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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 27 Dec 2017[PDF]
• Department Of Defense Press Briefing By Maj. Gen. Gedney Via Teleconference DoD 27 Dec 2017 -- Presenter: U.K. Army Major General Felix Gedney, Deputy Commander, Strategy and Support, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve
• Coalition Partner Forces Clear ISIS Caves in Southern Syria AFPS 27 Dec 2017 -- In partnership with coalition forces, the Maghawir al-Thawra conducted a series of ground clearance operations Dec. 23 to drive Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists out of the Hamad Desert in southern Syria, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• 15 injured as car bomb rocks army base in southern Afghanistan Press TV 27 Dec 2017 -- At least 15 people, mostly soldiers, have been wounded after a car bomb went off near a military base in southern Afghanistan, officials say.
• US Claims to Kill 13 al-Shabaab Militants with Airstrike in Southern Somalia Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has announced that they killed 13 militants with the Islamist insurgent group al-Shabaab in southern Somalia. The airstrike took place on Wednesday in coordination with the Somali government.
• US Airstrike Kills 13 al-Shabab Militants in Somalia VOA 27 Dec 2017 -- The Pentagon said Wednesday a December 24 airstrike in southern Somalia killed 13 al-Shabab militants.

Defense Policy / Programs

• U.S. Adjusts Support to ARA San Juan Search Operations NNS 27 Dec 2017 -- The United States will begin to draw down operations assisting the search for the Argentine submarine A.R.A. San Juan in the South Atlantic Dec. 27, after completing its support to requests by the government of Argentina.
• Second Troop Rotation Arrives in Poland to Support Atlantic Resolve AFPS 27 Dec 2017 -- The second nine-month rotation of the Atlantic Resolve Sustainment Task Force, attached to the 16th Sustainment Brigade, began earlier this month as the incoming rotation commenced reception, staging, onward movement and integration operations in Powidz and Poznan, Poland, beginning December 2017.
• U.S., French forces fortify longstanding partnership during Alligator Dagger NNS 27 Dec 2017 -- The French navy Mistral-class amphibious assault ship LHD Tonnerre (L9014), with embarked U.S. Marines and Sailors from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and the USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) rehearsed amphibious operations and combat sustainment in the vicinity of Djibouti during Alligator Dagger Dec. 12-21.
• USS America Returns to Singapore NNS 27 Dec 2017 -- The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) along with the embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit returned to Singapore for a scheduled port visit Dec. 22.
• Bremerton Visits Yokosuka for Final Time NNS 27 Dec 2017 -- The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Bremerton (SSN 698) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Dec. 22 for a visit as part of its deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
• Russia 'tests new intercontinental ballistic missile' Press TV 27 Dec 2017 -- Russia says it has successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
• Russia to Limit Airfields Available to US Under Open Skies Treaty - Source Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- The new number of airfields, available to the United States in accordance with the Open Skies Treaty will be reduced by Russia as a mirror response to the US-announced measures, a source reported.
• Russian Naval Group to Be Permanently Deployed in Eastern Mediterranean Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- Russian General Staff Chief Army General Valery Gerasimov has unveiled plans for the Russian naval group in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea after the end of the military operation in Syria.
• Russia to supply Turkey with four S-400 missile divisions worth $2.5 billion Press TV 27 Dec 2017 -- Russia will sell Turkey four divisions of the S-400 surface-to-air missile system worth $2.5 billion under a deal agreed between the two sides earlier this month, says the head of Russian conglomerate Rostec.
• Russia Says Shipments Of S-400 Missiles To Turkey Likely To Begin In 2020 RFE/RL 27 Dec 2017 -- Russia is planning to begin shipments of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to Turkey in March 2020, a senior official says of a deal that has raised eyebrows because Turkey is a NATO member.
• Turkey Buys 4 Russian S-400 Systems, Russian Loans to Cover 55% of Costs Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- The Russian Rostec Corporation said that the deliveries of S-400 air defense systems to Turkey will start in March 2020, with 45 percent of the contracted sum to be paid in advance by Ankara.
• Turkey Dispatches Another Batch of Troops to Qatar Amid Gulf Crisis Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- The crisis between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors erupted earlier in June, with the latter demanding Qatar to close the Turkish military base on its territory.
• Turkey deploys troops in Qatar amid Persian Gulf diplomatic crisis Press TV 27 Dec 2017 -- A group of Turkish troops have been deployed to a military base in Qatar amid the diplomatic crisis between Doha and a Saudi-led quartet of Arab countries.
• Delivery of upgraded F-16s scheduled for 2018 CNA 27 Dec 2017 -- Four upgraded F-16 fighter jets are scheduled to be delivered to the Air Force in 2018 by a state-owned aviation firm, Ministry of National Defense (MND) sources said Wednesday.
• Chinese Military Ready to Develop Cooperation With Afghan Army Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- China's army is ready to strengthen relations with Afghanistan's military and to enhance cooperation in the spheres of military exchanges and counter-terrorism, Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Gen Xu Qiliang said Wednesday.
• Iran will never stop boosting defense power: Defense minister Press TV 26 Dec 2017 -- Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami says the Islamic Republic will boost its military prowess with full strength and without any halt.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 27, 2017

Other Conflicts

• Beijing Plans Floating Nuclear Power Plant in Disputed South China Sea Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- Beijing's efforts to assert territorial claims in the heavily disputed South China Sea via land reclamation and artificial island construction are "moving ahead steadily," state media reported Tuesday, also revealing the latest project envisioned for the waterway: a floating nuclear power plant.
• US runs training camps for Syria militants: Russian general Press TV 27 Dec 2017 -- The Russian military top brass says militants, including those with the Takfiri Daesh terror group, are receiving training in US bases in Syria, adding the terrorists have been instructed to "destabilize" the Arab country.
• Syrian army urges surrender of militants encircled near Lebanon border Press TV 27 Dec 2017 -- Syrian government forces and their allies have reportedly given a 72-hour deadline to militants encircled in a strategic border area near Lebanon and Israel to either leave or face military defeat.
• Syrian Kurds will be invited to Sochi talks in Russia Press TV 27 Dec 2017 -- Syria's Kurdish militants are assured that they would be represented in an upcoming round of talks mediated by Russia on the future of Syria.
• Syrian Rebel Groups Reject Russia-Sponsored Peace Talks RFE/RL 27 Dec 2017 -- Syrian rebel and opposition groups have rejected Russia's proposed peace talks next month, accusing Moscow of what they called "war crimes" in Syria and failing to put pressure on the Syrian government to end the six-year civil war.
• Syria's PYD Has No Plans to Break Ties With PKK - Spokesman Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- The Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) has no intention to break its ties with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in response to Turkey's opposition to the PYD's participation in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, a member of the PYD's Media Committee told Sputnik on Wednesday.
• Moscow Has Data al-Nusra Front Militants Getting Support From Outside - Lavrov Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that al-Nusra Front terrorists were getting help from the outside.
• Russian General Staff Calls US Explanations on At-Tanf Base 'Unintelligible' Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- US explanations about its base in southern Syria's At-Tanf are still "unintelligible", Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov told the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper in an interview issued on Wednesday.
• US Base in At-Tanf Fully Blocked by Syrian Troops Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- Russian General Staff Chief Army General Valery Gerasimov said that there was movement of militants from the US base in Syria's At-Tanf, which is currently fully blocked by the Syrian army.
• Russian Foreign Minister Defends Syria Peace Conference VOA 27 Dec 2017 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that next month's Russia-led peace talks in Sochi have "broad support" among the Syrian people and are meant to lay the groundwork for a U.N.-brokered peace process.
• Turkish aerial attacks kill nine PKK militants in northern Iraq Press TV 27 Dec 2017 -- Nine members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been killed when Turkish military aircraft carried out a string of aerial attacks against the militants' positions in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
• Kyiv, Russia-Backed Separatists Prepare For Prisoner Swap RFE/RL 27 Dec 2017 -- Russian media reports say that Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have sent captured Ukrainian soldiers to the site of a planned prisoner exchange between the separatists and Kyiv.
• Ugandan forces kill more than 100 rebels in DR Congo Press TV 27 Dec 2017 -- Uganda's armed forces have killed more than 100 Uganda-based rebels during a high-scale offensive in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
• Sustained cooperation vital to address Somalia's challenges, says UN envoy UN News 27 Dec 2017 -- In a year which saw millions of Somali civilians displaced by armed conflict and thousands more killed and wounded in violence, the United Nations envoy to the country has called for sustained cooperation to tackle a number of pressing challenges.

News Reports

• Putin submits documents for 2018 Kremlin race Press TV 27 Dec 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed in the required documents to run for re-election in Russia's 2018 presidential vote.
• Kremlin Dismisses Criticism That Barring Navalny Taints Presidential Election RFE/RL 27 Dec 2017 -- The Kremlin has rejected concerns that Moscow's decision to bar opposition leader Aleksei Navalny from running against President Vladimir Putin undermines the legitimacy of Russia's presidential election.
• Interview: Kremlin Warning To Navalny About Election Boycott Serves As Fuel For His Campaign RFE/RL 27 Dec 2017 -- Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has called for voters to boycott the March 18 presidential election after he was officially barred from being a candidate. His call for people not to vote led Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to issue a warning, saying that Navalny's call for a boycott should be "studied" to see if it violates the law.
• Navalny Calls For January 28 Protests In Support Of Election Boycott RFE/RL 27 Dec 2017 -- Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, who has been barred from challenging President Vladimir Putin in a March election, is calling for a "voters' strike" and nationwide demonstrations on January 28 in support of a boycott of the ballot.
• No Force Can Stop Korean People from Victorious Advance KCNA 27 Dec 2017 -- The recent "sanctions resolution" of the UN Security Council, manipulated by the U.S., is an illegal document of no legitimacy, says Rodong Sinmun Wednesday in a commentary.
• China Responds to Reports of Alleged Oil Transfer to N Korea Amid UN Sanctions Sputnik 27 Dec 2017 -- The UN has introduced a number of trade restrictions against North Korea on December 22, limiting the country's oil deals to four billion barrels per year.
• State Department: US, Russia Agree to Continue Diplomacy Over N. Korea VOA 27 Dec 2017 -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have "agreed to continue to work toward a diplomatic solution to achieve a denuclearized Korean peninsula," the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.
• Argentine Judge Says Prosecutor Was Murdered In Alleged Iran Cover Up Case RFE/RL 27 Dec 2017 -- An Argentine judge says the prosecutor who was found dead just days after accusing former President Cristina Fernandez of covering up Iran's role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center was murdered.
• Constitution amendment tops agenda for CPC January session People's Daily 27 Dec 2017 -- The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee decided Wednesday to discuss a proposal about amending part of China's Constitution at the second plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee in January.
• Xi stresses implementation of major policies, integrity of leading officials People's Daily 27 Dec 2017 -- President Xi Jinping has stressed full implementation of major tasks set at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the integrity of leading officials.
• India Says Family Of Man Charged With Spying In Pakistan Was Mistreated RFE/RL 27 Dec 2017 -- India denounced Pakistan on December 26 over the treatment of the family of an Indian man sentenced to death for spying, saying they had been harassed during a visit -- a charge Pakistan called "baseless."
• Russia Launches Angola's First Telecom Satellite Using Ukrainian Rocket RFE/RL 27 Dec 2017 -- Russia on December 26 launched a rocket carrying Angola's first telecom satellite from the Baikonur space center with the rare use of a rocket from Ukraine, despite collapsed ties between the two nations.
• UN chief commends peaceful vote in Liberia, dispatches Nigeria's Obasanjo UN News 27 Dec 2017 -- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday welcomed the peaceful conduct of the second round of the presidential election in Liberia, and announced he is sending former Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo to support the country in the first peaceful transfer of power from one democratically-elected leader to another in more than 70 years.
• Liberians Await Vote Tally in Presidential Election VOA 27 Dec 2017 -- Liberians waited Wednesday to find out who would be their next president as officials continued to tally votes from the West African nation's runoff election.