN News 09 Feb 2017 -- The United Nations and its international partners in Somalia today said that they were eager to partner with President Mohamed Abdullahi 'Farmajo', his new Government and the people of Somalia to avert another famine in the country and to assist with improving security for all Somalis.
• Rights Groups Fear Egypt's Sissi Will Intensify Crackdown on Dissent VOA 09 Feb 2017 -- Egyptian officials are buoyed by media reports that U.S. President Donald Trump is considering designating as a terrorist organization the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist movement Egypt's general-turned-president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has been urging Washington to proscribe for the past three years.
• Fistfights, Obscenities Mar South Africa President's Annual Address VOA 09 Feb 2017 -- South African analysts predicted high drama during this year's state-of-the-nation address. President Jacob Zuma is facing low approval ratings as the nation's economy drags, and his popularity appears to have bottomed out.