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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 12 Jan 2018 [PDF]
• Military Strikes Target ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 12 Jan 2018 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria between Jan. 5 and Jan. 11, conducting 96 strikes consisting of 160 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• A-10s Bring Thunder to Fight Against ISIS AFPS 12 Jan 2018 -- The 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron is wrapping up a deployment here that saw heavy involvement in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
• US Plans to Bolster Military Capabilities in Afghanistan With Drones, Personnel Sputnik 12 Jan 2018 -- The United States is considering the option of sending additional unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and combat advisers to Afghanistan in order to strengthen the capabilities ahead of the hostilities' escalation expected in spring, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US military officials.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Readout of Deputy Secretary Shanahan's Meeting with Japan Minister of State for Space Policy Matsuyama DoD 12 Jan 2018
• US, Japan Hold Joint Military Drill Amid Korea Tensions VOA 12 Jan 2018 -- American and Japanese military forces have launched joint exercises amid tensions with North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
• Army intensifying Stinger air missile training as part of new strategic initiatives Army News 12 Jan 2018 -- For the first time in nearly 15 years, 7th Army Training Command's Joint Multinational Readiness Center will soon begin observing, coaching and training Soldiers using the FIM-92 Stinger Man-Portable, Air Defense Missile System during future exercises. In preparation for this, approximately 50 Observer Coach/Trainers, known as OC/Ts, attended their own training on the Stinger system at the Hohenfels Training Area, Jan. 10.
• Espionage Fears Spur US Army Base to Replace Chinese Security Cameras Sputnik 12 Jan 2018 -- A US Army base in Missouri has removed all of its Chinese-made cameras following concerns that the devices were being used by China to conduct surveillance on the US military.
• Qatar files complaint to UN over 'airspace violation' by UAE fighter jet Press TV 12 Jan 2018 -- Qatar has lodged a complaint with the United Nations about what it calls a violation of its airspace last month by a United Arab Emirates (UAE) fighter jet, warning that Doha reserves the right to defend its skies and borders under international law.
• New J-16 Fighters Enter China's Air Fleet Sputnik 12 Jan 2018 -- China's J-16 fighter jets are quietly being introduced to the People's Liberation Army Air Force at a faster rate than the country's new fifth-generation J-20, though the latter has garnered much more international attention.
• North Korea Expanding New Tunnel at Nuke Test Site Following Collapse Sputnik 12 Jan 2018 -- North Korea has stepped up tunneling activities at its sole nuclear test site, according to US-based think tanks. Satellite imagery has revealed that activity around the Punggye-ri test site has greatly increased, with mining carts and piles of excavated material littering the landscape.
• Indian Army Chief: 'We Have to Be Prepared' Amid Chinese 'Pressure' Sputnik 12 Jan 2018 -- Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, while speaking at the annual press conference in New Delhi, said that India was dealing with the "pressures exerted by China" and trying to not escalate the situation.
• Pakistanis feel 'betrayed' by US: Army chief Press TV 12 Jan 2018 -- Pakistan's army chief has slammed the United States for President Donald Trump's chastising remarks against Pakistan's leaders over their effort to fight terrorism.
• Entire Pakistan Nation Feels 'Betrayed' Over US Criticism - Army Chief Sputnik 12 Jan 2018 -- US Central Command chief General Joseph Votel has announced that Washington was not considering any unilateral action inside Pakistan during his talks with General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
• Pakistani Army Chief Says Nation Felt 'Betrayed' by US VOA 12 Jan 2018 -- A top American general has told Pakistan's army chief the U.S. military does not intend to conduct any unilateral strikes inside the country and both sides emphasized the need for continued cooperation to fight terrorism, an official announcement said Friday.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 12, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 12 January 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 12 Jan 2018
• Landmine explosion leaves 3 soldiers dead in Saudi Arabia's Najran Press TV 12 Jan 2018 -- At least three Saudi soldiers have been killed when a powerful landmine explosion ripped through their military vehicle in the kingdom's southwestern border region of Najran.
• Syria commanders accuse Turkey of masterminding militant attack Press TV 12 Jan 2018 -- Syrian field commanders say Turkey has helped Takfiri militants conduct an attack in the northwest this week to counter the government forces' advances.
• Russian military eliminates militants behind Syria air base attack Press TV 12 Jan 2018 -- Russia says its artillery units have wiped out a group of foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists, who lobbed a barrage of mortar shells at the Russia-run Hmeimim air base in Syria's western coastal province of Latakia late last year.
• Putin's envoy, Assad hold talks on terror fight, peace process in Damascus Press TV 12 Jan 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's point man has met with Syrian President Assad for talks on counterterrorism fight and the Arab country's path towards peace and reconstruction.
• Syrian Deputy FM Urges US, Turkey to Withdraw Troops From Syria Sputnik 12 Jan 2018 -- The US and Turkey have deployed their troops in Syria without any mandate and have still refused to withdraw them, despite Damascus' warnings.
• Unauthorized foreign presence on Syria soil unacceptable: Deputy FM Press TV 12 Jan 2018 -- Syria says the foreign forces who have made their way into the country and established bases there without the consent of Damascus are occupiers and should leave Syrian soil.
• Iraqis returning home outnumber displaced for first time since 2013, says UN migration agency UN News 12 Jan 2018 -- The number of Iraqis returning to their area of origin has surpassed those internally displaced for the first time since December 2013, when the country became engulfed in conflict with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh), the United Nations migration agency said Friday.
• Greece Sees 'Window Of Opportunity' To Settle Name Dispute With Macedonia RFE/RL 12 Jan 2018 -- Leaders of Greece and Macedonia say they have been working hard to settle their decadeslong dispute over the name Macedonia.
• The Troika on Cessation of Hostilities Violations in South Sudan US Dept. of State 12 Jan 2018 -- The text of the following statement was issued jointly by the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Norway.
• South Sudan: Rebuilt bridge in Upper Nile helping local communities, improving aid delivery UN News 12 Jan 2018 -- For Samuel James Ayot, a villager from Akoka in rural north South Sudan, accessing basic services and earning a livelihood does not mean having to make a perilous neck-deep wade across a river, thanks to the tireless efforts of Indian peacekeepers from the United Nations mission there, who rebuilt a bridge and connected his village to a major provincial town.
• Philippine Muslim Group's Violent Streak Raises Specter of New War VOA 12 Jan 2018 -- The Philippines, still recovering from battles last year against a group of Islamic State-inspired, anti-government Muslim rebels, is confronting a rise in violence by another band from the same region and with a similar ideology.

News Reports

• World Reacts to Trump's Vulgar Immigration Comment VOA 12 Jan 2018 -- President Donald Trump's vulgar comments to U.S. lawmakers explaining his opposition to Haitian and African migrants has sparked outrage and condemnation at home and abroad.
• Arrests Grow as Tunisian Army Cracks Down on Protesters VOA 12 Jan 2018 -- The United Nations human rights office says it is concerned about the large number of arrests as Tunisian authorities crack down on protesters demonstrating against price and tax.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, January 12, 2018 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 12 Jan 2018
• New Bill On 'Foreign Agent' Media Advances In Russian Duma RFE/RL 12 Jan 2018 -- Russian lawmakers have given preliminary approval to a bill that would enable the government to brand some individual journalists and bloggers -- not only media outlets -- as foreign agents.
• Trump waives Iran nuclear sanctions, but for last time: White House Press TV 12 Jan 2018 -- US President Donald Trump has reluctantly agreed not to reimpose nuclear sanctions on Iran, but said it would be the last time he issues such a waiver, according to the White House.
• Trump Extends Sanctions Relief Under Iran Nuclear Deal, But Threatens Pullout RFE/RL 12 Jan 2018 -- U.S. President Donald Trump says he will extend sanctions relief granted to Iran under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, leaving the accord intact for now, but his administration targeted a high-profile Iranian for new nonnuclear sanctions.
• Treasury Sanctions Individuals and Entities for Human Rights Abuses and Censorship in Iran, and Support to Sanctioned Weapons Proliferators US Treasury 12 Jan 2018 -- Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 14 individuals and entities in connection with serious human rights abuses and censorship in Iran, and support to designated Iranian weapons proliferators.
• Trump Waives Iran Nuclear Sanctions for Last Time VOA 12 Jan 2018 -- United States President Donald Trump approved new sanctions on Iran Friday, while stopping short for a third time of re-imposing harsh sanctions intended to push Tehran to give up nuclear weapons research.
• Background Press Call on Iran Sanctions The White House 12 Jan 2018
• Statement by the President on the Iran Nuclear Deal The White House 12 Jan 2018
• Xi calls for fundamental improvement of CPC political ecosystem People's Daily 12 Jan 2018 -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Thursday called for more anti-corruption efforts to "fundamentally improve the political ecosystem of the Party."
• First Hualong One reactor unit gets its dome People's Daily 12 Jan 2018 -- The world's first Hualong One nuclear reactor has been completed in south China's Fujian province after the installation of its dome-shaped containment structure, chinanews.com reported on Thursday.
• US and 16 Allies Urge Nations to Catch Ships Violating N Korea Sanctions Sputnik 12 Jan 2018 -- The US and 16 other members of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Operational Experts Group have pledged to intercept ships heading to North Korea as called for in a newly adopted United Nations Security Council sanctions and have called on all UN member states to do the same, a joint statement said on Friday.
• North Korean Leader Explains Secret Letting Pyongyang Withstand Long Sanctions Sputnik 12 Jan 2018 -- North Korea will not face any difficulties even if foreign nations introduce anti-Pyongyang sanctions that could last for a century, North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un said Friday.
• Joint Statement From Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Partners in Support of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2375 and 2397 Enforcement US Dept. of State 12 Jan 2018
• U.S. Sets Up Team To Investigate Hizballah For Drug Trafficking RFE/RL 12 Jan 2018 -- The U.S. Justice Department said it is setting up a new team to investigate alleged drug trafficking by Hizballah, the Iran-backed Lebanese Shi'ite group that the United States has branded a terrorist organization.
• Indian Space Agency Successfully Launches Country's 100th Satellite Sputnik 12 Jan 2018 -- The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully launched the country's 100th satellite – the advanced remote sensing "Cartosat-2" from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota on Friday.
• Turkish parliament strips pro-Kurdish lawmaker of her status Press TV 12 Jan 2018 -- The Turkish parliament has stripped a lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) of her status for a second time as the Ankara government presses ahead with a clampdown on members of the opposition party.
• Turkey reinstates 1,800 civil servants after acquittal Press TV 12 Jan 2018 -- Turkish authorities have reinstated hundreds of civil servants who had been fired over alleged links to a failed coup attempt in 2016.
• Kurdish Leader in Court as Turkish Judiciary's Independence Again Questioned VOA 12 Jan 2018 -- The jailed head of Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition appeared in court for the first time Friday since his arrest 14 months ago in a crackdown that followed a failed coup in 2016. Hundreds gathered outside the Istanbul courthouse, chanting slogans in support of Selahattin Demirtas.