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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 28 Dec 2017[PDF]
• Inherent Resolve Official Describes Defeat-ISIS Campaign Progress AFPS 28 Dec 2017 -- The coalition's efforts against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have been successful, but there is still much to do to eradicate the group, British army Maj. Gen. Felix Gedney told Pentagon reporters yesterday.
• U.S.-led coalition forces make decisive gains against ISIS in 2017 Army News 28 Dec 2017 -- 2017 was a momentous year for the U.S.-led coalition's fight against ISIS, as the Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve broke the group's three-year stranglehold on Mosul, Iraq, and also liberated the group's self-proclaimed capital in Raqqa, Syria.
• 40 killed, 32 injured in blasts near Afghan news agency office in Kabul Press TV 28 Dec 2017 -- A bombing attack on a Shia cultural center and the nearby office of a media outlet in the Afghan capital of Kabul has left at least 40 people dead and more than two dozen others injured.
• Dozens Killed In Attack On Shi'ite Culture Center In Kabul RFE/RL 28 Dec 2017 -- Afghanistan's Interior Ministry says at least 40 people have been killed and 30 wounded by multiple bomb blasts at a Shi'ite cultural center in Kabul.
• US Claims F-16s Killed Top Taliban Leader Sputnik 28 Dec 2017 -- A team of US Marines called in an airstrike to eliminate a suspected Taliban leader on December 20, but conflicting reports suggest the so-called Taliban shadow governor has been dead for a while.
• Attack on civilians in Kabul another 'despicable crime' in a year of atrocities - UN Mission UN News 28 Dec 2017 -- The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has strongly denounced the terrorist bombing earlier Thursday of a Shi'a cultural centre in Kabul, calling the "targeted attack" on civilians yet another despicable crime in a year marked by unspeakable atrocities.
• Islamic State Claims Deadly Afghanistan Blast VOA 28 Dec 2017 -- Afghan officials say more than 40 people have been killed and 84 others wounded in a suicide attack on a building in Kabul that houses a Shi'ite Muslim cultural center with ties to Iran.
• US Airstrike Kills 4 Al-Shabab Militants, Destroys Bomb Near Mogadishu VOA 28 Dec 2017 -- U.S. airstrikes killed four members of the al-Shabab extremist group and destroyed a vehicle carrying explosives near the Somali capital, U.S. Africa Command said Thursday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• USS Carney Departs Croatia NNS 28 Dec 2017 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) departed Split, Croatia, Dec. 27, 2017, after completing a scheduled port visit.
• USS America Departs Singapore after Holiday Visit NNS 28 Dec 2017 -- The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) with the embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) concluded a port visit to Singapore, Dec. 28.
• Frank Cable Returns to Readiness NNS 28 Dec 2017 -- The submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) completed its planned, dry-dock repair availability and departed Vigor Industrial, in Portland, Oregon, Dec. 21.
• US Remains Committed to Successful Operation of Open Skies Treaty - Pentagon Sputnik 28 Dec 2017 -- The United States will continue to implement the Open Skies Treaty while new measures to limit Russian military flights in US airspace are planned to encourage Moscow to cooperate in a way beneficial for both sides, a Pentagon spokesperson told Sputnik on Thursday.
• Command of Armed Police Force to be unified People's Daily 28 Dec 2017 -- The Armed Police Force will be placed under the unified control of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Central Military Commission starting on Monday, the first day of 2018, according to the CPC Central Committee.
• China unveils its first civil-military cybersecurity innovation center People's Daily 28 Dec 2017 -- China on Tuesday unveiled the nation's first cybersecurity innovation center developed under the national strategy of civil-military integration, amid Beijing's call to step up its national cyber defenses.
• China Tests New Ballistic Missiles With Hypersonic Glide Vehicles Sputnik 28 Dec 2017 -- The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force has conducted two flight tests of a new ballistic missile attached to a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), US officials confirmed in a recent intelligence assessment.
• Tsai issues directive for close monitoring of China military activity CNA 28 Dec 2017 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Thursday that Taiwan's armed forces must keep a close watch on China's military movements and take the necessary measures to ensure national security and regional peace and stability.
• India Stocks Up on Attack Choppers After Claims of Military Unpreparedness Sputnik 28 Dec 2017 -- The world's second largest military measured by manpower is planning to acquire more than a dozen light combat helicopters, as India's defense sector responds to concerns about its readiness for battle.
• Shooting Star: India's New Missile Interceptor a 'Grand Success' in Latest Test Sputnik 28 Dec 2017 -- India has successfully test-fired their indigenously developed Advanced Air Defense (AAD) supersonic interceptor missile, meant to destroy incoming low-altitude ballistic missiles. The missile's success is the latest in India's long-standing mission to build an effective missile defense system.
• Pakistan Warns US Against Unilateral Military Action on Its Soil VOA 28 Dec 2017 -- Pakistan has warned the United States against undertaking any "unilateral" military action on its soil and rejected as baseless accusations of "inaction" against the Haqqani Network plotting deadly attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 28, 2017

Other Conflicts

• South Korea Launches Drills on Defense of Islets Disputed by Japan Sputnik 28 Dec 2017 -- South Korea has begun two-day military drills aimed at defense of the disputed group of the Liancourt Rocks islets, called Dokdo by South Korea and Takeshima by Japan, the Republic of Korea Navy Headquarters said.
• Yemen: Amid spike in casualties, UN relief official says civilians bearing brunt of 'absurd war' UN News 28 Dec 2017 -- After separate airstrikes on a crowded market and a rural farm left nearly 70 people dead earlier this week in Yemen, the top United Nations humanitarian official in the country denounced the incidents and reminded the warring parties of their international legal obligations to spare civilian lives and infrastructure.
• Airstrikes Kill 68 Civilians in 1 Day in Yemen - UN Humanitarian Coordinator Sputnik 28 Dec 2017 -- As many as 68 civilians were killed in one day in "escalated and indiscriminate attacks" in Yemen, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Jamie McGoldrick said Thursday.
• UN says Saudi 'absurd, futile' war in Yemen killed 109 civilians in past 10 days Press TV 28 Dec 2017 -- A high-ranking United Nations official says more than a hundred civilians, including 54 at a crowded market and 14 members of one family in a farm, have lost their lives in Saudi airstrikes against residential areas across Yemen in the past 10 days, describing the military aggression as "absurd and futile."
• Yemeni forces' missile hit Saudi mercenaries base in Ma'rib prov. Press TV 28 Dec 2017 -- Yemeni forces have fired a ballistic missile at a military base used by the Saudi-backed mercenaries in Yemen's central Ma'rib Province, inflicting heavy damage on their military equipment and systems.
• Syrian army, allies make new territorial advances in Idlib Press TV 28 Dec 2017 -- Syrian government forces, backed by allied fighters from popular defense groups, have made fresh territorial gains against terrorists from the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Takfiri group, formerly known as the al-Nusra Front, in the country's northwestern province of Idlib.
• Syrian Kurdish Leader Says Russia Invited Militia To Sochi Peace Talks RFE/RL 28 Dec 2017 -- Russia has promised leaders of the autonomous region controlled by Kurds in northern Syria that they can send representatives to a peace forum it is hosting next month, the commander of the main Syrian Kurdish militia has said.
• Top UN Official Fears Damascus Using Children as 'Bargaining Chips' VOA 28 Dec 2017 -- A top U.N. official says he fears Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is "using children as bargaining chips" in a deal to evacuate critically ill patients, mainly children, from a besieged opposition-held town on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.
• Return Of Ukrainians Held By Russia RFE/RL 28 Dec 2017 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he has ordered his government to "immediately" resume talks with Moscow on the release of Ukrainian citizens from Russian custody following a prisoner swap between Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists.
• Detainee Exchange Between Ukraine and Russia-Led Forces US Dept. of State 28 Dec 2017-- The United States welcomes yesterday's exchange between the government of Ukraine and Russia-led forces in eastern Ukraine of more than 300 detainees.
• 'Historical Injustice': Kosovo's President Pledges To Sign Legislation Abolishing War Crimes Court RFE/RL 28 Dec 2017 -- Kosovar President Hashim Thaci says he will sign legislation to abolish a special court at The Hague that was set up to prosecute war crimes if it is passed by Kosovo's parliament.
• Somalia Takes Control of Its Own Skies VOA 28 Dec 2017 -- The Somali government has retaken control of its air space after more than two decades. Air traffic over the Horn of Africa nation had been controlled by the United Nations from neighboring Kenya since 1992, a year after the Somali civil war broke out.
• Cameroon Military Launches Operation to Free Hostages VOA 28 Dec 2017 -- Cameroon's military freed 17 of its citizens held hostage by armed groups from the Central African Republic. One person was killed and four were wounded in a confrontation between the military and the kidnappers. The country say hundreds of its citizens are still in captivity.

News Reports

• Tillerson: Americans Should Be 'Encouraged' by US Diplomatic Efforts VOA 28 Dec 2017 -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has touted the diplomatic accomplishments of President Donald Trump's administration this year, saying "Americans should be encouraged" by its dealings with the U.S.' "greatest security threat," North Korea, along with China and Russia.
• Ex-soccer Star George Weah Wins Liberia's Presidential Poll VOA 28 Dec 2017 -- Former soccer star George Weah has been declared the winner of Liberia's presidential election.
• Legacy of UN Mission in Liberia tied to former President Johnson Sirleaf, says senior UN official UN News 28 Dec 2017 -- The legacy of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the outgoing President of Liberia, is connected to the legacy of the United Nations Mission in the country (UNMIL), which will wind down in March after 15 years of operations, a senior UN official said.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, December 28, 2017 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 28 Dec 2017
• Russian Opposition Politician Yashin Detained In Moscow RFE/RL 28 Dec 2017 -- Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin has been detained in Moscow days after staging a demonstration that authorities said was held without their permission.
• Kremlin Says Legality Of Navalny's Call For Election Protests Will Be Checked RFE/RL 28 Dec 2017 -- The Kremlin says law enforcement authorities will "no doubt" examine whether opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has broken the law by calling for nationwide protests in support of a boycott of Russia's March 18 presidential election.
• The Five Big Russia Questions For 2018 RFE/RL 28 Dec 2017 -- With 2017 almost behind us, and 2018 nearly upon us, here are five questions The Power Vertical will be keeping an eye on going forward.
• China tells foreign media to stop it with the wild speculation People's Daily 28 Dec 2017 -- Recently, speculation that Chinese ships are illegally selling oil to DPRK vessels in violation of the UN Security Council sanctions ran rampant in the foreign media, although there was no solid evidence to back up the claim.
• Trump censures China for alleged oil sales to North Korea Press TV 28 Dec 2017 -- US President Donald Trump has accused China of conducting oil trade with North Korea in violation of United Nations sanctions designed to punish Pyongyang over nuclear and missile programs.
• Trump Says China Caught 'Red-Handed' After Reports Of Oil Shipments To North Korea RFE/RL 28 Dec 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at China, saying he is "very disappointed" that Beijing is allowing oil to go into North Korea and endangering a "friendly solution" to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
• Trump 'Very Disappointed' China Exports Oil to N Korea, Despite Their Denial Sputnik 28 Dec 2017 -- China has commented on reports alleging that it exports oil to North Korean by saying that Beijing"completely and strictly" implements UN trade restrictions recently adopted against Pyongyang.
• Trump Accuses China of Allowing Oil Into North Korea VOA 28 Dec 2017 -- U.S. President Donald Trump accused China Thursday of facilitating oil shipments into North Korea, despite China's insistence it has not violated United Nations sanctions limiting oil shipments to the rogue nation. Writing on Twitter, he said he is "very disappointed."
• Khamenei Compares Trump To 'Smarter' Reagan, Says U.S. Will Not 'Weaken' Iran RFE/RL 28 Dec 2017 -- Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has lashed out at U.S. President Donald Trump and asserted that his policies will not "weaken" Tehran.
• Iranian Supreme Leader Vows to 'Disappoint US on All Arenas', Slams Trump Sputnik 28 Dec 2017 -- According to the Iranian supreme leader, Reagan was "wiser and more powerful" than Trump.
• Putin says St. Petersburg blast was 'terrorist' attack Press TV 28 Dec 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that a recent bomb blast in a busy supermarket in Saint Petersburg was "a terrorist act."
• After Supermarket Blast, Putin Says Terror Suspects Should Be 'Liquidated' RFE/RL 28 Dec 2017 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has said a blast that injured at least 10 people at a St. Petersburg supermarket was a terrorist act, and urged security forces to "take no prisoners" when dealing with imminent threats from terror-plot suspects.
• Russian Space Agency Says Regains Communications With Angolan Satellite RFE/RL 28 Dec 2017 -- The Russian space agency says it has regained communications with an Angolan telecommunications satellite launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome.
• Peru: Pardon of former President Fujimori a 'slap in the face' for victims, say UN rights experts UN News 28 Dec 2017 -- Condemning the pardoning of former President of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, a group of United Nations independent human rights experts have said that the move undermines the work of the judiciary and the international community to achieve justice.
• Zimbabwean general who helped end Mugabe's rule becomes VP Press TV 28 Dec 2017 -- Zimbabwe's former commander of the army, General Constantino Chiwenga, has been chosen as a vice president of the country.
• General Who Led Mugabe Ouster Now Zimbabwe Vice President VOA 28 Dec 2017 -- An army general who led the operation that forced Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to resign last month is now one of the country's two vice presidents. Critics are calling President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Cabinet a "coupnet" because of the three army generals who have prominent roles.