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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 21 Feb 2018 [PDF]
• Explosion kills 3 tribal elders in east Afghanistan Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- A blast at a hotel in Afghanistan's eastern city of Jalalabad has killed at least three tribal elders and injured two others, although the exact cause of the explosion remains unclear.
• Russia voices worries over US, NATO denial of Daesh in Afghanistan Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has voiced worries over the US and NATO's denial of the presence of Daesh terrorists in Afghanistan.
• Taliban Rebels Impose Taxes on Media Outlets in Restive Ghazni VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- In an effort to find new ways of financing their insurgency, Taliban rebels have turned to local media for taxation and threatened news outlets in central Afghanistan with punitive measures if they refuse to give in to the militant group's demands.
• Watchdog Accuses Afghan Forces of Summary Executions VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- A global watchdog is calling on Afghan authorities and the U.S. military to promptly investigate allegations local forces summarily executed civilians during recent counter-Taliban operations in the southern Kandahar province.

Defense Policy / Programs

• T-X to replace T-38 at pilot training bases AFNS 21 Feb 2018 -- The Air Force announced Feb. 21, 2018, that the Advanced Pilot Trainer (T-X) will replace T-38C Talon aircraft at existing undergraduate pilot training bases, with Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, named as the preferred location for the first T-X aircraft scheduled to arrive in 2022.
• 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team conducts signal gunnery, makes information more lethal Army News 21 Feb 2018 -- The 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team signal Soldiers conducted signal gunnery Feb. 6-11 on Gowen Field and in the Orchard Combat Training Center.
• VP-8 Fighting Tigers Rescue Fishermen Lost at Sea for 8 Days in South Pacific NNS 21 Feb 2018 -- Crewmembers assigned to the "Fighting Tigers" of Patrol Squadron Eight (VP-8) rescued three fishermen Feb. 20, whose vessel was adrift in the South Pacific for eight days.
• Wayne E. Meyer Arrives in Kota Kinabalu NNS 21 Feb 2018 -- USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia for a regularly scheduled port visit, Feb. 21.
• US to Deploy Lethal Drones to Korean Peninsula After Olympic Games - Report Sputnik 21 Feb 2018 -- Recent reports by South Korean news media claim that the US will deploy attack drones to the Korean Peninsula in the next few months.
• Stoltenberg Discusses NATO Transatlantic Link at Munich Conference AFPS 21 Feb 2018 -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is arguably the most successful alliance in history, ensuring no general war in Europe since the end of World War II. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the Munich Security Conference last week that the organization is adapting to ensure it continues its success against new threats and challenges.
• Russian Strategic Bombers Conduct Air Patrol Over Sea of Japan Sputnik 21 Feb 2018 -- Russia's two strategic Tu-95MS missile carriers conducted a successful air patrol operation over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea as well as the western part of the Pacific Ocean, the Krasnaya Zvezda, the official newspaper of the Russian Defense Ministry, reported Tuesday.
• PLA air force unit passes through Bashi Channel CNA 21 Feb 2018 -- A unit from the China's People's Liberation Army air force, including reconnaissance planes and jet fighters, flew through the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines as part of a long-range flight training mission in the western Pacific Wednesday, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND).
• 'China deploys warships to East Indian Ocean' amid rivalry with India Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- A Chinese news portal says 11 Chinese warships have entered the East Indian Ocean this month, in what seems to have been a show of strength amid a rivalry in the region with India and a crisis in the Maldives.
• Chinese Fighter Jets Train Over Tibet Sputnik 21 Feb 2018 -- The Chinese air force has started carrying out air exercises in the western part of the country over Tibet and close to the India-China border, as India's capabilities grow.
• Britain set to launch Combat Air Strategy, Defence Secretary announces UK MOD 21 Feb 2018 -- A Combat Air Strategy will be launched to ensure Britain maintains a world-leading combat air capability, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson announced in front of the defence select committee today.
• Israel Counters Iran's New Missile With 'Successful' Interceptor Test VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- Israel and its U.S. ally say they have successfully tested an anti-missile system that would protect the Jewish state from a potential long-range missile attack by its regional rival, Iran.
• Tehran, Baku to expand military, defense ties: Iranian defense minister ISNA 21 Feb 2018 -- Iranian defense minister has arrived in Azerbaijan's Baku at the head of a high-ranking delegation to explore ways of broadening defense collaboration between the two countries.
• South Korea Seeks PAC-3 Precision-Guided Missiles from Lockheed Martin Sputnik 21 Feb 2018 -- The South Korean Ministry of National Defense has approved a deal to procure $53 million worth of PAC-3 missiles to counter the North Korean threat.
• Kuwait - Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance King Air 350ER DSCA 21 Feb 2018 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Kuwait of King Air 350ER Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft for an estimated cost of $259 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
• Japan 'mulls buying complete US F-35As' rather than assembling aircraft locally Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- Japanese military planners are considering purchasing at least 20 additional F-35A stealth fighters directly from American group Lockheed Martin Corp rather than assembling them locally.
• U.S. delegation pledges support for Taiwan's self defense CNA 21 Feb 2018 -- A visiting U.S. congressional delegation pledged Wednesday to continue its support of the decades-long U.S. policy of providing Taiwan with sufficient armaments to defend itself.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 21, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 21 February 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 21 Feb 2018
• Chinese Ships Conduct Patrol Near Disputed Senkaku Islands - Reports Sputnik 21 Feb 2018 -- A special headquarters has been established at the office of Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe after Chinese patrol ships entered the waters of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands several times, according to NHK Japanese media.
• Timeline: Turkish military operation in Syria's Afrin Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- The Turkish military launched its ongoing cross-border offensive in Syria's northwestern region of Afrin against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) late last month.
• Those helping Syria Kurds in Afrin 'legitimate target': Turkey Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- Turkey has repeated its warnings about an escalation of tension in Syria's northern region of Afrin, where it has been attacking the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), saying any group coming to the help of the Kurds in the region would be considered a "legitimate target" for the Turkish military.
• Syrian Popular Forces Join Kurdish Fighters in Afrin - YPG Representative Sputnik 21 Feb 2018 -- YPG representative in Afrin Brusk Haseke has confirmed to Sputnik that Syrian forces have arrived to Afrin despite Turkish Air Forces' shelling on February 20, adding that a new group of Syrian military entered the city today.
• Statement by the Press Secretary on the Syrian Regime Attacks on Eastern Ghouta The White House 21 Feb 2018
• East Ghouta: Action needed now to save hundreds of thousands 'living in hell on earth,' stresses UN UN News 21 Feb 2018 -- Deeply alarmed by the escalating violence in Syria's east Ghouta, the United Nations has reiterated a call for an end to hostilities so that the sick and wounded can be immediately evacuated and humanitarian aid deliveries can reach those in need.
• Kremlin rejects US report blaming Russia for civilian deaths in Syria's East Ghouta Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- Moscow has denied a US claim that Russian fighter jets carried out airstrikes in Syria's militant-held Eastern Ghouta and reportedly killed scores of civilians since the start of the week.
• Western officials complicit in terrorist crimes against civilians: Syria Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- In a letter of complaint to the United Nations, Syria has drawn attention to a sharp rise in deadly terror attacks against civilians in Damascus and its suburbs, calling on the world body to take proper measures against countries that support and fund the armed groups.
• Over Dozen civilians killed in new US-led strikes in Syria's Dayr al-Zawr Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- More than a dozen civilians have lost their lives when the US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group carried out a series of aerial assaults in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.
• Russia, Iran Urged To Press Syria To End 'Massacre' In Ghouta RFE/RL 21 Feb 2018 -- Germany has urged Russia and Iran to pressure the Syrian government to end the "massacre" in a rebel-held Damascus suburb that an independent monitor says has killed at least 250 civilians in two days.
• Kremlin: US Accusations Against Russia on Eastern Ghouta Groundless Sputnik 21 Feb 2018 -- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has commented on US accusations against Russia regarding deaths of civilians in Syria's eastern Ghouta bombardments.
• UN chief 'deeply alarmed' by escalating hostilities in Syria's east Ghouta UN News 21 Feb 2018 -- Deeply alarmed by the escalating violence in Syria's east Ghouta, the United Nations has reiterated a call for an end to hostilities so that the sick and wounded can be immediately evacuated and humanitarian aid deliveries can reach those in need.
• Concern Over Syria Grows as Death Toll Rises VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- A Syrian war monitor says pro-government strikes Tuesday in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta have killed more than 100 people.
• Rebels in Syria Prepare for Final Assad Assault on Ghouta VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- The shattered Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta has become the focus of some of the most vicious Russian and Syrian government airstrikes of Syria's civil war.
• New Deadly Strikes Hit Damascus Suburb VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- Syrian activists reported deadly pro-government airstrikes Wednesday in the besieged Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, which this week has seen its deadliest string of daily violence in years.
• UN Chief Appeals for Truce for Syria's Besieged E. Ghouta VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is appealing to the Security Council to approve an urgent 30-day cease-fire across Syria and to help the 400,000 besieged residents of eastern Ghouta, who he said, "live in hell on Earth."
• Daesh terrorists kill 20 truck drivers on border with Iraq Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- Members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group have reportedly executed nearly two dozen truck drivers on the border with Iraq's western province of Anbar as Syrian government forces, supported by allied fighters from popular defense groups, are fighting to drive foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants out of the war-ravaged Arab country.
• EU Renews Sanctions On Russian Officials, Ukrainian Separatists RFE/RL 21 Feb 2018 -- European Union ambassadors have prolonged the asset freezes and visa bans on 150 Russian officials and Moscow-backed Ukrainian separatists for another six months, EU diplomats told RFE/RL. The measure was also rolled over for 38 entities on the sanctions list.
• UN voices worries of declining humanitarian situation in Gaza Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- The UN's Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov has slammed the expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories
• Merkel: Greece-Macedonia Name Dispute Closer To Solution RFE/RL 21 Feb 2018 -- Macedonia is closer than any time in the last decade to settling a long-standing dispute over its name with Greece which has dashed the Balkan country's hopes of joining NATO and the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.
• Talk Of Paramilitaries, Real Or Imagined, Could Fuel Division RFE/RL 21 Feb 2018
• Boko Haram Reportedly Abducts Over 90 Nigerian Schoolgirls VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- More than 90 Nigerian schoolgirls are reportedly missing after the Boko Haram extremist group attacked their school two days ago in the northeastern state of Yobe.
• Refugees Camp Out at UN Office in Rwanda, Demand Better Conditions VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- Three thousand to 4,000 Congolese refugees were camped out Wednesday in front of a U.N. office in western Rwanda, demanding better living conditions at their camp.
• Sudan: After years of conflict, millions require aid; But is the world paying attention? UN News 21 Feb 2018 -- If it were a new crisis, it would be one of the biggest in the world, but despite the fact that more than five million people need aid, Sudan is at risk of falling off international donors' radar, a senior United Nations official has said.
• Activists Urge IGAD, AU to Pressure South Sudan's Warring Parties VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- A coalition of more than 200 civil society groups in South Sudan is urging the regional bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the international community to put more pressure on South Sudan's warring parties to end the conflict ahead of the next phase of peace talks scheduled for March.

News Reports

• US May Consider Imposing Sanctions on 13 Russians Indicted by Mueller Sputnik 21 Feb 2018 -- The US Department of State does not rule out potentially introducing sanctions against the 13 Russian individuals charged last week for trying to influence the 2016 US election, Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters on Tuesday.
• Moon, Mars, and Worlds Beyond: Winning the Next Frontier The White House 21 Feb 2018
• Netanyahu's confidante to testify against him in graft probe: Reports Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- A longtime confidante of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly reached a deal with police to incriminate his boss during a probe into one of the four corruption cases involving the premier in return for a lighter prison sentence.
• Israeli Media: Netanyahu Confidant Turns State Witness in Corruption Probe VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- Israeli media say a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to testify against him in a bribery scandal.
• Pakistan's top court rules ousted premier Sharif cannot lead his party Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- Pakistan's Supreme Court has ruled a disqualified politician cannot lead a political party, ordering the removal of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif as head of the country's ruling party.
• Pakistan's Top Court Bars Ex-PM From Leading Party RFE/RL 21 Feb 2018 -- Pakistan's top court has ruled that a person disqualified for public office cannot serve as head of a political party, paving the way for the removal of ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from chairing the country's ruling party.
• Pakistan's Sharif Declared Ineligible to Head his Party VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- Pakistan's highest court has ordered ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, of the ruling party PML-N, to be removed as party leader.
• Pakistan Diplomat: Attempt to Add Islamabad to Terrorist Financing Watch List Delayed VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- Pakistan's chief diplomat said Tuesday that a U.S.-led motion to put Pakistan on a global terrorist financing watch list has been deferred for three months.
• U.S. Move To Put Pakistan On Terror Financing Watch List Delayed RFE/RL 21 Feb 2018 -- A U.S. motion to put Pakistan on a terrorist financing watch list has been deferred for three months, Pakistani officials said.
• Seoul Views Inter-Korean Talks as Way to Pyongyang Denuclearization - Ministry Sputnik 21 Feb 2018 -- Seoul views the inter-Korean talks as a key to the solution of the North Korean nuclear problem, South Korean Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
• Pence's secret meeting with N Koreans cancelled at Olympics: Report Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- An official report says US Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to hold a secret meeting with North Korean officials during his visit to South Korea for the Winter Olympics but the North Koreans canceled.
• North Korea 'Canceled' Planned Meeting With U.S. VP Pence In South Korea RFE/RL 21 Feb 2018 -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to meet with North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un's sister, while in South Korea for the Winter Olympics this month, but the North Koreans canceled at the last minute, U.S. officials said on February 20.
• Iran announce bid to create own digital currency Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- Iran says it is preparing to launch its own digital currency in a move that many believe can help reduce the country's vulnerability to the impacts of US-led sanctions.
• Rouhani condemns deadly attacks against Iran police Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has strongly denounced the use of violence against the country's police force, reacting to the deaths of five security forces at the hands of the member of a Dervish cult.
• Clashes Between Police and Sufi Protesters in Iran, Six People Dead, Hundreds Arrested VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- Iranian officials said Tuesday at least five members of the country's security forces were killed and more than 300 people arrested during overnight clashes between Sufi protesters and police in the capital, Tehran.
• Iran Reportedly Turns Down US Secret Talks as Washington's 'Lost Tehran's Trust' Sputnik 21 Feb 2018 -- The United States proposed Iran to hold direct talks on neutral soil to settle disagreements, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida, referring to a source in Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
• Taiwan will stand with U.S. for regional peace: president CNA 21 Feb 2018 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received a visiting U.S. congressional delegation Wednesday and took the opportunity to reiterate Taiwan's commitment to protecting regional stability and defending shared democratic values alongside the U.S.
• Poroshenko Calls Russia 'Aggressor' In Yanukovych Trial RFE/RL 21 Feb 2018 -- During testimony at his ousted predecessor's treason trial, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called Russia "an aggressor country" that planned "a well-coordinated hybrid war against Ukraine."
• Ukraine Bans Saakashvili Until 2021 RFE/RL 21 Feb 2018 -- Ukraine's border service has banned Mikheil Saakashvili from entering Ukraine for three years, days after he was expelled from the country.
• Venezuela launches own digital currency 'Petro' Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- Venezuela has officially launched its own digital currency to become the first country with its own oil-backed cryptocurrency.
• Philippines rejects US intel community's criticism of Duterte Press TV 21 Feb 2018 -- The Philippines' presidential spokesman has rejected a recent official US intelligence assessment that refers to President Rodrigo Duterte as a threat to democracy in Southeast Asia.
• Latvia's Top Banker Rejects Corruption Charges, Says Won't Resign RFE/RL 21 Feb 2018 -- The embattled head of Latvia's central bank has denied bribery allegations against him, saying he is the victim of a smear campaign and will not step down.
• Maldives Supreme Court Temporary Upholds State of Emergency Extension - Reports Sputnik 21 Feb 2018 -- The Maldives Supreme Court temporary declared legal the prolongation of the state of emergency in the country, the Avas news outlet reported on Wednesday.
• Indonesia Quietly Passes Law to Quash Criticism of Politicians VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- As many Indonesians turn their attention to the potential criminalization of sexual acts between homosexuals and extramarital sex in the nation's revised criminal code, its house of representatives has quietly passed another controversial but less publicized piece of legislation: the revised Law on Representative Assemblies, known as the MD3 law, which critics say will hamper criticism of Indonesian politicians and reduce their accountability.
• Corruption Monitor Paints Grim Picture in Africa for 2017 VOA 21 Feb 2018 -- Sub-Saharan Africa continues to appear at the bottom of Transparency International's annual index, with the violent, chaotic East African nation of Somalia maintaining its 12-year streak as the lowest rated nation on the chart that tracks perceptions of corruption in 180 countries.