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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Australia Ending Role in Airstrikes Against IS in Iraq and Syria VOA 23 Dec 2017 -- Australia will end its airstrikes against Islamic State militant targets in Iraq and Syria after being part of a U.S.-led international coalition for more than two years.
• Russia Says About 10,000 IS Militants Now in Afghanistan VOA 23 Dec 2017 -- Russia has estimated there are about 10,000 Islamic State militants in Afghanistan and their number is growing because fighters fleeing Syria and Iraq also are heading to the war-ravaged country.
• Powerful Afghan Governor Defies Government, Refuses To Leave Post RFE/RL 23 Dec 2017 -- One of Afghanistan's most powerful regional politicians has vowed to defy his ouster as governor of the northern province of Balkh, posing a potential threat to the shaky Western-backed governing coalition of President Ashraf Ghani.
• Russia ready to cooperate with US on Afghanistan Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- Russia says it is ready to engage in cooperation with the United States in Afghanistan as Washington struggles to contain a growing insurgency in the country some 16 years after it was invaded.

Defense Policy / Programs

• NATO 'worried' by Russian submarine activity Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- The US-led NATO military alliance has voiced concern about what it calls Russia's increased submarine activities in the Atlantic region.
• On Visit to Niger, Macron Pledges Tough Fight Against Extremists VOA 23 Dec 2017 -- French President Emmanuel Macron arrived Friday in the capital of Niger on a trip designed to bolster the morale of French troops in the country in their fight against extremists.
• France ready to enhance military presence in Sahel: Macron Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his country's preparedness to beef up its military presence in the Sahel to fight alongside African forces against extremist militants in the region.
• German Military Pilots Will Reportedly Use Civil Helicopters for Training Sputnik 23 Dec 2017 -- German military pilots will use civil helicopters for training because of the shortage in military ones, local media reported on Saturday.
• US crossing the line by supplying lethal arms to Ukraine: Russia Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- Russia has warned that the United States is "crossing the line" by providing Ukraine with "lethal weapons," saying Washington is practically pushing Kiev into "new bloodshed."
• US to supply Ukraine with lethal weapons to deter 'aggression' Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- The US plans to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons and enhanced military capabilities amid rising tensions in the country's east, which has been the scene of deadly fighting between Kiev's troops and pro-Russia forces.
• U.S. Says It Will Enhance Ukraine's Defensive Capabilities; Russia Derides Move RFE/RL 23 Dec 2017 -- The United States says it will provide Ukraine with "enhanced defensive capabilities" to help it "deter further aggression," a move that deepens U.S. involvement and prompted an angry rebuke from the Kremlin as Kyiv battles Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
• US Crossed Line By Announcing Decision to Provide Ukraine With Weapons - Moscow Sputnik 23 Dec 2017 -- The United States crossed the line by announcing a decision to provide Ukraine with weapons, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Saturday.
• 'Entirely Defensive in Nature': US Agrees to Provide Lethal Aid to Ukraine Sputnik 23 Dec 2017 -- The US State Department said Friday that the United States plans to give Ukraine military assistance to help protect its territorial integrity, in a move that is purely defensive and will not violate Minsk accords
• Ukraine Grateful, Russia Critical of US Providing Lethal Weapons to Kyiv VOA 23 Dec 2017 -- Ukraine's president thanked the United States Saturday for its decision to provide lethal weapons to the country, while diplomats in Russia warned that the move would only cause more bloodshed.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Iraq's Hashd al-Sha'abi forces deployed to Syrian border to back army: Commander Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- A top commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Sha'abi, says the paramilitary group has deployed forces to the border with Syria in a bid to support army troops, who have come under militant fire from the war-torn country over the past three days.
• Pakistani fire kills 3 Indian troops, one officer in Kashmir: India Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- India says "Pakistani" fire has claimed the lives of three Indian soldiers and an officer in Indian-controlled Kashmir along the unofficial border with Pakistan, known as the Line of Control (LoC), in the latest cross-border clashes between the bitter rivals in the disputed Himalayan territory.
• Army will use 'absolute force' to end terrorism in Sinai: Egypt's Sisi Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says the army will employ "absolute force" in a bid to eliminate terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula.
• U.S., EU Oppose Moves By Kosovo To Shut Down War Crimes Court RFE/RL 23 Dec 2017 -- The United States and European Union say they oppose any action by Kosovo's leadership to press for an end to a war crimes court linked to its 1998-99 independence struggle, calling it a "terrible idea" that will lead to the country's isolation.
• South Sudan Stakeholders Upbeat About Latest Cease-fire Deal VOA 23 Dec 2017 -- South Sudanese armed and unarmed groups who signed a cease-fire Thursday said they are optimistic that peace will return to South Sudan despite the government's refusal to renegotiate parts of the failed August 2015 deal.

News Reports

• Spanish PM Rebuffs Catalan Leaders' Demand for Independence Talks VOA 23 Dec 2017 -- Spain's prime minister has rejected demands for talks from Catalonia's independence leaders, following regional elections in the semi-autonomous region Thursday which gave pro-secessionist parties a slim majority of two seats in the Catalan parliament.
• Putin begins election campaign with vow to modernize Russia Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has commenced his campaign for the 2018 elections with a vow to modernize the country.
• Chechen Leader Accuses Social Media Of Bowing To Pressure After U.S. Sanctions Tightened RFE/RL 23 Dec 2017 -- Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya, has accused social-media networks of bowing to pressure from Washington and disabling his Russian-language pages after the U.S. Treasury Department hit him with financial and travel sanctions.
• China trade with North Korea edged up in November: Report Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- An official report says that China scaled up business transactions with North Korea last month despite tough sanctions imposed by the United Nations against the country over its military program.
• Lawmaker Says Russia Must Pressure All Sides To End Korea Nuclear Crisis RFE/RL 23 Dec 2017 -- Konstantin Kosachyov, the chairman of the Russian Federation Council's International Relations Committee, says Moscow has to keep pressure on both North Korea and the United States in the search for a solution to halt Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.
• To the Brink: New UN Sanctions Seen as Ineffective to Halt DPRK Nuke Development Sputnik 23 Dec 2017 -- As Pyongyang digs in its heels and Washington continues its threats, global experts suggest that new UN sanctions against North Korea will not have the desired effect, only increasing the possibility of nuclear conflict in the region.
• China Calls for Restraint Following Adoption of UNSC Resolution on North Korea Sputnik 23 Dec 2017 -- Following the adoption of the UN Security Council's (UNSC) resolution on North Korea, China has called on all the parties concerned to show restraint and undertake joint efforts in order to de-escalate tensions on the peninsula, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement on Saturday.
• UAE hires former US intelligence agents to build 'its own CIA': Report Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- The United Arab Emirates has hired former CIA agents to teach Emirati recruits "the tools of modern spycraft," as part of efforts to establish a professional intelligence service, according to a report.
• Spooks for Hire: UAE Recruits ex-CIA Agents to Build Modern Spy Agency - Reports Sputnik 23 Dec 2017 -- The United Arab Emirates is pulling out all the stops to develop its own modern and professional intelligence service modeled on Western counterparts. Former agents in Western intelligence agencies are finding it hard to turn down the lucrative propositions.
• Saudi Arabia pressing billionaire prince to fork out $6 billion: Report Press TV 23 Dec 2017 -- Saudi Arabian authorities are reportedly pressuring a billionaire prince whom they have detained as part of a purge to pay up a whopping USD six billion to secure his release.
• Macedonia Says It's Ready To Give Up Claim As Sole Heir To Alexander The Great's Legacy RFE/RL 23 Dec 2017 -- Macedonia's prime minister says he is ready to renounce his country's claim to be the sole heir of Alexander the Great's legacy, a potential concession that could lead to the easing of a long-standing dispute with Greece.