Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 20 Oct 2017[PDF]
• U.S., Coalition Continue Strikes to Defeat ISIS in Syria, Iraq AFPS 20 Oct 2017 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting eight strikes consisting of 13 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• 'Cycle of violence must end,' says UN chief, condemning latest attacks in Afghanistan UN News 20 Oct 2017 -- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned today's attacks at mosques in Afghanistan's Kabul city and Ghor Province during Friday prayers.
• U.S. Intelligence Chief Says Pakistani Action Needed Before Afghan Peace Talks RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- U.S. CIA Director Mike Pompeo says the United States wants to draw the Taliban into peace talks in Afghanistan, but for that to happen, he says Pakistan must first ensure the militants cannot establish safe havens within its borders.
• At Least 72 Dead After Two Attacks On Mosques In Afghanistan RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- Afghan officials say suicide bombers have killed at least 72 people in two attacks on mosques in Afghanistan, as sectarian- and terror-related violence continues to surge in the war-torn country.
• Afghanistan Mosque Bombings Kill More Than 70 VOA 20 Oct 2017 -- Officials in Afghanistan say a suicide blast inside a crowded Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Kabul has killed at least 40 worshipers and wounded dozens more.
• Afghan Civilians Bear Brunt of Taliban, IS Clashes in Eastern Nangarhar VOA 20 Oct 2017 -- More than a dozen civilians have been killed and wounded, and hundreds of families displaced by fierce fighting in recent days between the Islamic State (IS) terror group and Taliban insurgents in eastern Afghanistan.
• US Shutters Special Representative for Afghanistan-Pakistan Office VOA 20 Oct 2017 -- With the Trump administration's revised South Asia strategy still in its infancy, the curtain has silently fallen on the office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP), ending months of speculations that the State Department planned to eliminate the unit.
• US Defense Secretary Meets with McCain Over Niger Attack VOA 20 Oct 2017 -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis went to Capitol Hill on Friday to meet with Senator John McCain after the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee threatened to issue a subpoena for information about the deaths of four U.S. soldiers killed in Niger.
• FBI Joins Investigation Into Deadly Ambush of US Soldiers in Niger Sputnik 20 Oct 2017 -- The FBI has joined the investigation into the bizarre deaths of four American soldiers, including three Green Berets, in Niger earlier in October. The American soldiers were killed alongside five Nigerien troops in an ambush that the Pentagon has blamed on a new branch of Daesh based out of neighboring Mali.
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Army Corps of Engineers Commander Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite in the Pentagon Briefing Room on Relief Efforts in Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands DoD 20 Oct 2017 -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commander Lieutenant General Todd T. Semonite; Lieutenant Colonel Nina Hill, Office of the Chief Of Public Affairs, U.S. Army
• Power Restoration In Puerto Rico Could Take Up to a Year, Corps Chief Says AFPS 20 Oct 2017 -- The Army Corps of Engineers is installing up to 500 temporary generators until Puerto Rico's old and deteriorating power grid can be made operational again, but long-term total power restoration could take nearly a year, the Corps' chief of engineers told reporters at the Pentagon today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• CSCSU's New Radar Simulator Enhances Training NNS 20 Oct 2017 -- Students graduating from Electronics Technicians (ET) and Fire Controlman (FC) "A" school Oct. 20 trained on the radar simulator partial task trainer (PTT) at Center for Surface Combat Systems Unit (CSCSU) Great Lakes.
• 386th AEW completes first flight of Block 5 MQ-9 AFNS 20 Oct 2017 -- The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing successfully completed its first combat mission with the latest version of the MQ-9 Reaper in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
• Hill AFB maintainers support F-35A first Asia appearance during Seoul ADEX 17 AFNS 20 Oct 2017 -- Twenty-seven Hill Air Force Base maintainers and accompanying support equipment loaded into a C-17 Globemaster III Oct. 13, 2017, bound for Northeast Asia's largest air show to support the F-35A Lightning II's first time on Asian soil.
• U.S., Philippine Airmen Join Forces for Pacific Responder 17 AFPS 20 Oct 2017 -- Airmen with the 36th Contingency Response Group and the Philippine air force members participated in the first Pacific Responder exercise held here Sept. 23-29, 2017.
• 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade Soldiers conduct tactical convoy training Army News 20 Oct 2017 -- Soldiers from 92nd Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade conducted Close Combat Tactical Training at the Clark Simulation Center at Fort Benning, Georgia on October 16, 2017. The training was conducted to focus on fundamentals of convoys in tactical situations.
• Army, DOD officials outline defense modernization priorities Army News 20 Oct 2017 -- Getting effective, cutting-edge technologies into the hands of warfighters has often been a slow and laborious process, said Steffanie B. Easter, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology.
• Remarks by Secretary Mattis at an Honor Cordon Welcoming Florence Parly, Minister for the Armed Forces, France, to the Pentagon DoD 20 Oct 2017 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis; Florence Parly, Minister for the Armed Forces, France
• MAWTS-1 stages NEO aboard Combat Center USMC News 20 Oct 2017 -- Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, conducted a non-combatant evacuation operation aboard the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., on Oct. 13, 2017, as part of Weapons and Tactics Instructors Course 1-18.
• USS Carl Vinson Conducts F-35C Flight Operations NNS 20 Oct 2017 -- The Navy's first stealth fighter conducted flight operations Oct. 18, aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) as the aircraft carrier trained off the coast of Southern California.
• US Navy, Boeing May Upgrade Old F/A-18 Super Hornets During Maintenance Sputnik 20 Oct 2017 -- When the US Navy's Block 2 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets start returning to maintenance facilities in 2018 for planned service-life-extension modifications to allow the heavily used aircraft to log more flight hours, it may be an ideal opportunity to add new capabilities to the jet as well, Boeing officials said this week.
• US Air Force Official Flips Position, Opposes Disclosing B-21 Raider Costs Sputnik 20 Oct 2017 -- A new US Air Force under secretary who once worked side-by-side with US Senator John McCain to pressure the military to disclose more information about the cost of the next-generation B-21 Raider is now delaying just that disclosure.
• Report: NATO Insufficiently Ready In Case Of Russian Attack RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- NATO would not be able to rebuff a potential Russian attack on its eastern flank, according to an internal report cited on October 20 by German weekly Der Spiegel.
• NATO opens espionage hub in Poland to counter Russia Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has opened an espionage hub in Poland, in a bid to strengthen the 29-member military alliance's ability to gather intelligence amid tensions with Russia.
• Russia tells US to remove nuclear weapons from Europe Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called on Washington to remove its nuclear weapons deployed in Europe.
• Report: Scores of Afghan Military Trainees Go AWOL During Training in US VOA 20 Oct 2017 -- Scores of Afghan troops have failed to show up while undergoing military training in the United States due to death threats, other potential violent acts and uncertain job prospects, according to a report issued Friday.
• Report: 'Unacceptably High' Number Of Afghans Flee Military Training In U.S. RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- Afghan soldiers and police who train in the United States go "absent without leave," or AWOL, at far higher rates than those of any other country, possibly jeopardizing efforts to assist Afghan security forces, a U.S. watchdog says.
• Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark arrives in Angola, provides free medical services People's Daily 20 Oct 2017 -- The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark has arrived in Luanda, capital of Angola on Thursday morning, on an eight-day mission to deliver free medical services to the local people.
• Chinese Navy gets South China Sea rescue squadron People's Daily 20 Oct 2017 -- China's People Liberation Army's (PLA) South China Sea Fleet said it has established its first marine salvage and rescue squadron, which it expects will significantly improve the Navy's combat ability, Chinese military analysts said on Thursday.
• South Korean Military Wants Massive Missile Interceptor to Counter DPRK Barrage Sputnik 20 Oct 2017 -- South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff have announced that the military is working on a new missile interceptor that could, in theory, deflect a massive North Korean artillery barrage. Such a technology would be a game-changer on the Korean peninsula.
• South Korea lays out plan to 'destroy' North's military Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- South Korea's army has revealed plans to destroy North Korea's nuclear and missile sites and command centers in the event of a military confrontation with Pyongyang.
• North Korea says nuclear weapons 'matter of life and death' for Pyongyang Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- North Korea has emphasized the "life and death" importance of its defensive nuclear prowess in repelling enemy threats against the country.
• Iran, Syrian ink MoU on military cooperation IRNA 20 Oct 2017 -- Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri signed a military cooperation memorandum of understanding (MoU) with his Syrian counterpart General Ali Abdullah Ayoub in Damascus.
• Germany Signs Off on Deal to Send Israel Three Advanced Subs - Reports Sputnik 21 Oct 2017 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government approved a deal to sell the Israeli Navy three submarines costing up to $1 billion each, overcoming reservations about dealing with Israeli officials closely connected to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges.
• Russia Formally Hands Over MiG Warplanes To Serbia To Mark Liberation Day RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- Russia has formally handed over six MiG-29 fighter jets to Serbia, as part of ceremonies marking the World War II liberation of Belgrade.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders The White House 20 Oct 2017

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 19, 2017

Other Conflicts

• 20 October 2017 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 20 Oct 2017
• 10 dead as Saudi warplanes bomb civilian targets in Yemen Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- Saudi warplanes have bombed residential areas in the Sa'ada and Hajjah provinces of Yemen, killing at least 10 civilians, including an entire family.
• Syrian Democratic Forces Liberate Raqqa AFPS 20 Oct 2017 -- The Syrian city of Raqqa has been liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the coalition's Syrian Democratic Forces partners announced today, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported.
• Iran military chief says Daesh on last legs on visit to Aleppo Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- The Iranian military chief has praised successful counter-terrorism operations during a visit to a frontline position near the Syrian city of Aleppo, saying the terrorists are taking their last breath in the country.
• Militants promote PKK as Saudi, US envoys visit Raqqah Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- US-backed militants have celebrated their capture of Raqqah under a huge portrait of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan after a Saudi minister and a US envoy visited the northern Syrian city.
• Syrian Kurds 'Don't Want Partition of Syria, Do Not Seek Kurdistan's Autonomy' Sputnik 20 Oct 2017 -- What the Syrian Kurds are actually calling for is the federalization of the whole state, Shahoz Hasan, recently elected co-chair of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), has told Sputnik Turkiye.
• Raqqa's Liberation From ISIS US Dept. of State 20 Oct 2017
• Defence Secretary welcomes liberation of Raqqah UK MOD 20 Oct 2017 -- As the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) formally announce that Raqqah has been liberated from Daesh, the Defence Secretary has welcomed the news but cautioned there is more to do.
• Ayatollah Sistani urges Iraq to protect Kurds amid tensions Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- Iraq's most senior Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has called on the government to protect the Kurdish population in the north amid rising tensions between Baghdad and Iraq's secessionist Kurds.
• Iraqi Troops Clash With Kurdish Peshmerga South Of Irbil RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- Iraqi government troops have clashed with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters as government forces continued to deploy in parts of northern Iraq the Kurdish fighters captured from Islamic State (IS) militants during the past three years.
• Situation Near Kirkuk, Iraq US Dept. of State 20 Oct 2017 -- "The United States is concerned by reports of violent clashes around the town of Altun Kupri in northern Iraq. We are monitoring the situation closely, and call on all parties to cease all violence and provocative movements, and to coordinate their activities to restore calm."
• Iraqi, Kurdish Forces Battle for Remaining Disputed Territories VOA 20 Oct 2017 -- As night fell Friday, Kurdish Peshmerga tanks fired heavy artillery into the now-Iraqi held town of Altun Kopri while gunfire cracked at the town's entrance.
• Rohingya children refugees face hell on earth in Bangladesh camps: UNICEF Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- The United Nations children's agency has warned of the dire conditions of Myanmarese refugee children in overcrowded and squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh.
• Rohingya crisis: UNICEF issues 'Child Alert,' outlines urgent action to save lives UN News 20 Oct 2017 -- Issuing a dire warning on the desperate situation of Rohingya refugee children, who now number more than 320,000 in Bangladesh, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for an end to the atrocities targeting civilians in Myanmar's Rakhine state, and immediate and unfettered access to all children affected by the violence there.
• 589,000 Rohingyas Have Fled to Bangladesh Since August 25 VOA 20 Oct 2017 -- The United Nations said Friday that 589,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh since August 25.
• Thousands of Stranded Rohingya Refugees Allowed into Bangladesh VOA 20 Oct 2017 -- Aid agencies report nearly 7,000 Rohingya refugees stranded in dire conditions on the Bangladesh side of the border with Myanmar have been allowed to enter the country of refuge.
• 'No one' can force Hamas to disarm or recognize Israel Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- The head of Hamas says "no one" can force it to disarm or recognize Israel after the US demanded the resistance movement meet those conditions as part of an emerging Palestinian unity government.

News Reports

• EU to reduce Turkey pre-accession payment amid souring relations Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- European Council President Donald Tusk says the 28-member politico-economic bloc will reduce some of the money earmarked for Turkey to join the union, reflecting increasingly strained ties with the Ankara government.
• US, EU not standing with Turkey in terror fight: Erdogan Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at the United States and the European Union for their support for militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), saying they are "not standing with Turkey" in its fight against terrorism.
• EU, Citing Backtracking On Human Rights, To Cut Aid For Turkey's Membership Bid RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- European Union leaders have agreed to reduce financial assistance for helping Turkey get ready for EU membership due to Ankara's backtracking on commitments to the rule of law and human rights, EU leaders said on October 20.
• No Membership Card: Turkey to Lose Vital EU Funds Over Human Rights Concerns Sputnik 20 Oct 2017 -- European Union leaders have agreed on cutting financial aid for Turkey's succession to the bloc, followed by a suggestion to relocate funds directly to human rights organizations in the country to address growing concerns over violations and abuse.
• Putin says West has betrayed Russia's trust Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed scathing criticism at the West – the United States in particular – saying it had repeatedly betrayed Moscow's trust.
• Russia's Lavrov Pessimistic About Bilateral Security Talks With U.S. RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the world should not expect "considerable results in the foreseeable future" from strategic stability talks between Russia and the United States.
• Canada Passes Version Of Magnitsky Act, Raising Moscow's Ire RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- Canada has passed its version of the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which sanctions Russians for alleged human rights abuses, sparking angry comments from Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin.
• Divided EU Declines To Act On Objections To Russian Gas Project RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- Some European Union leaders have raised objections to Russia's plan to build a new gas pipeline to Germany at a summit in Brussels, but the bloc is divided on the matter and took no action, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says.
• Xi calls for advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics for new era People's Daily 20 Oct 2017 -- Xi Jinping on Thursday called on members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and people of all ethnic groups in the country to advance socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era.
• Chinese Official: Xi's Anti-corruption Drive Prevented Coup Attempt VOA 20 Oct 2017 -- A top official in China has praised President Xi Jinping's expansive anti-corruption drive, arguing it has helped stop coup plotters from threatening the party's tight grip on power.
• Premier Lai reiterates 6 resolutions in response to China President Xi CNA 20 Oct 2017 -- Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Friday reiterated Taiwan's stance on its dealings with China, saying that it retains "six resolutions" as part of its efforts to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait and in the region.
• Uganda expels North Korean military experts, companies over UN sanctions Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- The Ugandan Foreign Ministry says it has expelled North Korean military experts and representatives of North Korean companies amid efforts to comply with the United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program.
• North Korea Extends Global Olive Branch With Diplomatic Letter, Recipients Blase Sputnik 20 Oct 2017 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has dispatched an open letter to the administrations of various countries throughout the world, hoping they will support them in their dispute with the "heinous and reckless" Trump administration. Reactions from some recipients have been little but mocking.
• N Korea Plans to Pacify US, Vows to Respond to Fire With Fire - Foreign Ministry Sputnik 20 Oct 2017 -- As tensions over North Korea's nuclear program keep mounting, the North Korean foreign ministry said that Pyongyang won't hold talks on its nuclear weapons and added that the Americans would have to put up with the DPRK's nuclear status.
• Iranian FM slams Trump administration's "withdrawal doctrine" IRNA 20 Oct 2017 -- Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif censured the US administration's walkaway from the 2015 nuclear deal, saying that the deal is not a bilateral one between Iran and US but an agreement signed by six major world powers and ratified by the United Nations.
• Tillerson says Europe can do business with Iran Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the US is not opposed to European countries doing business with Iran, contradicting President Donald Trump's belligerent rhetoric against Tehran.
• EU Leaders Reaffirm Commitment To Iran Nuclear Deal Despite Trump Opposition RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- European Union leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to a landmark deal to limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, despite opposition from U.S. President Donald Trump.
• Russia's Rosneft To Take Controlling Stake Of Iraqi Kurdish Oil Pipeline RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil company says it has agreed with the government of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region to take a controlling stake in the region's main oil export pipeline.
• Japan PM Confident Ahead of Sunday's Election VOA 20 Oct 2017 -- Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe's conservative coalition is increasingly confident it will win a decisive victory in Sunday's early election, and hold on to its current two-thirds majority in parliament.
• International Effort Under Way in Uganda to Contain Marburg Virus VOA 20 Oct 2017 -- The World Health Organization is part of an international effort working to rapidly contain an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in eastern Uganda on the border with Kenya.
• UK PM Theresa May admits Brexit negotiations with EU are in 'difficulty' Press TV 20 Oct 2017 -- British Prime Minister Theresa May has acknowledged for the first time that Brexit negotiations with the European Union have hit "difficulty," as she pressed EU leaders for a Brexit deal she can "defend" at home.
• Merkel Upbeat on Brexit Deal Amid Talk May Has Agreed $47 Billion 'Divorce Bill' Sputnik 20 Oct 2017 -- One of the key figures in the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has signaled optimism over the possibility of a Brexit deal. Her remarks come amid reports the UK has agreed to foot the divorce bill of 40 billion euros (US$47 billion).
• Georgia's President Reluctantly Signs Constitutional Amendments RFE/RL 20 Oct 2017 -- Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has reluctantly signed constitutional amendments that he had vetoed on October 9 -- including provisions that transform the country into a parliamentary system where the president is elected by lawmakers rather than directly by voters.