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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 06 Dec 2017[PDF]
• Pentagon Announces Troop Levels in Iraq, Syria AFPS 06 Dec 2017 -- The United States has about 5,200 troops in Iraq and 2,000 in Syria, and those numbers are trending down, Pentagon officials said here today.
• NATO: Upgrading Afghan Army Base, Not Building New One VOA 06 Dec 2017 -- NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan has denied reports that construction material and equipment being imported and transported through neighboring Pakistan are being used to establish a new army base in the conflict-hit country.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD Urges Congress to Pass FY18 Budget AFPS 06 Dec 2017 -- The Pentagon urged Congress to pass the Fiscal Year 2018 Defense Appropriations Bill before the current continuing resolution expires on Friday.
• 35th FW relocates for Vigilant Ace 18 AFNS 06 Dec 2017 -- The 35th Fighter Wing relocated 18 F-16 Fighting Falcons and more than 280 personnel to participate in Vigilant Ace 18, an annual flying exercise at Osan Air Base, South Korea, occurring Dec. 4 - 8, 2017.
• USAF Airmen, bombers complete bilateral training in Australia AFNS 06 Dec 2017 -- Two U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers conducted a continuous bomber presence mission on return to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, from Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley, Australia, Dec. 3, 2017.
• 571st MSAS trains El Salvador air force for peacekeeping mission AFNS 06 Dec 2017 -- The 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron sent a 15 member mobility training team to the Republic of El Salvador to conduct training for two weeks.
• SecArmy commits to building a more lethal, agile force during visit to National Training Center Army News 06 Dec 2017 -- Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T. Esper underscored his commitment to building an even more agile, lethal and technologically advanced combat force during a visit to the National Training Center Dec. 1.
• Yama Sakura 73 kicks off in Sendai, Japan Army News 06 Dec 2017 -- The opening ceremony for Exercise Yama Sakura, or YS 73, was held at the south training area on Camp Sendai, Japan, Dec. 5.
• Dallas Holds Inactivation Ceremony After 36 Years of Service NNS 06 Dec 2017 -- The crew of the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Dallas (SSN 700) held an inactivation ceremony, Dec. 5, at Naval Kitsap-Bangor, celebrating the boat's 36 years of service.
• Patrol Squadron 10 Conducts Search and Rescue for Argentinian Submarine NNS 06 Dec 2017 -- Having recently supported detachments in support of Hurricane Irma humanitarian operations and Joint Warrior/Formidable Shield international exercises, the Patrol Squadron (VP) 10 "Red Lancers" once again packed their bags to answer the call to serve.
• USS Nimitz to return to Naval Base Kitsap NNS 06 Dec 2017 -- There's no place like home for the holidays and the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) will arrive home at Naval Base Kitsap (NBK) Bremerton after a six-month deployment in time to celebrate this festive season.
• US flies supersonic heavy bomber over Korean Peninsula Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- The United States has flown a supersonic heavy bomber from its Guam base over the Korean Peninsula during a joint military drill with South Korea.
• Caribbean Nations Must Evolve Networks to Face New Challenges, Tidd Says AFPS 06 Dec 2017 -- Networks are a fact of life in the world today and they are both the problem and the solution, U.S. Southern Command's chief said today at the Caribbean Nations Security Conference in Georgetown, Guyana.
• Cyber Advisor Stresses Developing Human Capital to Counter Adversaries AFPS 06 Dec 2017 -- The scope, sophistication, pace and spread of today's cyber threats is unmatched in history, the deputy principal cyber advisor to the secretary of defense said here yesterday.
• NATO Ministers affirm support for Georgia NATO 06 Dec 2017 -- NATO Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their practical and political support for Georgia today (Wednesday 6 December) as well as their commitment to Georgia's eventual membership of the Alliance.
• Stoltenberg Expresses NATO Support For Georgia, Urges Russian Troop Pullout RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has expressed the alliance's "strong commitment" to Georgia's security and called on Russia to withdraw its forces from separatist regions in the Caucasus country.
• Stoltenberg Stresses NATO's 'Defense And Dialogue' Approach To Russia RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the Western alliance will continue to pursue dialogue with Russia while strengthening its deterrence capabilities and support for partners in Eastern Europe.
• Press Conference at NATO US Dept. of State 06 Dec 2017 -- Press Conference by Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of State
• China Launches Their Own Air Exercises to Counter US/South Korea Drill Sputnik 06 Dec 2017 -- The Chinese air force launched an exercise of their own concurrent to the enormous air drills being run by the US and South Korea, causing experts to speculate what, exactly, Beijing is trying to communicate to the West.
• World's Deadliest Missile BrahMos to Achieve Hypersonic Speed in Next 7 Years Sputnik 06 Dec 2017 -- The present version of BhraMos travels at a speed of 2.8 Mach. Indian and Russian scientists have been jointly working on increasing the speed to hypersonic levels in a phased manner.
• Israel's F-35 Joint Strike Fighters Officially Ready for Action Sputnik 06 Dec 2017 -- Israeli Air Force head Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin announced on Wednesday that fifth-generation F-35 Adir fighters have joined the fleet, about one year after the first Lockheed Martin-made jet was delivered to the country.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 06, 2017

Other Conflicts

• Statement by President Donald J. Trump on Yemen The White House 06 Dec 2017
• Trump Urges Saudis to Immediately Allow Aid Supplies Into Yemen VOA 06 Dec 2017 -- Calls comes as country grapples with bloody conflict, cholera outbreak, lack of fuel, food and medicine
• Saudi-led coalition intensifies airstrikes against Yemen after death of Saleh Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- The Saudi-led coalition has intensified its airstrikes against the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, and other areas following the killing of the former Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
• Saudi jets continue to bomb Sana'a despite calls for humanitarian ceasefire Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- The UN has stressed that despite calls for a humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen, Saudi Arabia continues to bomb the capital Sana'a.
• Allow aid into Yemen, Trump asks Saudis Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- US President Donald Trump has called on Saudi Arabia to "allow food, fuel, water, and medicine" into neighboring Yemen, where the impoverished nation is experiencing a human disaster in the wake of the monarchy's aggression.
• Saudi blockade of Yemen cuts fuel lifeline as Riyadh tightens siege Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- Saudi Arabia has prevented fuel shipments from reaching Yemen's key port of Hudaydah for a month, tightening a blockade on the impoverished country in defiance of international calls to put an end to the siege, a report says.
• Putin declares 'complete victory' on both banks of Euphrates in Syria Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a 'complete victory' over the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group on both banks of the Euphrates River in Syria, stressing the significance of switching to a political process to ultimately end the crisis in the Arab country.
• Putin Informed About Daesh's Total Defeat in Syria's Euphrates Valley Sputnik 06 Dec 2017 -- Over the past months, the Syrian government forces have achieved a major breakthrough in the province of Deir ez-Zor, and now the remaining terrorist units have been expelled from the Euphrates River Valley.
• UN study uncovers horrors of sexual violence against Syrian refugee boys and men UN News 06 Dec 2017 -- A study carried out by the United Nations refugee agency has revealed disturbing details a little-known side to the Syrian conflict: sexual violence against boys and men.
• Statement by President Trump on Jerusalem The White House 06 Dec 2017
• President Donald J. Trump's Proclamation on Jerusalem as the Capital of the State of Israel The White House 06 Dec 2017
• President Trump's Decision to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel's Capital US Dept. of State 06 Dec 2017-
• Trump declares Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- US President Donald Trump has officially declared the disputed city of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital, despite warnings from around the world that the measure risks triggering a fresh wave of violence in the Middle East.
• Trump Says U.S. Recognizes Jerusalem As Israeli Capital, Vows To Move Embassy RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- President Donald Trump has announced that the United States now recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move that drew praise from Israel but criticism and condemnation elsewhere.
• Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as Israeli Capital VOA 06 Dec 2017 -- Saying "our greatest hope is for peace," President Donald Trump has reversed decades of U.S. policy, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and setting in motion the process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the ancient holy city.
• International Community's Anxiety Rises Over US Jerusalem Decision VOA 06 Dec 2017 -- The international community reacted swiftly to President Donald Trump's announcement the United States would formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move that could reignite Israeli-Palestinian violence.
• Arabs, Muslims Warn Trump Against Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's Capital VOA 06 Dec 2017 -- The Middle East is on edge as President Donald Trump plans to make a controversial change in U.S. policy on Jerusalem.
• OIC set to meet in Turkey to coordinate response on Trump's al-Quds move Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is set to meet in Turkey to coordinate a response to US President Donald Trump's plan to declare Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital.
• Hamas: Israel has no land to claim 'capital' Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- The Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas says Israel has "no land" and naturally no right to designate "a capital" city. The announcement came shortly before US President Donald Trump's expected declaration of the recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's "capital."
• Iran says Trump's al-Quds move to spark another Palestinian Intifada Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- Iran has strongly condemned US President Donald Trump's decision to move his country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem al-Quds, saying the measure will ignite a new Palestinian Intifada (uprising).
• France's Macron Says Trump's Jerusalem Move 'Regrettable' Sputnik 06 Dec 2017 -- Earlier today Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the US diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv, a move many countries worldwide have urged the president to refrain from.
• Hamas Says Trump's Israel Embassy Decision 'Opens Gates of Hell' Sputnik 06 Dec 2017 -- Palestine's Hamas movement has slammed US President Donald Trump over his move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, warning that the decision "opens the gates of hell."
• Israeli PM Calls on All States to Recognize Jerusalem as Jewish Capital Sputnik 06 Dec 2017 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on all states to follow the pattern of the US and recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital to move their embassies there. Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced his decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
• Trump Recognizes Jerusalem as Israeli Capital, Orders to Prepare Embassy Move Sputnik 06 Dec 2017 -- The US president has stated that Israel has the right to determine its own capital and the decision is a long overdue step to advance the peace process between the Jewish State and Palestine.
• Iran's Supreme Leader, Hamas Blast US Plan to Relocate Its Embassy to Jerusalem Sputnik 06 Dec 2017 -- Earlier on Wednesday, a White House official said that US President Donald Trump will order the State Department to start the process of relocating the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
• Turkish President, Jordanian King Unite Against US President Over Jerusalem Move VOA 06 Dec 2017 -- The news of the United States' intention to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel dominated talks Wednesday between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and King Abdullah II of Jordan. In statements to the media at the presidential palace, both leaders voiced concern.
• Issue of Jerusalem must be resolved through direct negotiations between parties, UN chief stresses UN News 06 Dec 2017 -- In the wake of the announcement by the United States President recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday stressed that there is no alternative to the two-state solution and that Jerusalem is an issue that must be resolved through direct negotiations between the parties.
• Iran condemns US decision to move embassy to Beit ul-Muqaddas IRNA 06 Dec 2017 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry in a statement on Wednesday strongly denounced the US move to transfer its embassy from Tel Aviv to the occupied Beit ul-Muqaddas as the capital of the Zionist regime, describing it as flagrant violation of the international resolutions.
• Continued Violence in the Central African Republic US Dept. of State 06 Dec 2017
• 'Mission accomplished,' president of Former Yugoslavia tribunal tells UN Security Council UN News 06 Dec 2017 -- After more than 24 years of operations, the United Nations tribunal set up to prosecute crimes committed during conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990s, has now completed all judicial work, the court's President told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

News Reports

• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, December 6, 2017 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 06 Dec 2017
• Putin Announces He Will Run For Reelection In March RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced he will seek a new six-year term in the March 2018 election.
• Putin Announces He's in the Running for Another Term Sputnik 06 Dec 2017 -- Russia's incumbent president has declared his intention to seek re-election for a second consecutive term in the country's upcoming 2018 election.
• Young People And Factory Workers: Launch Of Putin's Reelection Bid Hints At Campaign Strategy RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- The first appearance was in front of throngs of euphoric young people. The second was before cheering workers at a car manufacturing plant in a regional city. Vladimir Putin has finally announced what few had doubted: He will seek reelection as Russia's president in the March vote.
• Russian Duma Bars RFE/RL, VOA As 'Foreign Agents' RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- The Russian State Duma has voted to prohibit U.S. media outlets branded by the government as "foreign agents" from entering the lower house of parliament.
• Explainer: What's Next For Russia And Its Athletes After Winter Olympics Ban? RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- Russia is a perennial powerhouse in the Winter Olympics, with its athletes routinely hauling in golds, silvers, and bronzes in the biathlon, figure skating, cross-country skiing, and in the more distant past, ice hockey.
• Putin: Russia's Suspension from Olympics is Politically Motivated Sputnik 06 Dec 2017 -- The Russian Olympic Team's suspension from the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea is an orchestrated and politically-motivated decision, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
• Russia Says It Will Analyze Winter Olympics Ban Before Making Any Decisions RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman says the Kremlin will analyze the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruling barring Russia from the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics before making any decisions about the country's participation.
• Ukrainians free Saakashvili from police van after hours of standoff Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- Several hundreds of supporters of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, now a Ukrainian opposition leader, have managed to free him as he was being arrested by Ukrainian police in the capital, Kiev.
• Saakashvili Defiant As Police Clash With Supporters At Kyiv Protest Camp RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- Mikheil Saakashvili, the former Georgian president turned Ukrainian opposition leader, has vowed that he will continue to resist arrest after his supporters dramatically freed him from custody in Kyiv.
• Botched Saakashvili Arrest Seen as Tarnishing Ukraine's Image VOA 06 Dec 2017 -- High drama degenerated into farce with the attempted arrest of Mikheil Saakashvili by Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday, leaving international experts puzzled about the motives behind the move but in agreement on one point–the mishandled operation has so far served mainly to tarnish the image of Ukraine's government.
• Erdogan Says U.S. Trying To 'Blackmail' Turkey With Iran Sanctions Case RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the New York trial of a Turkish banker accused of conspiring to help Iran evade U.S. sanctions "blackmail" and a "blemish" on his country.
• DPRK FM Spokesman Blasts American High-level Politicians for Making Reckless Remarks about DPRK KCNA 06 Dec 2017 -- A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK gave the following answer to a question raised by KCNA on Wednesday as regards the fact that high-level politicians of the U.S. are now constantly making reckless remarks about our country.
• China warns against escalation on Korean Peninsula Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- Chinese authorities have again warned against moves that could escalate the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, saying parties to the conflict should avoid actions that add to the already simmering tensions in the region.
• Myanmar: opium cultivation down 25 per cent, but conflict areas remain 'safe haven' for drug traders UN News 06 Dec 2017 -- The total area of opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar has decreased significantly in 2017 to 41,000 hectares, down 25 per cent from the 55,500 recorded in 2015, a United Nations survey released Wednesday has found.
• 'Detained Saudi princes, tycoons agree to cash settlements' Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- The majority of high-profile figures recently detained in Saudi Arabia's mass purge of royals and businessmen have agreed to monetary settlements in exchange for their freedom, the Saudi attorney general says.
• British police foil plot to assassinate May: MI5 Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- Two men are in police custody in Britain after authorities foiled their plan to assassinate Prime Minister Theresa May, according to the country's counter-terrorism security service.
• Honduran opposition urges total vote recount or run-off Press TV 06 Dec 2017 -- Honduras' opposition presidential candidate has demanded either an entire vote recount or a run-off poll following a controversial vote-counting process that resulted in favor of incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez by a low margin but no declared winner.
• Uzbekistan, Seeking Sea Access, Signs Railway Deal With Afghanistan RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have signed an agreement to extend a railroad connecting the two countries in a move that may eventually give Uzbekistan a direct link to sea ports.
• Meeting in Belgrade, Serbian And Bosnian Leaders Seek To Solve Problems RFE/RL 06 Dec 2017 -- After meeting in Belgrade, Serbian and Bosnian leaders said that they want to resolve the issues outstanding since the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and Bosnia's war that followed.