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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 07 Feb 2018 [PDF]
• Syrian Pro-Regime Forces Attack Prompts Coalition Defensive Strikes AFPS 07 Feb 2018 -- Syrian pro-regime forces initiated an unprovoked attack against well-established Syrian Democratic Forces headquarters today, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials said.
• U.S. Forces Strike Taliban, East Turkestan Islamic Movement Training Sites AFPS 07 Feb 2018 -- During the past weekend, U.S. forces conducted air operations to strike Taliban and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, or ETIM, training facilities in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, the commander of NATO air operations in Afghanistan said today.
• Department Of Defense Press Briefing By Major General Hecker via Teleconference from Kabul, Afghanistan DoD 07 Feb 2018 -- Presenter: Major General James B. Hecker, Commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan, and Commander, NATO Air Command-Afghanistan; Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway, Pentagon Spokesman
• Republican, Democratic senators question Trump's Afghan strategy Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- Republican and Democratic senators have grilled Trump administration officials about the war in Afghanistan, saying American taxpayers' money is being wasted on a failed war.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Trump tells Pentagon to plan grand military parade in Washington Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- US President Donald Trump has asked the Pentagon to plan a large-scale military parade later this year to showcase the might of America's armed forces amid mounting tensions with North Korea.
• Pentagon: Trump Ordered Military Parade in Washington VOA 07 Feb 2018 -- U.S. President Donald Trump wants a military parade in Washington to top the one he watched last Bastille Day in France, ordering Pentagon leaders to make plans for a show of military might in the American capital.
• Mattis Addresses White House Reporters About Budget Uncertainty AFPS 07 Feb 2018 -- Defense Secretary James N. Mattis took his defense budgetary concerns to White House reporters today, noting that he'd spent the last day and a half on Capitol Hill briefing members on the 2018 National Defense Strategy, and telling reporters he's heartened that Congress recognizes the sobering effect of budgetary uncertainty on America's military.
• Officials Who Commit Misconduct Must Be Held Accountable, DoD IG Says AFPS 07 Feb 2018 -- While it may be a small percentage of Defense Department senior officials who fail to uphold the high ideals and ethics required of their critical positions, those who commit misconduct must be held accountable, the acting DoD inspector general said on Capitol Hill today
• DOD Releases Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at Military Service Academies DoD 07 Feb 2018 -- Today, the Department of Defense released its Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the United States Military Service Academies for academic program year 2016 – 2017. This year's report contains the results of the department's on-site assessments of the Academies and outcomes of focus groups of cadets, midshipmen, faculty, and staff.
• U.S., Thai Leaders Reaffirm Military-to-Military Relationship AFPS 07 Feb 2018 -- U.S. and Thai military leaders reaffirmed the strong military-to-military relationship between the two countries in a series of meetings here.
• Exercise Cutlass Express 2018 Closes NNS 07 Feb 2018 -- Maritime forces from East Africa, West Indian Ocean nations, Europe, and the United States, as well as several international organizations, concluded the seventh iteration of the annual multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express 2018, Feb. 7.
• US 6th Fleet Completes Inaugural Fleet-360 War Game NNS 07 Feb 2018 -- Navy Warfare Development Command's new Fleet-360 war game aims to increase fighting effectiveness at the operational level of war. The U.S. 6th Fleet completed play of the first game in January.
• 10th Fleet Sailors Participate in WEST 2018 NNS 07 Feb 2018 -- Sailors from Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) San Diego, Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station (NCTS) San Diego and Cyber Protection Team 553 were on-hand at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command's Navy Information Warfare Pavilion, throughout the conference, in order to educate and inform WEST participants how they support the mission of FCC/C10F.
• Dewey, Sterett Depart San Diego for Indo-Asia-Pacific NNS 07 Feb 2018 -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Dewey (DDG 105) and USS Sterett (DDG 104) departed their homeport of Naval Base San Diego for a scheduled deployment to conduct operations in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region, Feb. 6.
• Ground missile defense system tested People's Daily 07 Feb 2018 -- China launched its first ground-based midcourse missile defense interception test in four years on Monday, a move experts said would further improve China's long-range missile defense capability during wartime.
• China's Fleet of Airborne Early Warning Aircraft Just Grew Massively Sputnik 07 Feb 2018 -- China has churned out several new KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft, a sign that the nation's defense industrial base may be rapidly maturing.
• Chinese Su-35 Fighter Jets Train for Combat Conditions in South China Sea Sputnik 07 Feb 2018 -- On Wednesday, China's People's Liberation Army Air Force announced that Su-35 fighter jets have been sent out for a joint combat patrol mission in the South China Sea.
• Opposition Attacks Modi Government for Keeping Rafale Price Under Wraps Sputnik 07 Feb 2018 -- The Narendra Modi-led government of India has refused to divulge the cost-per-unit of the 36 Rafale fighter jets it is buying from France. When attacked by the opposition over the allegedly "exorbitant" outlay for the purchase, Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharama told the Parliament that the details of the deal could not be divulged as it is "classified information."
• 'Pinpoint Accuracy': India Tests Short-Range Nuclear Ballistic Missile Sputnik 07 Feb 2018 -- India's Strategic Forces Command (SFC) test-fired the Agni-I short-range ballistic missile at their Integrated Test Range in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday. The nuclear-capable missile was fired at 8:30 a.m. local time, and SFC reported that the test was a "complete success."
• Iran's self-reliance brings it security: Defense Minister IRNA 07 Feb 2018 -- Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said that the country's achieved self-reliance brought it security in a hotbed of crisis.
• Russia to Deliver 6 Additional Yak-130 Aircraft to Myanmar Sputnik 07 Feb 2018 -- Russia will deliver to Myanmar an additional batch of six Yak-130 combat training aircraft, Mikhail Petukhov, a deputy director of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), told Sputnik.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and Secretary of Defense James Mattis The White House 07 Feb 2018

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 107, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 7 February 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 Feb 2018
• Bangladesh 'fully committed' to UN peacekeeping as vital element of global peace and security – UN Force Commander UN News 07 Feb 2018 -- UN peacekeeping is a "very important component" of keeping the world safe and secure, and Bangladesh remains "fully committed" to contributing men – and increasingly women – to serve.
• UN releases $9.1 million to fill 'critical healthcare gaps' in Yemen UN News 07 Feb 2018 -- With only 50 per cent of medical facilities fully functional in Yemen, the United Nations health agency is striving to fill a "critical" healthcare shortage and will use a $9.1 million emergency response grant to assist 630,000 vulnerable people in districts around Sana'a and al-Hudayda.
• Turkey not at odds with Russia over Afrin operation: Cavusoglu Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- Turkey says it has no disagreements with Russia over its military operation underway against US-backed Kurdish militants in the northern Syrian region of Afrin.
• Erdogan: Trump, Just Like Obama, Lies to Turkey About Kurdish Forces in Manbij Sputnik 07 Feb 2018 -- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Barrack Obama of not fulfilling the promise they'd made to Ankara to compel the Kurdish Self-Defense Forces (YPG) to leave Manbij in Syria's Aleppo Governorate.
• Tehran Steps Up Pressure on Ankara Over Syrian Operation VOA 07 Feb 2018 -- Iran is the latest country to add its voice to growing calls for Turkey to curtail its military operation in Syria against a Syrian Kurdish militia. Turkey-Iran relations have recently improved, but Tehran is seen to be increasingly concerned about the lack of clarity on the scope and duration of the Turkish military operation and Ankara's goals.
• Syrian Army regains control over many villages, towns in Hama, Aleppo IRNA 07 Feb 2018 -- Syrian Arab Army units advanced in the pocket they had encircled on January 20, which extends from southeast of Khanasser in Aleppo countryside to west of Sinjar in the countryside of Idleb and to al-Sa'an area in Hama countryside.
• SDF Say Liberated Settlement Near Afrin From Pro-Turkey Militants Sputnik 07 Feb 2018 -- The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which are part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on Wednesday said that the village of Sheikh Khoruz in the Syrian district of Afrin has been cleared of pro-Turkey groups.
• Syria air defenses respond to new Israeli aggression near Damascus: Army Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- The Syrian army says its air defenses intercepted several missiles fired by Israeli warplanes towards a military position near the capital, Damascus.
• Syria Says Israeli Strikes Target Military Outpost Near Damascus RFE/RL 07 Feb 2018 -- The Syrian Army says Israeli warplanes have fired rockets from Lebanese airspace targeting an army position in a rural area near Damascus.
• Iraqi forces launch offensive against new militant outfit in north Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- Iraq's armed forces have launched a large-scale military operation along a planned oil transit route in the north against a new militant outfit reportedly comprised of Daesh remnants and Kurdish mafia elements.
• Iraqi Military Announces Operation to Clear Mountains Near Kirkuk Oil Region Sputnik 07 Feb 2018 -- In October 2017, Baghdad retook control of Kirkuk Province as a result of an Iraqi army operation against Kurdish military groups. Kirkuk Province is considered the oil capital of northern Iraq.
• Iraq Launches New Operation Against Militants in NE Region VOA 07 Feb 2018 -- The Iraqi army and the Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces on Wednesday started a major offensive against armed militants in the country's northeastern region near the border with Iran.
• UN says over 300 child soldiers have been freed in South Sudan Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- The United Nations says over 300 child soldiers have been released by armed groups in war-ravaged South Sudan under a scheme to help reintegrate them into society.
• South Sudan National Security Agents Accused of Rape, Arbitrary Arrests VOA 07 Feb 2018 -- A new report released by South Sudan's Human Rights Commission says national security operatives continue to rape women and girls and arbitrarily arrest and detain people across the country.
• Israel border wall 'act of aggression': Lebanon Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- Israel's plan to construct a security wall on the border with Lebanon amounts to an "act of aggression" and would not go unanswered, Lebanon's top council of political, military and security heads has warned.
• Kosovo: Despite differences, potential for trust among political leaders remains, Security Council told UN News 07 Feb 2018 -- Even though significant differences persist between political leaders in Kosovo, the potential for trust and more forward-looking decision-making to address the challenges there should not be underestimated, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.

News Reports

• Russians penetrated US election systems, top US official claims Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- A senior US intelligence official claims the Russians successfully penetrated the voter registration rolls of several US states prior to the 2016 presidential election.
• Report: Russia 'Successfully Penetrated' US Voter Systems in 2016 VOA 07 Feb 2018 -- A senior U.S. cybersecurity official has told NBC News that Russian hackers successfully penetrated the voter registration rolls of several U.S. states prior to the 2016 presidential election.
• Maldives Supreme Court rescinds ruling after arrest of judges Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- The Maldives' Supreme Court has reversed a ruling to release nine indicted opposition politicians shortly after the arrest of the court's own chief justice and another judge.
• Maldives' Opposition Wants Indian Troops on Ground to Diffuse Political Crisis Sputnik 07 Feb 2018 -- Exiled former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has called for Indian intervention in diffusing the political crisis dogging the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago after the current leadership declared an emergency. In a series of Tweets, the former President and opposition leader urged India to take swift action to save the Maldivian democracy from crumbling.
• Maldives: Democracy under 'all-out assault,' warns UN rights chief UN News 07 Feb 2018 -- The declaration of the state of emergency in the Maldives by President Abdulla Yameen and the resulting suspension of constitutional guarantees have undermined the checks and balances necessary in any functioning democracy, the United Nations human rights chief warned Wednesday.
• Pushed by Party, South Africa's Scandal-Plagued Zuma May Have to Resign VOA 07 Feb 2018 -- The man who sat by Nelson Mandela's side as they negotiated the end of South Africa's apartheid regime has gone on to become the most divisive leader in this nation's short democratic history.
• South African President's Talks With Deputy Fuel Resignation Speculation VOA 07 Feb 2018 -- South African President Jacob Zuma held a second day of talks Wednesday with deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, fueling speculation the embattled Zuma will resign.
• Political fate of South African president in limbo, rumors emerge of deal with ruling party Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- South Africa's ruling party has postponed a top-level meeting that was expected to decide about scandal-hit President Jacob Zuma's political future, as rumors emerge that it has reached a deal with Zuma to step down.
• Russia's Election Commission Registers Three More Presidential Candidates RFE/RL 07 Feb 2018 -- Russia's Central Election Commission has registered three more candidates for the March 18 presidential election, raising the total number of candidates to six.
• Russian Presidential Hopeful: If Putin Could Safely Retire, He Would VOA 07 Feb 2018 -- Russian presidential hopeful Ksenia Sobchak, a Russian TV celebrity and socialite, has told VOA that the rumors are true: If her father's old political mentor, President Vladimir Putin, were guaranteed a personally safe exit from public life, he would willingly retire from politics.
• Mike Pence announces 'toughest' sanctions against North Korea Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- US Vice President Mike Pence has said Washington will soon unveil its "toughest sanctions ever" on North Korea to force it to abandon its nuclear and missile programs.
• North Korean leader's sister to travel to South for Olympics: Seoul Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister will be part of a North Korean delegation that will visit the South for the Winter Olympics, South Korea says.
• Kim Jong-Un's Sister Set to Visit South Korea for the First Time Sputnik 07 Feb 2018 -- According to Seoul's unification ministry, Kim Yo-Jong as a member of the DPRK delegation will travel to the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games.
• US to Unveil 'Toughest, Most Aggressive Ever' Sanctions Against N Korea - Pence Sputnik 07 Feb 2018 -- The United States will soon roll out its "toughest and most aggressive" round of economic sanctions to ensure the denuclearization against North Korea, US Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday.
• Sister of North Korean Leader to Visit South for Winter Olympics VOA 07 Feb 2018 -- The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will travel to South Korea this week for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
• Pence Announces US to Issue 'Toughest, Most Aggressive' North Korea Sanctions VOA 07 Feb 2018 -- Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday the United States will soon announce its "the toughest and most aggressive" economic sanctions ever against North Korea.
• Iran position nine on world satellite record launch: Space official IRNA 07 Feb 2018 -- Iran ranks ninth among countries who have been able to place satellites in the orbit, the director of the plan and management department of the Iranian Space Research Center told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
• U.S. Designates Three Pakistani-Based Militants As 'Global Terrorists' RFE/RL 07 Feb 2018 -- The United States has designated three Pakistani-based militants as "global terrorists," as Washington heaps pressure on Islamabad to crack down on militants.
• Treasury Sanctions South Asian Terrorist Facilitators US Treasury 07 Feb 2018 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action today to disrupt South Asian terrorist support networks by designating three individuals, Rahman Zeb Faqir Muhammad, Hizb Ullah Astam Khan, and Dilawar Khan Nadir Khan, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.
• Xi: Multiparty ties need new impetus People's Daily 07 Feb 2018 -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has called for multiparty cooperation to better meet the needs of the new era of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.
• Turkish court sentences 64 to life in prison over 2016 failed coup Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- A court in Turkey has sentenced 64 military personnel to life imprisonment on charges of involvement in the July 2016 coup attempt, which the Ankara government says was masterminded by US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen.
• Turkey has met conditions for EU visa liberalization: Erdogan's spokesman Press TV 07 Feb 2018 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman says the country has met all 72 requirements laid down by the European Union to get the EU's visa-free waiver program.
• Tajik Election Law Changes Seen Favoring President's Son RFE/RL 07 Feb 2018 -- The lower chamber of Tajikistan's parliament has approved amendments to the laws on presidential and parliamentary elections - lowering the eligibility age from 35 to 30 for the presidency and legislative posts in parliament's upper chamber.