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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 08 Feb 2018 [PDF]
• Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 08 Feb 2018 -- Presenter: Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White
• Pentagon Official Describes Response to Attack by Pro-Regime Syrian Forces AFPS 08 Feb 2018 -- When Syrian pro-regime forces attacked Syrian Democratic Forces yesterday, they moved in a battalion-sized unit formation supported by artillery, tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems and mortars, chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White told reporters today.
• US-led coalition attacks pro-Syrian government forces in Dayr al-Zawr Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- The US-led coalition in Syria has attacked pro-Damascus forces in what it claims to be defensive strikes in the country's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.
• U.S. Says It Notified Russia Before Massive Attack On Pro-Syria Forces RFE/RL 08 Feb 2018 -- The Pentagon says U.S. commanders notified Russian counterparts of an air and ground assault on pro-Syrian fighters in response to an attack on U.S. allied militias in eastern Syria.
• Mattis: 'Self-Defense' Attack Doesn't Mean US Getting into Syrian Civil War VOA 08 Feb 2018 -- Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said the U.S. is not trying to get involved in the yearslong Syrian civil war, after U.S.-led coalition airstrikes killed about 100 pro-government forces who had attacked coalition-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
• Pentagon Says Conducted 'Defensive' Airstrikes Against Pro-Syrian Gov't Forces Sputnik 08 Feb 2018 -- The US-led coalition conducted defensive airstrikes against pro-government forces in Syria that attacked Syrian Democratic Forces headquarters near the Euphrates River, US Central Command said in a press release Wednesday.
• Mattis pressing NATO for long-term stay in Iraq: Report Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- The United States is reportedly pressing NATO to set up a long-term mission in post-Daesh Iraq amid fears among the European members of the Western military alliance that they could be dragged into yet another Afghanistan-like quagmire.
• US Launches Airstrikes in NE Afghanistan to Deter Cross-Border Terrorism VOA 08 Feb 2018 -- The U.S. military says its new counterterrorism airstrikes are meant to support Afghanistan in reassuring neighboring countries that it is not a "safe sanctuary" for terrorists who want to carry out cross-border attacks.
• U.S. Shifts More Air Assets To Afghanistan, Calls It 'Main Effort' RFE/RL 08 Feb 2018 -- The United States has started shifting combat and intelligence-gathering air assets to Afghanistan as the battle against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group is winding down in Iraq and Syria, a top commander in Afghanistan says.
• C-17 Crews Help to Realign Assets to Afghanistan AFPS 08 Feb 2018 -- Late in January, at an altitude of nearly 30,000 feet, a 174-foot long aircraft cut through the air with more than 40,000 pounds of thrust per engine. The equipment and personnel on board were needed to support ongoing operations in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility.
• PNS Aslat Seizes 5 Tons of Drugs to Total $1 Billion in CTF-150 Seized Drugs in Recent Months NNS 08 Feb 2018 -- Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Aslat (254), as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, seized five tons of hashish Feb. 6, while patrolling the Arabian Sea.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Fewer non-deployable Soldiers, less-frequent PCS moves a goal, Army secretary says Army News 08 Feb 2018 -- The Army is taking a hard look at the number of Soldiers who are designated as non-deployable and also at possibly reducing the frequency of permanent-change-of-station moves, Secretary of the Army Mark Esper said at a meeting with service organizations.
• USS Rushmore Concludes U.S.-Japan Exercise Iron Fist AFPS 08 Feb 2018 -- The dock landing ship USS Rushmore, with elements from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, concluded exercise Iron Fist 2018 yesterday off the Southern California coast.
• South Carolina National Guard prepares to support Operation Atlantic Resolve Army News 08 Feb 2018 -- The 678th Air Defense Battalion, South Carolina Army National Guard, headquartered in Eastover, South Carolina, held a deploying and casing of the colors ceremony, Feb. 1, 2018.
• Media Availability with Secretary Mattis DoD 08 Feb 2018 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis
• DOD Releases New Policy for Harassment Prevention and Response in the Armed Forces DoD 08 Feb 2018 -- The Department of Defense announced today the release of Department of Defense Instruction 1020.03, "Harassment Prevention and Response in the Armed Forces," effective immediately.
• Navy Releases RFP for FY 2018-2022 DDG 51 Multiyear Shipbuilding Procurement NNS 08 Feb 2018 -- The Navy released the final Request for Proposal (RFP) for the DDG 51 Fiscal Years (FY) 2018-2022 Multiyear Procurement (MYP) for Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Feb. 8.
• USS Oak Hill to Deploy NNS 08 Feb 2018 -- Nearly 400 Sailors serving in the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) will deploy Feb. 9.
• USS Iwo Jima Begins 2018 Deployment NNS 08 Feb 2018 -- More than 2,500 Sailors and Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) departed the ship's homeport of Naval Station Mayport, Florida, for a scheduled six-month deployment Feb. 7.
• US Navy Wants to Skip 'Shock Testing' of New Aircraft Carrier, Pentagon Protests Sputnik 08 Feb 2018 -- The US Navy has requested the delay of planned shock testing on their newest aircraft carrier in order to fast-track the ship into combat duty. The Pentagon's testing arm has opposed the delay, warning the $12.9 billion carrier could be vulnerable in combat without it.
• Sky's the Limit: Russian Military to Start Combat Trials of Stealthy Su-57 Jet Sputnik 08 Feb 2018 -- The new plane is Russia's entry in the fifth-gen multirole stealth fighter jet category.
• US Tries to Convince Vietnam to Abandon Russian Arms Deals - Reports Sputnik 08 Feb 2018 -- The US State Department wants Vietnam to buy more weapons from the US, after Washington lifted its lethal arms embargo on its one-time enemy in 2016, Defense News reported.
• China to Develop Sea-Based Missile Interceptors Sputnik 08 Feb 2018 -- China is planning to develop a sea-based missile defense launcher after completing a successful intercept of a ballistic missile in space from a ground-based system earlier this week, according to the South China Morning Post.
• China's 'killers in the sky' practice combat Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- China says it has sent its Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 advanced fighter jets for training under "real combat" conditions in the South China Sea, a potential show of force against the controversial presence of the United States military in the disputed region.
• China's Air Force part of joint patrol over S China Sea People's Daily 08 Feb 2018 -- The Chinese air force recently sent its Su-35 fighter jets to take part in a joint combat patrol over the South China Sea. [Photo/Weibo of the Air Force]
• India Develops its Own Cyber Threat-Eliminating Operating System for Aircraft Sputnik 08 Feb 2018 -- Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) – a state-owned firm has claimed to have developed India's first indigenous real-time operating system (RTOS) which was successfully tested on the Hawk-i trainer aircraft on Wednesday.
• US Confirms Nine American Abrams Tanks in Hands of Iranian Militias Sputnik 08 Feb 2018 -- Iranian militias in Iraq have obtained up to nine M1 Abrams main battle tanks, according to a Pentagon inspector general's audit of the mission to crush Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
• Germany Building More Ships to Boost Israeli Maritime Missile Shield – IDF Sputnik 08 Feb 2018 -- Germany is building four ships to add to Israel's sea-based missile shield called Iron Dome, according to a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces.
• Department Press Briefing - February 08, 2018 US Dept. of State 08 Feb 2018
• Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah The White House 08 Feb 2018

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 08, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 8 February 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 08 Feb 2018
• International community must stay 'one step ahead' of ISIL, stresses UN official UN News 08 Feb 2018 -- Despite military successes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh), the terrorist group and its affiliates continue to pose a significant threat around the world, the top United Nations counter-terrorism official told the Security Council today, urging strengthened international cooperation to address violent extremism and bring those behind it to justice.
• Syrian army takes full control of two villages Hama province IRNA 08 Feb 2018 -- Units of Syrian Arab Army, in cooperation with the popular defense groups, on Thursday tightened control over Qaser Ibn Wardan and al-Museitbeh in northeastern countryside of Hama.
• Syria urges UN to condemn US 'massacre' in Dayr al-Zawr Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- Damascus has strongly denounced as a "war crime" a deadly strike carried out by the US-led military coalition against pro-government forces in Syria's eastern Dayr al-Zawr province, saying US presence in the country is "illegitimate."
• Syrian state TV confirms US attack against government forces fighting Daesh Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- Syrian state media have slammed as an act of aggression the recent US-led aerial assault against the pro-government forces operating in the eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr, saying the strike was aimed at promoting terrorists.
• Turkish, Russian Leaders Speak as Syria Strains Grow VOA 08 Feb 2018 -- Turkey and Russia's presidents have reportedly agreed to meet with their Iranian counterpart in Istanbul in the near future.
• Putin, Erdogan agree to boost military coordination in Syria: Kremlin Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayip Erdogan have agreed to strengthen Ankara-Moscow military and security coordination in Syria.
• Aoun: Lebanon military ready to confront Israel Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun says he has ordered the country's armed forces to confront any attempt by Israel to undermine Lebanon's sovereignty, as Israeli officials stir more territorial tensions with Beirut.
• UN warns Congo's anti-militant offensive could displace 370,000 people Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- The United Nations has warned that an ongoing offensive against militants in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DCR) could displace some 370,000 people.
• UN launches appeal to fund relief work in Nigeria's restive north-east UN News 08 Feb 2018 -- With the crisis in north-east Nigeria – a region devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency – into its ninth year, United Nations agencies together with humanitarian partners today launched a $1 billion appeal to fund life-saving and emergency assistance programmes in the region.
• Myanmar using food as quiet weapon against Rohingya: Reports Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- The government in Myanmar is using food as a quiet weapon against minority Rohingya Muslims in the country's troubled west, new reports reveal.

News Reports

• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, February 8, 2018 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 08 Feb 2018
• Eight Candidates To Run For President Of Russia RFE/RL 08 Feb 2018 -- Eight candidates will be on the ballot in Russia's March 18 presidential vote, a poll that appears certain to hand President Vladimir Putin a new six-year term.
• ICC to open separate initial examinations of Philippines 'war on drugs;' Venezuela protests UN News 08 Feb 2018 -- The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Thursday that she will open preliminary examinations into the so-called "war on drugs" campaign launched by the Government of the Philippines and, separately analyze alleged crimes committed by Venezuela related to the demonstrations and ongoing political unrest there.
• Azerbaijan's Ruling Party Nominates Aliyev As Presidential Candidate RFE/RL 08 Feb 2018 -- Azerbaijan's ruling party has nominated incumbent President Ilham Aliyev as its candidate in the snap April presidential election.
• Pence: U.S., Allies to Continue Peacefully Dismantling North Korea's Nuke Program AFPS 08 Feb 2018 -- In recent years, North Korea has threatened the United States and its allies across the Indo-Pacific region, and for the past two decades, it's devoted every available resource to developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, Vice President Mike Pence told American and Japanese troops at Yokota Air Base in Japan yesterday.
• North Korea holds major military parade, ups rhetoric against US Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- North Korea has held a major parade a day before the opening of the Winter Olympics in the South, in a clear warning to the United States that any act of invasion would be met with the toughest response possible.
• North Korea snubs US: No plan to meet American officials Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- North Korea says it has "no intention" of meeting with American officials during the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in South Korea.
• Pence Counters South Korea's Olympic Engagement Efforts with North Korea VOA 08 Feb 2018 -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence assured South Korea the United States will stand shoulder to shoulder with its allies to bring "maximum pressure" on North Korea to end its nuclear and ballistic missile program.
• Younger Sister of North Korean Leader Prepares for Spotlight VOA 08 Feb 2018 -- Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, will be the first member of the country's ruling party to enter South Korea when she arrives at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony Friday in Pyeongchang.
• UN Permits North Korean Officials to Visit South Korea VOA 08 Feb 2018 -- The United Nations has given approval for a high-level North Korean delegation to travel to South Korea for the Olympics, granting an exemption on sanctions against the repressive regime.
• EU to enact 'blocking regulations' if US withdraws from Iran deal Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- A European Union official says the 28-nation bloc could put in place "blocking regulations" to ensure that its companies continue doing business with Iran if the United States pulls out of the multilateral 2015 nuclear deal.
• China, Russia voice support for Iran's nuclear deal amid US threats Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- China and Russia have reaffirmed their support for Iran's nuclear deal with six world powers, including Beijing and Moscow, amid US President Donald Trump's threats against the multinational accord.
• US trying to mislead Iran into leaving JCPOA: Araqchi Press TV 08 Feb 2018 -- An Iranian deputy foreign minister says the United States is trying to mislead Tehran into leaving the nuclear deal.
• Iranian Says Secure Nuclear Deal Before Talks On 'Other Issues' RFE/RL 08 Feb 2018 -- A senior Iranian official says the West must ensure that the 2015 nuclear deal is a success before his country can begin to discuss other issues affecting the Middle East region.
• Pakistan Says Cutting Aid May Further Complicate Relations With US VOA 08 Feb 2018 -- The United States' attempt to cut Pakistan's military or civilian aid may lead to further complications in the relations between the two countries, Pakistan's interior minister said Thursday.
• UN seeks $1.06 billion to help fragile countries create 'firewall against famine' UN News 08 Feb 2018 -- Ongoing conflicts and climate-related shocks have left millions of people on the brink of starvation, the United Nations agriculture agency warned on Thursday as it launched a $1.06 billion appeal to save lives and livelihoods, and tackle acute hunger in 26 countries.
• What's Next for South Africa's Embattled Zuma? Court, Probably VOA 08 Feb 2018 -- South African President Jacob Zuma is likely to end his presidency the same way he started it: mired in corruption charges.