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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 04 May 2017[PDF]
• Inherent Resolve Strikes Target ISIS in Syria, Iraq AFPS 04 May 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 34 strikes consisting of 81 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Task Force Commander Describes Assisting Iraqi Troops in Drive on Mosul AFPS 04 May 2017 -- Although the U.S. mission in Iraq is often referred to as one of advising and assisting, only about 25 percent of the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team was doing that during its deployment to Iraq, which concluded in January, the brigade's commander said at the Pentagon yesterday during a media roundtable discussion of the deployment.
• Air assault troops assisted Iraqis in drive on Mosul Army News 04 May 2017 -- When Task Force Strike arrived in Iraq in April 2016, the U.S. Air Force was delivering all the precision strike capability to the Iraqis fighting the Islamic State, said Col. Brett Sylvia.
• Hekmatyar returns to Kabul after peace deal with Afghan government Press TV 04 May 2017 -- Former Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has returned to the capital Kabul eight months after signing a peace deal with the administration of President Ashraf Ghani.
• Hekmatyar Urges Taliban 'Brothers' To End War, Offers To Mediate Talks RFE/RL 04 May 2017 -- Notorious Afghan militant leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has called on his Taliban "brothers" to end their insurgency and offered to mediate talks with the government.

Defense Policy / Programs

• USNS Patuxent Returns Home from Deployment NNS 04 May 2017 -- Civil Service Mariners, who crew Military Sealift Command's fleet replenishment oiler USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201), completed a six-month Middle East deployment returned to Naval Station Norfolk, May 4.
• F-15C Eagle Pilots Participate in Northern Edge Exercise AFPS 04 May 2017 -- Northern Edge 2017 training activities would not be complete without fighter pilots and their planes -- and takeoffs would not be complete without the dozens of behind-the-scenes logisticians and maintainers who keep these birds topped up on fuel and ammunition and in good working order for their next evolution.
• Socom Commander Highlights Elite, Globally Deployed Forces AFPS 04 May 2017 -- U.S. Special Operations Command forces are elite personnel deployed globally at the forefront of national security efforts, Socom's commander said today in a congressional hearing.
• UK tankers hold the line at Saber Junction 17 Army News 04 May 2017 -- In an overcast and densely wooded forest, drenched in rain and lush with green vegetation, a herd of black-forest deer dash across a gravel road.
• Chièvres Air Base runway now up to NATO standards Army News 04 May 2017 -- The NATO project to install a new airfield lighting system along the Chièvres Air Base runway has been completed, April 18. This week the Federal Aviation Agency made their final flight checks on the system which is now up to NATO standards.
• NMCB 133 Seabees Conduct ADR Exercise on 6,000 foot Air Force Training Airfield NNS 04 May 2017 -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 deployed 104 personnel from Gulfport, Mississippi to Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida to participate in a multi-day Air Field Damage Repair Exercise (ADREX), April 24-27, using a 6,000-foot training airfield to evaluate and test new repair methods.
• Oscar Austin Departs Souda Bay NNS 04 May 2017 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79), along with embarked helo squadron Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46, departed Souda Bay, Greece, after a scheduled port visit May 3, 2017.
• Joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg NATO 04 May 2017
• US Detects Russian Bombers, Fighter Jets Near Alaska Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- According to US media reports, two Russian Tu-95 bombers along with two Su-35 fighter jets were spotted near Alaska's Air Defense Zone on Thursday morning.
• Russian Defense Ministry Denies Sunk Vessel Secret Equipment Salvaging Claims Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- Defense Ministry denied reports claiming military divers have launched an operation to salvage secret equipment from the sunken Liman vessel.
• India to Challenge Chinese Monopoly on Naval Vessel Supply to Sri Lanka Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- Amid increased Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean Region, India has expedited supplying naval vessels to its neighbors to sustain its hold in the region. Once the naval vessel is delivered to Mauritius, India's Goa Shipyard is expected to transfer an offshore patrol vessel to Sri Lanka next month.
• India Test-Fires Medium Range Agni-II Ballistic Missile Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- India tested a missile for the third consecutive day on Thursday with the Indian Army's Strategic Forces Command successfully test-firing its medium range nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-II.
• Report: Iraq, US in Talks to Keep American Troops After IS Fight VOA 04 May 2017 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is reported to be in talks with the Trump administration to keep American troops in Iraq after the fight against Islamic State in the country is over.
• Philippine Military Helicopter Crash Leaves Three People Killed, One Injured Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- Three people were killed and another injured in a military UH-1D helicopter crash in the Philippines' Rizal province at around 3:00 p. m. local time (07:00 GMT) during rescue operation training, according to local media reports.
• Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders The White House 04 May 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 04, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 4 May 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 04 May 2017
• Ambassador Al-Jaber confirms that Kingdom, coalition countries have no ambitions in Yemen SPA 04 May 2017 -- The Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Yemen, Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber, said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab alliance countries have no ambitions in Yemen and its aim is that Yemen, the Yemenis and the region enjoy security and stability.
• Explainer: The 'Very Bad History' Of Safe Zones RFE/RL 04 May 2017 -- If history is any indication, the creation of a series of safe zones in Syria, currently being discussed by the United States, Russia, Turkey, and the war-torn country, is likely to provide little relief for hundreds of thousands of civilians on the ground.
• Statement on Russia, Turkey, and Iran's De-Escalation Zones Plan for Syria US Dept. of State 04 May 2017 -- Russia, Turkey, and Iran, at the conference in Astana, announced agreement today on an effort to reduce the violence in certain areas of Syria.
• UN envoy commends plan to setup de-escalation zones as 'promising positive step' UN News 04 May 2017 -- Following today's signing of a deal to setup so-called 'de-escalation zones' in Syria, the United Nations envoy for the war-torn country praised the agreement and said its success could bolster the path towards peace talks.
• Iran, Russia, Turkey sign deal to set up safe zones in Syria Press TV 04 May 2017 -- Turkey, Iran and Russia, the three countries behind peace efforts in Syria, have signed a memorandum on creating de-escalation zones in Syria.
• Syria fully supports Russian safe zones initiative: Foreign Ministry Press TV 04 May 2017 -- Damascus says it fully supports a Russian proposal for the establishment of de-escalation zones in Syria, in an initiative meant to boost the ceasefire in the Arab country and facilitate the progress of peace talks between the warring sides.
• Russia, Turkey, Iran Sign Syria Safe-Zone Deal, As Opposition Cries Foul RFE/RL 04 May 2017 -- Russia, Turkey, and Iran on May 4 signed a memorandum that calls for establishing safe zones in Syria where cease-fires are meant to be implemented - including no-fly zones - in order to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
• Russia Needs No Parliamentary Approval to Send Monitors to Syrian Safe Zones Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- Sending Russian observers to monitor truce in safe zones in Syria will not require additional approval by the country's Federation Council, as such operations will take place within the already-established anti-terrorist mission in the country, the chairman of the Russian upper house of parliament's Defense and Security committee told Sputnik.
• Memorandum Signed: What Are the Safe Zones in Syria? Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- The three ceasefire guarantor states, namely Russia, Turkey and Iran, have adopted the memorandum on creation of four zones of de-escalation of tensions in Syria on the second day of the latest round of talks on Syrian settlement in Astana.
• Syria Safe Zones to Last Six Months, Russia May Send Observers to Monitor Truce Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- Russia is ready to send its observers to the safe zones in Syria and does not rule out other countries taking part in implementation of de-escalation, but only if all guarantor states agree to this, Russian delegation head at Astana talks and Special Presidential Representative for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev said Thursday.
• Lavrov: De-Escalation Zones in Syria Should Consolidate Truce Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- The formation of safe zones in Syria should serve as a key step toward consolidating the nationwide ceasefire, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday after talks with his Finnish counterpart Timo Soini.
• Iran, Russia underline need for political solution for Syria crisis Press TV 04 May 2017 -- Iran and Russia have underlined the need for a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
• Syrian Army Takes Al-Shumariya Mountains Under Control, Sends Terrorists Fleeing Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- A military source in the Syrian military information center told Sputnik Arabic that the Syrian Army has taken the Al-Shumariya mountain chain in eastern part of the Homs Governorate under control, sending terrorists fleeing the area.
• Over Half a Million People Flee Iraqi City of Nineveh on the Outskirts of Mosul Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- Minister of Displacement and Migration in Iraq Jasim Muhammed al-Jaf has recently revealed that since the start of the operation to liberate the country's city of Nineveh on the outskirts of Mosul from Daesh (October 17, 2016), the number of refugees fleeing the area has reached 600,000 people.
• Iraq Grapples With Dilemma of Displaced Mosul Civilians VOA 04 May 2017 -- The Iraqi government is struggling to accommodate the thousands of people fleeing fighting in west Mosul, and some civilians are being sent back to Islamic State-free sectors in the eastern part of the city to make room, Kurdish officials told VOA.
• Ankara Threatens Military Action Against Kurdish Groups Despite Ally Warnings VOA 04 May 2017 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly has warned that force will be used to end the presence of Kurdish groups YPG and PKK in Syria and Iraq.
• Myanmar: Displaced Rohingya at risk of 're-victimization' warns UN refugee agency UN News 04 May 2017 -- The tens of thousands of members of Myanmar's Rohingya community who fled inter-communal violence in north of the country and sought refuge in Bangladesh remain highly vulnerable and risk being "re-victimized even in exile" unless urgent action is taken, a senior United Nations refugee protection official has warned.
• Indian troops launch major anti-militant operation in Kashmir Press TV 04 May 2017 -- Thousands of Indian soldiers and paramilitaries have launched a huge operation against suspected militants across Indian-controlled Kashmir.
• Indian Troops Launch Major Rebel Hunt in Indian Side of Kashmir Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- Indian security forces launched a massive combing operation in at least two dozen villages in southern Kashmir on Thursday morning to weed out militants from the areas. The operation was launched after a spate of militant attacks and anti-India protests over the last few days.
• Displaced civilians in South Sudan's Upper Nile at risk of further violence, UN rights chief warns UN News 04 May 2017 -- The United Nations human rights chief today urged the Government of South Sudan to halt any further military offensives towards Aburoc in the Upper Nile region.
• In Bogota, Security Council pledges support to Colombia's efforts to implement peace process UN News 04 May 2017 -- In Colombia to acknowledge and to witness first-hand both the progress and the challenges of carrying out the aims of a hard-won peace deal, a delegation from the United Nations Security Council today met President Juan Manuel Santos and applauded the country as an example for overcoming difficulties and setbacks to bring to an end more than a half a century of conflict.

News Reports

• Trump to visit Saudi Arabia and Israel in first foreign trip Press TV 04 May 2017 -- The White House has announced US President Donald Trump's travel plans to Saudi Arabia, followed by Israel and the Vatican this month with the aim to "combat extremism, terrorism and violence."
• Trump to Head to Saudi Arabia, Israel and Rome on First Overseas Trip VOA 04 May 2017 -- In a surprise announcement Thursday, the White House said President Donald Trump's first overseas stop will be to Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with leaders from numerous Muslim nations to discuss a coordinated ideological campaign against radical Islam. The trip is scheduled for later in May.
• Japan will be first country under radioactive clouds in case of war, North Korea warns Press TV 04 May 2017 -- North Korea has warned Tokyo that if conflict breaks out in the region, Japan will be the first country to be smothered in nuclear clouds.
• US preparing additional sanctions for N Korea: Tillerson Press TV 04 May 2017 -- US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the government is "preparing" new sanctions to be imposed against North Korea, deemed a nuclear threat by the West.
• North Korea will not beg for China's friendship: State media Press TV 04 May 2017 -- North Korea will not "beg" to maintain the friendship of its major ally, China, North Korean state media have said in rare remarks against Beijing.
• North Korea Fires Back at Beijing's Criticism, Accuses China of Betrayal Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- The relationship between Pyongyang and Beijing is showing signs of major strain, as Pyongyang accuses Beijing of treachery for their resistance to sign a treaty and their stance on the North's nuclear program.
• US House Passes Bill Authorizing Toughest Sanctions Against North Korea Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that authorizes the toughest sanctions yet against North Korea.
• Accountant Accused of 'Hostile Acts' Is Third US National Held by North Korea Sputnik 04 May 2017 -- North Korea has admitted detaining a US citizen and said he had committed "hostile criminal acts with an aim to subvert the country." The Korean Central News Agency said Kim Sang Dok, known to friends as Tony Kim, was "intercepted" at Pyongyang's airport on 22 April as he tried to leave the country.
• French Candidates Clash Over Extremism, Russia, Economy In Fiery Debate RFE/RL 04 May 2017 -- France's presidential candidates have clashed in a fiery televised debate, hurling insults and criticisms at each other over issues from remaining in the European Union to fighting terrorism and relations with Russia.
• Obama Officially Wades Into French Presidential Election VOA 04 May 2017 -- Former U.S. president Barack Obama officially endorsed French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron Thursday, calling a victory by Marcon "very important to the future of France and the values we care so much about."
• German Intelligence Agency Expects More Cyberattacks Before Election RFE/RL 04 May 2017 -- Germany's domestic intelligence agency has said it expects more cyberattacks directed against German politicians and officials ahead of a general election in September.
• Iran Denounces Saudi Refusal To Engage In Dialogue As 'Destructive' RFE/RL 04 May 2017 -- Iran has reacted to a rare televised interview by Saudi Arabia's deputy crown prince, accusing him of stoking tensions in the region with a "destructive" statement ruling out dialogue with Tehran.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Sevastopol, May 4, 2017 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 04 May 2017
• Poll: Number Of Russians Who Would Vote For Putin Slips Below 50 Percent RFE/RL 04 May 2017 -- A new opinion poll indicates that 48 percent of voters would cast their ballots for incumbent President Vladimir Putin if Russia's presidential election were held in the near future.
• King Salman's brother, head of kingdom's succession council, dies Press TV 03 May 2017 -- King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud's older brother, Prince Mishaal, who was the head of the country's succession council, has died.
• Ukraine Tries Ex-President Yanukovych In Absentia For Treason RFE/RL 04 May 2017 -- Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is being tried in absentia on high treason charges in Kyiv.