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Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 05 Oct 2017[PDF]
• U.S., Coalition Continue Strikes to Defeat ISIS in Syria, Iraq AFPS 05 Oct 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 37 strikes consisting of 47 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• POL troops fuel the fight against ISIS AFNS 05 Oct 2017 -- Much like day-to-day life in modern society, the military relies on fuels to power its ground and air operations. The fuels management section of the 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron is tasked with the control, distribution and testing of the mission essential fuels that keep the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing and its coalition partners in the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
• U.S. Service Members Killed in Niger, Africom Officials Announce AFPS 05 Oct 2017 -- Three U.S. service members and a service member from a partner nation were killed in southwestern Niger yesterday, U.S. Africa Command officials said.
• U.S. Africa Command Statement on Situation in Niger AFRICOM 05 Oct 2017 -- On Oct. 4, three (3) U.S. service members and one partner nation member were killed while the U.S. was providing advice and assistance to Nigerien security force counter-terror operations, approximately 200 km north of Niamey, in southwest Niger.
• 3 US commandos killed, 2 injured near Mali border in Niger Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Three US Army special operations commandos have been killed and two others injured in Niger
• US Troop Deployments to Afghanistan Delayed Due to Hurricane Relief Efforts VOA 05 Oct 2017 -- American troop deployments to Afghanistan to support the Trump administration's new strategy there have lagged due to the military's ongoing support of hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico, a top U.S. general said Thursday.
• US to ask NATO for 1,000 more troops for Afghanistan Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- The US will ask NATO members to contribute about 1,000 extra troops to help in the battle against the Taliban militant group in Afghanistan, the new US ambassador to the military alliance says.
• Former President Karzai slams 'US new policy' on Afghanistan Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has lambasted the United States' new policy toward his country, saying it carries a "message of war and bloodshed" in the region.
• Afghan President Says Most Foreign Troops Could Leave 'Within Four Years' RFE/RL 05 Oct 2017 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said most foreign troops will be able to leave the country "within four years."
• US Troops Can Now Call Fire in Support of Afghan Forces Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- Pentagon announced that according to the new rules of engagement US forces are now allowed to call fire to support Afghan troops.
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White and Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 05 Oct 2017 -- Presenter: Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White; Joint Staff Director Lieutenant General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.
• Over 11,000 DoD Personnel Aid Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Efforts AFPS 05 Oct 2017 -- More than 11,000 Defense Department personnel now are in Puerto Rico, helping the U.S. territory recover from the wrath of Hurricane Maria in the areas of logistics, medical support and aviation, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said during a news conference in San Juan this morning.
• White Details DoD Assistance to Hurricane-Ravaged Puerto Rico AFPS 05 Oct 2017 -- Relief for Puerto Rico is an all-hands operation, chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White said here today.
• USNS Comfort Responds to Hospital-Generator Failure in Puerto Rico NNS 05 Oct 2017 -- The Mercy-class Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, received five critical patients around 8 p.m. Oct. 4, from Ryder Memorial Hospital in Humacao, Puerto Rico, after its generator failed.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Army Distributes New Handguns, Still on Hunt for New Rifles Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- The US Army has distributed 2,000 new M17 handguns manufactured by Sig Sauer, according to an October 3 news release, but the service "is still looking for a new rifle that uses a 7.62mm cartridge."
• Small antennas could bring big benefits to the Air Force AFNS 05 Oct 2017 -- When it comes to military and consumer electronics, smaller is often better, and the Air Force Research Laboratory's revolutionary new antenna design is promising to make military electronics much better.
• Navy to Commission Submarine Washington DoD 05 Oct 2017 -- The Navy will commission its newest fast attack submarine, the future USS Washington (SSN 787), during an 11 a.m. EDT ceremony Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, at Naval Station Norfolk.
• USS John S. McCain Departs Changi Naval Base for Heavy Lift Preparations NNS 05 Oct 2017 -- The guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) departed Changi Naval Base Oct. 5, to meet heavy lift transport vessel MV Treasure.
• USS John S. McCain to be Repaired in Yokosuka NNS 05 Oct 2017 -- The Navy will repair the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) at the U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility-Japan Regional Maintenance Center in Yokosuka, Japan. Repairs will begin upon arrival from Singapore aboard a heavy lift vessel in October.
• AF awards contracts for next-generation ICBM airborne launch control system AFNS 05 Oct 2017 -- The Air Force awarded two contracts Oct. 3, 2017, for upgrading the system that enables an aircraft to control an intercontinental ballistic missile's launch from a silo in the ground.
• SecAF addresses air and space innovation AFNS 05 Oct 2017 -- Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson spoke about the importance of modernization and innovation in space during a Center for Strategic and International Studies forum in Washington, D.C., Oct. 5, 2017.
• 18th Space Control Squadron: Keeping watch up above AFNS 05 Oct 2017 -- While the everyday activities of life continue down below, what is taking place overhead doesn't usually warrant a thought.
• NATO Chief Says Alliance Assessing Whether All Russian Troops Left Belarus RFE/RL 05 Oct 2017 -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the Western alliance is assessing whether Russia has pulled out all the troops it sent to Belarus for joint exercises last month that were watched warily by neighbors.
• India's Second Scorpene Advanced Attack Submarine Misses Induction Deadline Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- India's construction of a second Scorpene submarine, the INS Khanderi, is more than five years behind schedule. Its induction into the fleet has been repeatedly postponed; most recently following the cancellation of a deal for the purchase of torpedoes.
• No Respite for Indian Military From Chilly Himalayas Amid Chinese Buildup Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- Reports of a Chinese troops buildup in Doklam despite the disengagement agreement reached between the world's two most populous countries in August have kept the Indian military on its toes, forcing it to stall the annual winter retreat from north Sikkim, a state in northeast India which borders China to the north.
• Army Spokesperson: Pakistan Has Links to But Does Not Support Terror Groups VOA 05 Oct 2017 -- A senior Pakistani general acknowledged the existence of links between the country's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and militant groups operating in the country on Thursday.
• Saudi Arabia agrees to buy Russian S-400 air defense system Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Saudi Arabia has signed preliminary agreements to buy S-400 air defense systems and receive "cutting-edge technologies" from Russia as King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is on an official trip to Moscow as the first Saudi monarch to visit the European country.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, 10/5/2017, #19 The White House 05 Oct 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 05, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 5 October 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 05 Oct 2017
• Chinese Ships Reportedly Enter Japanese Waters Near Disputed Senkaku Islands Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- Japan's Coast Guard claim that four China's patrol ships entered Japan's territorial waters near disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, local media reported Thursday.
• Arab Coalition Jets Destroy Coup Militia Reinforcements in Shabwa SPA 05 Oct 2017 -- Arab Coalition jets have destroyed military reinforcements for Houthi coup militia in Beihan, Shabwa Province.
• Syria will never forget Iran's sacrifices, support: Assad Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- President Bashar al-Assad says his country will never forget the sacrifices of the Islamic Republic in support of the Syrian government and nation during the hard times of war.
• OPCW Says Found Evidence of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria's Hama in March Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said Thursday that it had found evidence of the use of sarin or sarin-related chemicals following an incident in Syria's Hama province in March.
• Russian Airstrike in Syria Leaves Al Nusra 'Emir' in Coma, 49 Terrorists Dead Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- Russia's Aerospace Forces launched a surgical assault against the rebranded Al Nusra Front terrorist group, killing 49 fighters including seven leaders, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
• Russian airstrike kills 49 Takfiri terrorists in Syria's Idlib Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- The Russian military says 49 Takfiri militants, including seven commanders, have been killed during an airstrike on terrorist positions in Syria's Idlib Province.
• Russian submarines launch cruise missiles at Daesh positions in Dayr al-Zawr Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Two Russian submarines have fired a barrage of Kalibr cruise missiles at positions of Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr, where the country's forces are making territorial gains against the terrorists.
• Iraqi Security Forces Liberate Hawija From ISIS Control AFPS 05 Oct 2017 -- Iraqi security forces have completed a "swift and decisive" victory in liberating the city of Hawija from the grasp of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials said today.
• Iraqi PM, military announce Hawijah liberation from Daesh Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says Iraqi armed forces have liberated the strategic town of Hawijah, ridding the Takfiri outfit of its last bastion in the northern part of the Arab state.
• The Way the Caliph Crumbles: Baghdad Wrests Daesh's Last Urban Stronghold Back Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- After two weeks of fierce fighting, Daesh has been chased from the northern Iraqi city of Hawija by coalition forces. The city was Daesh's final urban center in Iraq, leaving them in control of only a handful of settlements in the war-torn Middle Eastern nation.
• Security Council re-authorizes operations to disrupt migrant smuggling off coast of Libya UN News 05 Oct 2017 -- The Security Council today extended by one year the authorization for Member States to inspect vessels on the high seas off the coast of Libya that they have reasonable grounds to suspect are being used for migrant smuggling or human trafficking.
• Turkey: PKK militants killed at popular tourist resort Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Turkish forces have killed five suspected Kurdish militants at a popular tourist resort in western Turkey frequented by Europeans.
• Bangladesh set to relocate all Rohingya to mega refugee camp: Official Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Bangladesh says it plans to expand a massive settlement under construction in its southernmost district to house nearly 900,000 persecuted Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in Myanmar.
• Fleeing violence at home, Rohingya face crackdown in Bangladesh Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Bangladeshi forces have reportedly beaten a group of Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar on arrival in Bangladesh and have destroyed some 20 boats that carried them.
• HRW says Myanmar army raping and executing Rohingya Muslims Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Human Rights Watch says Myanmar's military "summarily executed" and sexually assaulted dozens of Rohingya Muslims during a raid on a village in the west of the country over a month ago.
• Bangladesh Awaits Myanmar's Response to Rohingya Repatriation Proposal Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- Bangladesh has proposed a plan for peaceful repatriation of Rohingya refugees but says it is not sure whether they will be persecuted again once they reach Myanmar.
• Rohingyas Hopeful India Will Not Send Them Back to Be 'Butchered' in Myanmar Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- India's apex court has asked the government to reply within ten days whether New Delhi can protect the Rohingya refugees, especially women and children.
• Bangladesh to Build One Central Camp for Rohingya Refugees VOA 05 Oct 2017 -- Bangladesh is building the world's largest refugee camp to house over half a million Rohingya who have fled Myanmar, officials said Thursday.
• US Lawmakers Urge Action on Myanmar VOA 05 Oct 2017 -- U.S. lawmakers are calling for "full access" by journalists and aid workers to Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state.
• European Parliament Condemns Russia's Prosecution Of Crimeans RFE/RL 05 Oct 2017 -- The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning Russian verdicts against dozens of Crimeans who opposed Moscow's seizure of the peninsula and demanding the release of those who are behind bars.
• Militants use sexual violence as weapon of war in CAR: Human Rights Watch Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) says armed groups in the Central African Republic (CAR) have used rape and sexual slavery as a weapon of war in the conflict gripping the country.
• Security Council expands mandate of UN Mission to verify truce between Colombian Government and ELN UN News 05 Oct 2017 -- Acting unanimously, the United Nations Security Council today expanded the mandate of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, tasking it to monitor temporary bilateral ceasefire between the Colombian Government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) armed group.

News Reports

• US Senate intelligence panel confirms Russia's 2016 meddling Press TV 04 Oct 2017 -- The Senate Intelligence Committee throws its support behind allegations that Russia meddled in the US 2016 election, which yielded President Donald Trump.
• 3 Russian Businessmen File Second Defamation Lawsuit In Connection with 'Steele Dossier' RFE/RL 05 Oct 2017 -- Three powerful Russian businessmen who control the country's largest commercial bank have filed the second of two defamation lawsuits in connection with a salacious intelligence report involving President Donald Trump.
• Russia, Saudi Arabia Pledge To Boost Ties During King's Landmark Visit RFE/RL 05 Oct 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has hosted Saudi King Salman for talks at the Kremlin, in the first official visit to Russia by a reigning Saudi monarch.
• Fresh Start: Saudi Arabia Turns to Russia Seeking to Diversify Foreign Relations Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- Riyadh has started diversifying its foreign relations due to the US' further rapprochement with Tel Aviv, Russian political scientist Vyacheslav Smirnov told Radio Sputnik. According to the expert, the first ever visit of King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud to Moscow is likely to strengthen Russo-Saudi ties.
• Putin: Saudi King's Visit to Russia a Landmark Event Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has said during his first ever meeting with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud that the monarch's visit to Russia is a landmark event.
• Canadian Parliament Moves Closer To Approving Version Of Magnitsky Act RFE/RL 05 Oct 2017 -- The Canadian Parliament has stepped closer to final approval of its version of the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which sanctions Russians for alleged human rights abuses, a move that has brought threats of retaliation from Moscow.
• Berlin drops probe into US, British mass surveillance of German telecommunications, internet Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Prosecutors in Germany have dropped an investigation into alleged hacking of information from German citizens and officials by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and its British partner.
• Reports: Russian Hackers Allegedly Stole U.S. NSA Secrets RFE/RL 05 Oct 2017 -- Media reports say hackers backed by the Russian government stole highly sensitive U.S. espionage tools in 2015 after a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor placed the classified materials on his home computer.
• CIA Chief Pompeo's Risky Plans to Streamline Agency's Decision-Making Processes Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- US Central Intelligence Agency Chief Mike Pompeo has said he aims to improve the organization's "agility and speed" by sending more agents abroad, and streamlining executive processes.
• Group of US Lawmakers Want to Rein in FBI Spying Capabilities VOA 05 Oct 2017 -- A group of bipartisan United States lawmakers wants to put strong new limitations on federal law enforcement agents' ability to gather foreign intelligence within U.S. borders.
• Senior CIA Official: Kim Jong-Un Doesn't Want Conflict, He's "Very Rational' Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- A senior CIA official at the Agency's newly-created Korea Mission Center has broken ranks with President Donald Trump, stating North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is "very rational."
• 180 House Democrats ask Trump to certify Iran nuclear deal Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- At least 180 members of the US Congress have called on President Donald Trump to endorse the Iran nuclear deal, saying an American withdrawal from the pact would be against the interests of the United States and its allies.
• Trump Expected to Declare Iran Noncompliant with Nuclear Deal - Reports Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- The Washington Post has reported that White House sources believe US President Donald Trump will not provide certification that Iran is following the 2015 nuclear deal, opening the door for a US exit from the deal and more intense sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
• US Officials: Trump to Decertify Nuclear Deal With Iran VOA 05 Oct 2017 -- President Donald Trump is likely to decertify the nuclear deal with Iran and turn it back to Congress for possible renewed sanctions, senior U.S. officials said Thursday.
• Iran reiterates JCPOA not renegotiable IRNA 05 Oct 2017 -- Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday that Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is not renegotiable and the best way is to comply with its terms.
• JCPOA not renegotiable: Iran's nuclear chief Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi says the 2015 nuclear deal reached between Iran and six world powers is not renegotiable.
• Member Of Iranian Nuclear Negotiations Team Sentenced On Spying Charges RFE/RL 05 Oct 2017 -- A member of the Iranian team that negotiated a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of espionage, a semiofficial news agency reports.
• Turkey to close borders with Iraqi Kurdistan 'soon': Erdogan Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country will "soon" shut its border and airspace to the Iraqi Kurdistan Region in response to a controversial referendum on possible secession of the semi-autonomous region from the rest of the country.
• France ready for mediation between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurds: Macron Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- French President Emmanuel Macron says Paris is ready for mediation between Iraq and its Kurdish region seeking secession from the mainland, emphasizing the need to protect the Arab country's "territorial integrity."
• Iraq's PM Urges Kurdish Peshmerga Forces to Join Iraqi Army After Referendum Sputnik 05 Oct 2017 -- Iraq's Prime Minister Haider Abadi has announced he did not want an armed conflict with Iraqi Kurds but said they should obey Baghdad authorities in the wake of the controversial referendum on independence in the autonomous region.
• Spain suspends Catalonia parliament session on independence Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- Spain's Constitutional Court has ordered the suspension of a special session in Catalonia's parliament, during which top officials of the region are expected to declare independence.
• Spanish Constitutional Court Orders Suspension of Catalonia Parliament VOA 05 Oct 2017 -- Spain's Constitutional Court has ordered the suspension of a Catalonian special parliamentary session next week, during which regional leaders plan to vote to break away from Spain.
• New Japanese Conservative Party Complicates Election Outlook VOA 05 Oct 2017 -- The emergence of a new conservative-leaning Japanese political party is presenting an unexpected challenge to Prime Minster Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition in the snap election he recently scheduled to extend his hold on power.
• 20 killed in deadly blast outside shrine in Pakistan's Balochistan Press TV 05 Oct 2017 -- A bombing outside a shrine in a remote village of Pakistan's southern province of Balochistan has claimed the lives of at least 20 people and left 25 others wounded.
• Declassified CIA Papers Show U.S. Aware In Advance Of Sputnik Possibilities RFE/RL 05 Oct 2017 -- The CIA has released newly declassified documents showing that U.S. intelligence agencies were aware of Russia's impending launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite -- an event that shocked the American public when the news broke exactly 60 years ago.
• Taiwanese elected to CPC National Congress already Chinese citizen CNA 05 Oct 2017 -- The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) reported Thursday that a China-based Taiwanese woman who will attend the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has in fact already acquired Chinese citizenship.
• Ukrainian Activists Celebrate Anticorruption Court 'Victory,' But Cry Foul Over New Judicial-Reform Bill RFE/RL 05 Oct 2017 -- While activists in Ukraine have welcomed news that Petro Poroshenko conceded to their demand to create an anticorruption court on October 4, their enthusiasm was curbed knowing that legislation that could hinder corruption investigations is awaiting the president's signature.
• Large Numbers of Opposition MPs Fly Out of Cambodia VOA 05 Oct 2017 -- Almost half of Cambodia's opposition lawmakers have left the country or are in jail, including most of its leadership, as proceedings to dissolve the party move forward.
• Frontrunners to Lead South Africa's ANC Carry Political Baggage VOA 05 Oct 2017 -- In South Africa, the race to watch is the competition to select the next head of the African National Congress.
• Rights Group Says Political Will Needed To End Forced Labor In Uzbekistan RFE/RL 05 Oct 2017 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) says that Uzbekistan's government has recalled some students and workers from forced labor in the cotton fields, but that more political will is needed to completely end the practice in the Central Asian country.