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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq AFPS 18 Feb 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Coalition Forces Strike Five-Story Facility in Mosul AFPS 18 Feb 2017 -- With the approval of the government of Iraq, Coalition forces struck an ISIS command and control headquarters and propaganda facility yesterday in western Mosul, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported.
• Pakistan closes second major border crossing with Afghanistan Press TV 18 Feb 2017 -- Pakistan has shut down a second major border crossing into Afghanistan, two days after a huge explosion killed scores of people in the southern province of Sindh.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Red Tail legacy comes full circle AFNS 18 Feb 2017 -- Airmen assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing take great pride in the heritage created for them by the Tuskegee Airmen.
• Readout of Secretary Mattis' Meeting with Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani DoD 18 Feb 2017
• Readout of Secretary Mattis' Meeting With Singaporean Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen DoD 18 Feb 2017
• Carrier Strike Group 1 Conducts South China Sea Patrol NNS 18 Feb 2017 -- Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, including Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 1's Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), and aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, began routine operations in the South China Sea, Feb. 18.
• Speech by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Munich Security Conference NATO 18 Feb 2017e
• Pence Outlines 'Unwavering' U.S. Commitment to NATO AFPS 18 Feb 2017 -- The United States strongly supports NATO and will be "unwavering in its commitment to the transatlantic alliance," Vice President Mike Pence said at the Munich Security Conference today.
• US will continue to hold Russia accountable: Trump's VP Press TV 18 Feb 2017 -- The US will continue to hold Russia accountable for its actions, says Vice President Mike Pence, even though President Donald Trump is looking for better ties with Moscow.
• Pence Tells Europe U.S. Remains Its 'Greatest Ally,' Urges More Defense Spending RFE/RL 18 Feb 2017 -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has told European leaders that the United States "is now and will always be your greatest ally," seeking to assuage concerns about Washington's commitment to transatlantic ties under President Donald Trump.
• Merkel Says NATO, West Must Protect Principle Of Territorial Integrity RFE/RL 18 Feb 2017 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that Western states must protect the principle of territorial integrity and NATO needs to strengthen its eastern flank following Russia's interference in Ukraine.
• Pence Says US Will Hold Russia Accountable; Moscow Calls for 'Post-West' Order VOA 18 Feb 2017 -- In his first major foreign policy speech, U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence has said that America will be 'unwavering' in its support for the NATO alliance, but warned European allies that they must step up defense spending.
• At Munich Security Conference, UN chief Guterres highlights need for 'a surge in diplomacy for peace' UN News 18 Feb 2017 -- Highlighting the complex and interlinked challenges confronting the global community that also compound the suffering of the most vulnerable, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for a boost in preventive diplomacy and mediation efforts, as well as for a strategy to address root causes of such conflicts in the world.
• NATO Officials Say Russian 'Fake News' Seeks to Undermine Alliance VOA 18 Feb 2017 -- Emails accusing German soldiers stationed in Lithuania of rape were sent this week to local news outlets, the latest incident in what NATO officials say is a Russian "fake news" campaign aimed at eroding public support for the military alliance.
• NATO Expansion Resulted in Unprecedented Level of Tension in Europe - Lavrov Sputnik 18 Feb 2017 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov thinks that the NATO expansion has resulted in an unprecedented level of tensions across the European continent.
• Lavrov Says Russia Wants Military Cooperation With NATO, 'Pragmatic' U.S. Ties RFE/RL 18 Feb 2017 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the "post-Cold War order" has come to an end but that Cold War thinking persists among some leaders in the West.
• Finland Plans to Replace Soviet–Made Artillery with South Korean Howitzers Sputnik 18 Feb 2017 -- Finland's Ministry of Defense confirmed Friday that the country will purchase K9 Thunder 155 mm self-propelled howitzers from South Korea. Jussi Niinistö, Finnish defence minister, approved the purchase of 48 K9s that formerly belonged to Seoul's army, at a cost of $155 million.
• Some 5,000 Iraqis Finish Coalition Training to Join Mosul Operation - CENTCOM Sputnik 18 Feb 2017 -- About 5,000 Iraqis have finished months-long training to join the campaign to liberate Mosul and fight against the Daesh terror group (outlawed in Russia), US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a release on Friday.
• Iran Announces New Military Drills Despite U.S. Warnings RFE/RL 18 Feb 2017 -- Iran says its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) will conduct massive military drills next week in eastern and northeastern parts of the country.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Yemeni snipers kill 2 Saudi troopers in retaliatory attacks Press TV 18 Feb 2017 -- Yemeni army soldiers, backed by fighters from allied Popular Committees, have shot dead a Saudi trooper in the kingdom's southwestern border regions of Jizan and Asir in response to Riyadh's aerial bombardment campaign against their country.
• Russia fighter jets pound Daesh positions in Syria's Raqqah Press TV 18 Feb 2017 -- Russia says its warplanes have successfully hit positions held by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in Syria's northern province of Raqqah, the stronghold of the militant outfit in the war-torn Arab country.
• Syrian Army Drives Daesh From Strategic Areas Near Airbase in Aleppo Province Sputnik 18 Feb 2017 -- The Syrian army has liberated eight settlements located near the Kweires airbase in northern Syria, which have been previously occupied by Daesh terrorists, local media reported Saturday.
• ICRC Concerned About Refugee Push-Backs on Syrian Border With Jordan - President Sputnik 18 Feb 2017 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is concerned about the disrespect of non-refoulement principle toward Syrian refugees on the border with Jordan, ICRC President Peter Maurer told Sputnik on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference.
• Iraq: UN aid agencies preparing for 'all scenarios' as western Mosul military operations set to begin UN News 18 Feb 2017 -- With military operations to retake western Mosul starting, United Nations humanitarian agencies in Iraq are rushing to prepare for the humanitarian impact of the fighting amid grave concerns that tens of thousands of families are at extreme risks.
• Turkey arrests 26 following car bomb blamed on PKK militants Press TV 18 Feb 2017 -- Turkish security forces have arrested at least 26 people in connection with the recent car bomb attack in the country's Kurdish-majority province of Sanliurfa, which claimed the lives of two civilians and left more than a dozen others injured.
• Top US General Hears Turkey's Complaints About Kurdish Fighters VOA 18 Feb 2017 -- The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, met his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar Friday at NATO's Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey. Talks between the NATO allies reportedly focused on Washington's support for Syrian Kurdish militias in the fight against the Islamic State group.
• NATO Warned Of Increasing Security Threats To Kosovo From Serbia RFE/RL 18 Feb 2017 -- NATO members Croatia and Albania are warning that Serbia poses an increasing threat to Kosovo's security as well as stability across the wider Balkans.
• UN: Malnourishment Threatening Hundreds of Thousands of Somali Children VOA 18 Feb 2017 -- The U.N. is warning that hundreds of thousands of Somali children will be malnourished this year, including 185,000 who will be in need of urgent lifesaving support. To avert a major humanitarian disaster, the U.N. is calling for "scaled up" humanitarian assistance for the country.

News Reports

• US-based blind Egyptian cleric, accused terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman dies in NC prison Press TV 18 Feb 2017 -- Blind Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman accused of "plotting" large-scale bombing of major landmarks across New York City and delivering "radical sermons" and sentenced to life imprisonment has died in a US federal prison in North Carolina.
• Terrorist Nicknamed 'Blind Sheik' Dies in US Prison VOA 18 Feb 2017 -- U.S. prison authorities say an Egyptian cleric convicted of participating in a plan to blow up landmarks in New York City has died in prison.
• Militants, Afghanistan Question Pakistan's Anti-terror Crackdown Claims VOA 18 Feb 2017 -- A splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban is accusing security forces in Pakistan of killing its detained members in "fake encounters," and has denied as false army attacks on the group's "imaginary" camps.
• Xi calls for overall national security outlook People's Daily 18 Feb 2017 -- President Xi Jinping on Friday called for an overall national security outlook at a seminar in Beijing, emphasizing the importance of political, economic, territorial, social and cyber security.
• China, U.S. agree to work for greater development of relations People's Daily 18 Feb 2017 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his U.S. counterpart Rex Tillerson agreed here Friday that the two countries should work together for greater development of bilateral relations during the term of U.S. President Donald Trump.
• DPRK citizen arrested in connection with Kim Jong Nam's death People's Daily 18 Feb 2017 -- Malaysian police said on Saturday they have detained a Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) citizen suspected to be involved in the death of a DPRK man identified by Malaysian authorities as Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un.
• DPRK to reject Malaysia's autopsy report on citizen's death: envoy People's Daily 18 Feb 2017 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will "categorically reject" the post mortem conducted by Malaysia on its national who died here on Monday and demands the immediate transfer of the body, said the DPRK embassy here on late Friday.
• Malaysian police working on DNA profiling of Kim Jong Nam People's Daily 18 Feb 2017 -- Malaysian police are working on a DNA profiling of Kim Jong Nam, the elder half-brother of the top leader of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), a senior police officer said on Friday.
• China deprives N Korea of crucial source of foreign exchange Press TV 18 Feb 2017 -- China is set to stop all imports of coal from North Korea depriving the country of a crucial source of foreign exchange following its latest missile test.
• EU calls for full, effective implementation of JCPOA IRNA 18 Feb 2017 -- European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has stressed the "need for a full and effective implementation by all sides throughout the lifetime of the agreement" known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• EU, IAEA reiterate support for nuclear deal IRNA 18 Feb 2017 -- The European Union (EU) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a joint statement reaffirmed support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) based on their respective mandates.
• Guterres: JCPOA important factor in international peace, stability IRNA 18 Feb 2017 -- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres by referring to nuclear deal between Iran and Group 5+1 said that Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is an important factor in international peace and stability and announced his own and the UN support for continuation of the deal.
• No to US troops in Syria, nuclear deal to stay, Iran's foreign minister says ISNA 18 Feb 2017 -- Sending US ground troops to Syria to fight ISIS will fan flames of extremism in the region that will impact the security of the whole world, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told CNN's Christiane Amanpour Friday.
• Pence claims Iran using JCPOA 'additional resources' to 'destabilize' MidEast Press TV 18 Feb 2017 -- US Vice President Mike Pence is repeating the Trump administration's allegations against Iran and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• JCPOA instrumental in promoting global peace, stability: UN chief Press TV 18 Feb 2017 -- United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has hailed the 2015 landmark nuclear agreement signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, saying it plays an important role in promoting international peace and stability.
• Iran weighing sale of heavy water to some European countries: AEOI Press TV 18 Feb 2017 -- The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says Tehran is weighing requests from some European states to purchase heavy water from the Islamic Republic.
• EU, IAEA reaffirm commitment to Iran deal in joint statement Press TV 18 Feb 2017 -- The European Union (EU) and the United Nations' nuclear agency have reaffirmed their support for the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six other countries.
• SpaceX Scraps Rocket Launch Seconds Before Planned Liftoff VOA 18 Feb 2017 -- SpaceX halted the planned launch Saturday of its unmanned Falcon 9 cargo rocket with just 13 seconds left on the countdown clock because of a technical issue.
• Taipei regrets Spain's decision to send Taiwanese suspects to China CNA 18 Feb 2017 -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Saturday expressed regret at a plan by Spain to deport a group of Taiwanese telecom fraud suspects to China.