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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 04 Apr 2017[PDF]
• Background Briefing on the Effort to Defeat ISIS US Dept. of State 04 Apr 2017 -- Special Briefing by Senior State Department Official
• Counter-ISIS Strikes Continue in Syria, Iraq AFPS 04 Apr 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, conducting 27 strikes consisting of 55 engagements against ISIS targets yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Update: air strikes against Daesh UK MOD 04 Apr 2017 -- The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
• Taliban Sets Out Spring Offensive Battle Strategy In Afghanistan RFE/RL 04 Apr 2017 -- Taliban forces in Afghanistan plan to extend their control of provinces in which they already have a heavy presence in the upcoming spring offensive, a spokesman told the German dpa news agency in an interview.

Defense Policy / Programs

• AF announces major changes to space enterprise AFNS 04 Apr 2017 -- The Air Force announced five major organization and management changes to its space enterprise April 4, 2017.
• JPADS drop on WTI USMC News 04 Apr 2017 -- Marines with 1st and 2nd Marine Logistics Group incorporated a GPS guided airdrop system training scenario into the Weapons and Training Instructor Course on March 30, 2017, at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. This was the first time this training was conducted during WTI.
• Carl Vinson Strike Group Arrives in Singapore NNS 04 Apr 2017 -- Aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, Arleigh Burke -class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and Ticonderoga -class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) arrived in Singapore for a scheduled port visit, April 4.
• USS Michael Murphy Arrives in Malaysia NNS 04 Apr 2017 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) arrived in Port Klang, Malaysia for a routine port visit March 4.
• America Successfully Completes Survivability Test NNS 04 Apr 2017 -- The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) successfully completed the Navy's Total Ship Survivability Trial (TSST) off the coast of California during a four-day evolution spanning from March 30 to April 2.
• US Navy tests new anti-ship missile, purchases sub-killer aircraft Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- The US Navy has expanded its arsenal by successfully test-launching Lockheed Martin's new Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), and purchasing 17 new anti-submarine aircraft from Boeing.
• NATO marks International Day for Mine Awareness NATO 04 Apr 2017 -- NATO marked the International Day for Mine Awareness on Tuesday (4 April 2017), observed annually to highlight the deadly threat that mines pose to civilians' lives and nations' development. NATO has a strong track record in humanitarian demining, working with partners ranging from Ukraine to Afghanistan, and from Georgia to Egypt. To date, the Alliance has helped destroy more than 5 million anti-personnel landmines, as well as 642,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance.
• NATO calls on Germany to boost military budget amid US pressure Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has called on Germany to boost its military spending, amid US pressure on Berlin to assume a bigger financial role in the alliance.
• Russia to Continue Deploying Iskander Missiles in Kaliningrad and Other Areas Sputnik 04 Apr 2017 -- Russia will continue deploying and re-deploying its missile unites on its territory, including the Kaliningrad Region, Moscow said.
• North Korea launches another missile into Sea of Japan Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- North Korea has launched a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan just days after it warns the global community of retaliation over sanctions.
• North Korea Fires Missile Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- North Korea conducted another ballistic missile test, just 48 hours before U.S. President Donald Trump is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
• Boosting defensive capabilities Armed Forces main strategy: Commander IRNA 04 Apr 2017 -- Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic, following their major and consistent strategy, remain to employ all in their capacity to bolster its preparedness and defensive abilities, says Armed Forces chief of staff.
• Iran will never succumb to US, allies psywar: Military official Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- Iran will never submit to pressure and psychological warfare by the United States and its allies, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri says.
• Existential Danger': Israel's New 'David's Sling' Anti-Missile System Revealed Sputnik 04 Apr 2017 -- David's Sling officially began operational deployment in ceremonies held on Sunday at the Hatzor Airbase.
• South Korea Conducts Large-Scale Artillery Exercises - Defense Ministry Sputnik 04 Apr 2017 -- According to the Defense Ministry, South Korea held large-scale exercises on Tuesday, with the use of multiple launch rocket systems.
• Defence Minister unveils new £83 million state-of-the-art logistics site UK MOD 04 Apr 2017 -- The Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin, has formally opened a huge state-of-the-art £83 million MOD logistics centre in Shropshire.
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Sean Spicer, 4/4/2017 The White House 04 Apr 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 04, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 4 April 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 04 Apr 2017
• INTERVIEW: Fast-response 'vanguard brigade' of peacekeepers now a reality UN News 04 Apr 2017 -- A "vanguard brigade" of UN Peacekeepers which can be deployed within 60 days to new trouble-spots, would have been "impossible" to envisage just two years ago.
• 'We must be resourced to respond, protect and deliver' for people of Syria, UN aid chief UN News 04 Apr 2017 -- As a major international conference on Syria gets underway in Brussels, United Nations agencies have warned that a sluggish financial support by Member States would put vital assistance for millions of refugees and the communities hosting them at risk.
• Syria: UN chief 'deeply disturbed' by reports of alleged chemical attack; OPCW investigating UN News 04 Apr 2017 -- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today said that he is "deeply disturbed" by reports of alleged use of chemical weapons in an airstrike in the Khan Shaykhun area of southern Idlib, Syria.
• Statement from President Donald J. Trump The White House 04 Apr 2017
• Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria US Dept. of State 04 Apr 2017 -- Press Statement by Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of State
• White House: Syria Chemical Attack Heinous, But Assad a 'Political Reality' VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- U.S. officials are condemning a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria that left scores dead, even while acknowledging the government of President Bashar al-Assad, widely thought to have carried out the strike, remains a "political reality" in the country.
• Syrian army, Foreign Ministry deny role in Idlib 'chemical' attack Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- The Syrian military has categorically denied the accusations leveled against it about being involved in a suspected chemical attack in Syria's northwestern Idlib Province that killed dozens of people.
• UN warns about 'desperate' plight of Syria refugee Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- The United Nations has warned about the "desperate" plight of millions of people displaced in the aftermath of the six-year-long Syrian conflict as international funds are drying up and urgent assistance is needed for life-saving support to the refugees.
• 60 killed in strike in Syria's Idlib: Monitoring group Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- A monitoring group says at least 60 people have died in an attack in Syria's northwestern Idlib Province.
• US won't accept Assad participating in elections: Haley Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- In a departure from earlier official statements, the United States has said it cannot accept Syrian President Bashar al-Assad running in future elections.
• UN To Probe Suspected Syria Chemical Attack As Global Outrage Mounts RFE/RL 04 Apr 2017 -- United Nations war crimes investigators have opened a probe of a suspected chemical attack in Syria's Idlib Province that left at least 58 people dead.
• U.S. Ambassador To UN Calls Assad 'War Criminal,' Says U.S. Won't Accept New Term RFE/RL 04 Apr 2017 -- The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is "a war criminal" and that the United States would not accept that he could again run for election again in the war-torn country.
• Syrian Army Rejects Claims of Chemical Weapons Use in Idlib, Blames Militants Sputnik 04 Apr 2017 -- The responsibility for the chemical attack in Idlib lies with militants and their patrons, the Syrian Army said.
• Syrian Armed Forces Free 225 Settlements From Daesh in Three Months Sputnik 04 Apr 2017 -- The number of the settlements liberated since January 1, 2017, by the Syrian government's Armed Forces from the Daesh has grown to 225, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
• UN warns funding cuts threaten aid to Syrian refugees and hosts, as Brussels conference opens UN News 04 Apr 2017 -- As a major international conference on Syria gets underway in Brussels, United Nations agencies have warned that a sluggish financial support by Member States would put vital assistance for millions of refugees and the communities hosting them at risk.
• Dozens Dead in Apparent Toxic Gas Attack in Syria VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- Monitors and civil defense workers alleged Tuesday that Syrian government or Russian warplanes carried out a toxic gas attack on a rebel-held town in northern Syria, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds more.
• UN: Lack of Funds Threatens Life-saving Aid for Millions of Displaced Syrians VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- The U.N. refugee agency warns a lack of funding is threatening life-saving assistance for millions of Syrian refugees and the communities hosting them. In advance of a ministerial pledging conference in Brussels, the UNHCR is appealing to the international community to support the United Nations' multi-billion-dollar appeal.
• Diplomats Condemn, Vow to Investigate Alleged Chemical Attack in Syria VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- Top diplomats are condemning what appears to be a chemical weapons attack that killed least 58 people and injured more than 200 others Tuesday in Syria.
• Iraqi army, allies launch operation to recapture Anbar districts Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- Iraqi army forces, backed by pro-government tribal fighters, have mounted an operation to drive Daesh Takfiri terrorists out of two districts in the country's troubled western province of Anbar, and establish full control over them.
• Iraqi Security Forces Kill Senior Daesh Leader in Mosul Sputnik 04 Apr 2017 -- The Iraqi security forces have eliminated a senior Daesh leader in the city of Mosul, Iraqi federal police told Sputnik on Tuesday.
• Thousands of South Sudanese displaced after raid on border town Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- Thousands of people in South Sudan have fled into neighboring Uganda after government forces launched an offensive against a border town in the southern parts of the world's youngest country.
• As a 'different' Darfur has emerged since 2003, exit strategy for AU-UN mission being considered UN News 04 Apr 2017 -- The African Union (AU) and the United Nations are actively discussing with the Government of Sudan how best to configure a strategy for AU-UN peacekeeping to eventually leave Darfur, the head of that operation said today.
• Central African Republic: Security Council pledges support for President's efforts to stabilize country UN News 04 Apr 2017 -- The United Nations Security Council today expressed its support for the efforts of President Faustin Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic (CAR) to restore State authority as well as for the African Union-led mediation initiative to find a political solution to the situation in the crisis-torn country.
• African Countries Work to Improve Care of IDPs VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- A Red Cross report says African countries are failing their internally displaced people. Reversing that trend was the subject of a high level meeting of the International Red Cross and the African Union that wrapped up Tuesday in Zimbabwe.

News Reports

• Trump's ex-campaign adviser met with Russian spy in 2013 Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- US President Donald Trump's foreign policy adviser during his election campaign met with a Russian intelligence operative in 2013 and provided him documents about the energy industry, according to a FBI court filing.
• Trump Suggests Former Obama Adviser Spied on His Aides' Conversations VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump is suggesting that Susan Rice, the national security adviser for his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, spied on conversations Trump aides had with foreign nationals last year and sought to unmask their identities for political gain, an allegation Rice said Tuesday was "absolutely false."
• Trump Praises Egypt's Sisi, Vows Cooperation To Advance Mideast Peace Efforts RFE/RL 04 Apr 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump heaped praise on his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, during their meeting on April 3, saying he was doing a "fantastic job" and that the United States was "very much behind" Egypt and its people.
• Egyptian, Arab Media Play Up Sissi-Trump Meeting VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- Arab and Egyptian media reacted mostly favorably to the reception given to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi by U.S. President Donald Trump. Sissi's Islamist opponents either condemned the visit or ignored it completely.
• Background Briefing by Senior Administration Officials on the Visit of President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China The White House 04 Apr 2017
• Trump Sees 'Interesting,' 'Difficult' Talks With China's Xi VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- President Donald Trump is to host Chinese President Xi Jinping beginning Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in the southern United States. But the atmosphere may not turn out to be as warm as the Florida weather.
• Two Florida Men Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIL US Dept. of Justice 04 Apr 2017
• IS Takes Aim at US President, Says Jihad at 'Dangerous Turning Point' VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- A spokesman for Islamic State is lashing out at the United States and President Donald Trump in what some see as an attempt to rally the terror group's fighters.
• US Criticized for Slashing Funds to UN Population Fund VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "deeply regrets" the United States' decision to cut funding to the U.N. Population Fund, which provides life-saving care to millions of women and girls around the world.
• Russian Investigators Name Subway Bomb Suspect RFE/RL 04 Apr 2017 -- Russian investigators say they have determined who set off a deadly bomb on a St. Petersburg subway train, identifying the suspected attacker as Akbarjon Jalilov, 22.
• Russia Blames Suicide Bomber for Deadly Subway Attack VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- Russian investigators have identified Kyrgyz-born Akbarzhon Dzhalilov as the suicide bomber who carried out Monday's deadly attack on a crowded subway train in St. Petersburg.
• Turkey fires 45 more members of judiciary in post-coup purge Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- Turkey has dismissed 45 more judges and prosecutors as part of a heavy-handed crackdown launched by the government on political dissent following last year's failed military coup.
• Tillerson to Chair UN Meeting on North Korea Nuclear Tests VOA 03 Apr 2017 -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will chair a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the North Korea nuclear issue later this month.
• Turkey's Erdogan warns Iraqi Kurds flag could strain ties Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Kurds in Iraq that a recent decision to hoist their flag in the disputed Iraqi city of Kirkuk could threaten Turkey-Kurdistan relations.
• Erdogan to Iraqi Kirkuk Province's Authorities: 'Lower Your Kurdistan Banners' Sputnik 04 Apr 2017 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday asked the administration of the Iraqi province of Kirkuk to remove the flags of Iraqi Kurdistan and to hoist up Iraqi banners instead.
• Iraq's Kirkuk Provincial Council Calls Referendum on Kurdish Governance Sputnik 04 Apr 2017 -- The Kirkuk Provincial Council in northern Iraq decided Tuesday to hold a referendum on governance by Iraqi Kurdistan despite opposition from Arab and Turkmen members, Turkey's Daily Sabah newspaper reported.
• S.Korean prosecutors grill arrested President Park over corruption allegations People's Daily 04 Apr 2017 -- South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday grilled former President Park Geun-hye, who has been taken into custody over corruption allegations.
• Clashes erupt as opposition supporters rally in Venezuela Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- Police have used pepper spray to disperse people protesting against the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela's capital of Caracas.
• Protests rock Ecuador after Lasso refuses to concede defeat Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- Supporters of Ecuadorean opposition leader Guillermo Lasso have once again taken to the streets in protest against alleged fraud in Sunday's presidential election, in which his leftist rival won.
• Duterte sacks key minister over corruption Press TV 04 Apr 2017 -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has fired a key minister of his cabinet over his alleged involvement in corruption.
• Freedom House Warns Of Effects Of 'False Promise Of Populism' On Postcommunist World RFE/RL 04 Apr 2017 -- Populists' recent successes at the polls in the West have increased fears of instability in postcommunist Europe and Eurasia against a backdrop of setbacks for democratic governance, democracy monitor Freedom House has warned.
• Cholera Spreads in Drought-Stricken Somalia Amid Famine Threat VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- Cholera is spreading in Somalia, further complicating drought relief efforts as the country teeters on famine. Health officials are complaining about a lack of access to some areas due to security challenges.
• Recent attacks show pirates off Somalia's coast still a potent threat – UN agency UN News 04 Apr 2017 -- Noting that recent attacks on commercial ships off the coast of Somalia highlight the continued threat of piracy, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has urged ships to follow advice of navies and that of the International Maritime Organization while planning passage through the region.
• Somali Piracy Resurges VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- Observers warn piracy is making a comeback along the coast of Somalia, after gunmen hijacked two ships in 48 hours and took them to an area known as a pirate haven.
• South Africa Credit Downgrade Deepens Political Turmoil VOA 04 Apr 2017 -- Recent political turmoil in South Africa has come at a cost, with ratings agency S&P Global saying a controversial Cabinet reshuffle and growing pressure on the president to resign have lowered the country's sovereign credit rating to "junk" status. Economists predict that will result in higher interest rates and higher prices on imported goods. It could, however, also give the South African leaders the opportunity to finally carry out their promise of radically transforming the economy away from minority ownership and toward a more equitable model.