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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 07 Mar 2018 [PDF]
• Bomber kills religious official, bodyguard in eastern Afghanistan Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- A bomber has killed a senior religious official and his bodyguard and wounded nearly a dozen others in eastern Afghanistan.
• Taliban's Silence Prompts Ghani to Repeat Afghan Peace Overture VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- The Taliban's persistent silence to a widely praised week-old dialogue offer by the Afghan government prompted President Ashraf Ghani to repeat the overture and call Wednesday for the insurgents to seek resolution of issues without further bloodshed.
• Taliban Attacks Afghan District Police Headquarters VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- Heavily armed suicide bombers attacked a district police headquarters in southern Afghanistan late Wednesday, sparking an intense firefight with government security forces.
• German Cabinet Approves Troop Increase For Afghanistan RFE/RL 07 Mar 2018 -- The German government on March 7 approved plans to extend the country's overseas military missions, including in Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Officials Discuss DoD's Audit, Business Operations on Capitol Hill AFPS 07 Mar 2018 -- Reforming Defense Department business practices for greater performance and accountability is one of three lines of effort Defense Secretary James N. Mattis outlined when the National Defense Strategy was released earlier this year, two senior DoD officials told the Senate Budget Committee today.
• Readout of Secretary James N. Mattis' Meeting with Estonian Minister of Defense Jüri Luik DoD 07 Mar 2018
• Secretary Mattis Hosts Enhanced Honor Cordon Welcoming Minister of Defence Jüri Luik of Estonia to the Pentagon DoD 07 Mar 2018 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis; Minister of Defence Juri Luik of Estonia
• 15th MEU Decomposites, subordinate elements return to parent commands USMC News 07 Mar 2018 -- After returning from a seven-month deployment operating in multiple locations around the globe in support of Fleet and combatant commanders, the Marines and Sailors of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit officially decomposited and returned back to their respective parent commands in California and Arizona, March 7, 2018.
• Missile Defense Agency Director Outlines Priorities, Threats AFPS 07 Mar 2018 -- The United States is able to defend against current threats from ballistic missiles, but increased capabilities are needed to address emerging risks, the head of the Missile Defense Agency said here yesterday.
• Alaska drill had extreme cold-weather training opportunities Army News 07 Mar 2018 -- Approximately 600 Guard members from the United States and Canada participated in training at the Donnelly Training Area as part of Exercise Arctic Eagle 2018, from Feb. 25 to March 8.
• Navy Kicks Off ICEX 2018 NNS 07 Mar 2018 -- Commander, Submarine Forces (COMSUBFOR) officially kicked-off Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2018 in the Arctic Ocean with the construction of temporary Ice Camp Skate and the arrival of two U.S. Navy fast-attack submarines and one U.K. Royal Navy submarine March 7.
• US Aircraft Carriers Still Relevant Despite Russian Hypersonic Weapons - Spenser Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- US aircraft carriers continue to be relevant despite Russia's development of revolutionary new hypersonic weapons and the US Navy is developing countermeasures to block them, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spenser told Congress on Wednesday.
• US Navy to Dispense With Almost 140 F/A-18 Fighter Jets Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- The US Navy has made a decision to discard 136 fighter aircraft after determining the planes will consume too much money in repair costs to make it worth flying them again.
• US, South Korea plan massive military exercise: Pentagon Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- The US says it will hold a joint military exercise with South Korea hours after President Donald Trump hailed as "very positive" North Korea's offer of talks.
• NATO Military Chairman Seeks Constructive Contacts With Russia AFPS 07 Mar 2018 -- The chairman of NATO's Military Committee would like to see the NATO-Russia Council reinvigorated to address issues pending between the two entities.
• Secretary General welcomes the Emir of Qatar to NATO Headquarters NATO 07 Mar 2018 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, to NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (7 March 2018). The two leaders discussed the security situation in the Gulf region and the partnership between NATO and Qatar.
• Russia's Military Posture: Ground Forces Order of Battle Institute for the Study of War 07 Mar 2018 -- Russia has redeployed and reorganized its ground forces since 2014. That effort has reshaped the threat environment in Europe that America, its allies, and its partners must contend with. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute are releasing a joint report on Russia's ground forces posture. 
• Any bid to destroy Russia spells catastrophe for mankind: Putin Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that any bid to "destroy" Russia will trigger a response from Moscow that spells "catastrophe for mankind."
• Indestructible Armata: the Russian Tank That Can Survive Any Hit Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- Russia's state-of-the-art T-14 Armata main battle tanks will be integrated into the automatic system of tactical troop and weapons control, Ground Forces Commander Oleg Salyukov has told Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.
• Helicopter Crashes in Russia's Chechnya, Killing Three People - Source Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- A Mi-8 helicopter, belonging to Russia's protection unit, crashed in Russia's region of Chechnya, leaving three people dead. Their bodies were found at the crash site.
• Putin: Russia May Use Nukes Only as a Response Strike Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia would use its nuclear weapon only as a response measure.
• Commander Reveals Level of Equipment of Russian Land Forces With New Weapons Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- The level of equipment of the Russian Land Forces with modern weapons has tripled in comparison with 2012, Russian Land Forces Commander, Col. Gen. Oleg Salyukov said on Wednesday.
• Germany to Extend Training of Kurdish Peshmerga Forces - Defense Ministry Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- The German Defense Ministry will continue training Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq, the ministry's spokesperson Frank Faehnrich said on Wednesday.
• Revealed! What Made Chinese Warships Headed to Troubled Maldives Make a U-Turn Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- India's tri-service war games in the Indian Ocean coincided with a Constitutional crisis in the strategically located island nation Maldives. It was apparently this exercise that forced China to abort a naval mission reportedly aimed at containing New Delhi's influence over the troubled country.
• IRGC general slams foreign trends against Iran missile power IRNA 07 Mar 2018 -- The West along with some reactionary Arab countries in the region and the Zionist regime of Israel have adopted a unanimous position to counter acquisition of defensive missile power by Iran, said an IRGC commander on Wednesday.
• IRGC Cmdr: Developing Iran's defensive power 'unstoppable' IRNA 07 Mar 2018 -- Increasing Iran's defensive power is 'unstoppable', said an Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) commander on Wednesday.
• Iran among top 5 countries in the world in missile, drone fields ISNA 07 Mar 2018 -- A senior Iranian commander announced that Iran is among top 5 countries in the world in the fields of missile, radar, defense, guided bombs and drones.
• Iran's missile production tripled despite enemy pressure: IRGC commander Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- A senior commander says all enemy attempts to blunt the progress of Iran's defense capabilities have only backfired, adding that the country has managed to triple its missile production thanks to the firm support at home.
• Japan Appoints First Woman Warship Squadron Commander Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- For the first time ever, the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces (MSDF) have appointed a woman to command a warship squadron – and not just any squadron, but the one that includes the JS Izumo, the fleet's largest ship.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders The White House 07 Mar 2018

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 071, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 7 March 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 Mar 2018
• Turkey Urges US to Prevent YPG Redeployment From Syria's Manbij to Afrin Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- Ankara urges Washington to prevent redeployment of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from Syria's Manbij to Afrin, Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesman of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Wednesday.
• Syrian army forces keep advancing in Eastern Ghouta, seize back another village Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- Syrian government forces have liberated another village in the militant-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta near the capital city of Damascus as they continue to gain ground in joint battles with allied fighters from popular defense groups against foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorist groups.
• UN Security Council Reiterates Call for Syria Cease-fire VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- U.N. Security Council President Karel van Oosterom on Wednesday reiterated a call for all parties in Syria to implement a nationwide cease-fire and expressed concern about Syria's humanitarian crisis.
• UN chief urges completion of planned aid delivery to Douma in Syria's east Ghouta UN News 07 Mar 2018 -- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on parties to the conflict in Syria to allow a humanitarian convoy to complete the delivery of supplies to Douma in eastern Ghouta planned for Thursday.
• Russian major-general, 26 officers killed in Syria plane crash IRNA 07 Mar 2018 -- A major-general, 26 officers, noncommissioned officers and contract soldiers were killed in an An-26 plane crash in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.
• Turkey calls on US to stop YPG militants' advance to Syria's Afrin Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- A high-ranking Turkish official has called upon the United States to stop militants from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from moving to Syria's northwestern region of Afrin, where Ankara is conducting a cross-border military operation.
• Syria army preparing to lift siege on militant-held Eastren Ghouta Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- A Syrian army colonel says government forces will lift the siege on the militant-held Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, making it possible for people trapped in the embattled enclave to return to the "state's embrace" soon.
• Chemical claims excuse to violate Syria sovereignty: Syrian Foreign Ministry Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- The Syrian Foreign Ministry has stressed that Western states are using claims of chemical weapons usage as an excuse to violate the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
• Syrian Group Claims Responsibility For Deadly Russian Plane Crash RFE/RL 07 Mar 2018 -- An Islamist group in Syria has claimed responsibility for a military plane crash that killed dozens of Russian military personnel this week, according to a statement published in a Lebanese newspaper.
• US State Dept Spokesperson Says Astana Peace Process for Syria Has Failed Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said on Wednesday that the Astana peace process for Syria has failed and questioned Moscow's commitment to a ceasefire in the Damascus enclave of Eastern Ghouta.
• Turkey Calls for 24-Hour Ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta - Presidential Spokesman Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- Ankara is taking measures to extend the Eastern Ghouta ceasefire in Syria from 4-5 hours to 24 hours a day, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said.
• 'State's Embrace': Syrian Army Reportedly Advancing in Eastern Ghouta Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- The Syrian army is conducting an attack on the militants' defensive line in the village of Masraba in Eastern Ghouta in an effort to slice the rebel enclave in two as they intensified a campaign to deal the opposition its biggest defeat since 2016.
• Russian Military Reports Tense Situation in Syria's Eastern Ghouta Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- The situation in Syria is gradually normalizing, the number of violations is decreasing, however, the situation in Eastern Ghouta remains tense, chief of the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation Maj. Gen. Yury Yevtushenko said Tuesday.
• Putin Discusses Situation in Syria's Eastern Ghouta With Erdogan Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed situation in Eastern Ghouta in the context of the UN Security Council's resolution on the Syrian ceasefire in a phone conversation with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kremlin's press service said in a statement.
• Japan defends chasing Taiwanese boat as within its rights CNA 07 Mar 2018 -- Japanese patrol vessels acted within their rights when they chased a Taiwanese fishing boat over the weekend after it entered Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and operated there without permission, an official from Japan's representative office in Taiwan said Wednesday.
• UN has strong suspicion genocide has happened in Myanmar Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- The United Nations (UN)'s human rights chief has expressed strong suspicion that "acts of genocide" may have been carried out against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar since August 2017.
htm">Pakistan approves exchange of Kashmir detainees with India Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- Pakistani authorities have endorsed a proposal from India on exchange of prisoners that could also cover detainees from the disputed Kashmir region.
• Pakistan 'shoots down Indian recon drone in Kashmir' Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- The Pakistani military says it has shot down an Indian reconnaissance drone that had violated Pakistan's airspace in the disputed Kashmir region.

News Reports

• Trump vows to react 'very strongly' to Russia meddling in 2018 elections Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- US President Donald Trump has warned to react "very strongly" to any alleged Russian meddling in this year's midterm congressional elections.
• Tillerson Stops in Ethiopia on First Official Visit to Africa VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was welcomed to Ethiopia Wednesday on the red carpet by Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu on the first stop on his official visit to Africa, a resource-rich continent that is becoming more closely linked with China on matters such as trade and aid.
• China, Russia Mounting Growing Challenge to US in Africa VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- China and Russia are working to expand their influence across Africa, hoping to outspend or out-compete the United States, U.S. officials warn, describing it as part of a larger effort by both countries to reshape the world order.
• Nerve Agent Used In Attempted Murder Of Russian Ex-Spy, British Police Say RFE/RL 07 Mar 2018 -- British police say a nerve agent was used to try to kill former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the southwestern city of Salisbury.
• Scotland Yard Confirms Ex Russian Spy, His Daughter Were Targeted by Nerve Agent Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- Russian ex-spy and daughter were deliberately targeted, case being treated as attempted murder, according to UK police.
• British Police Say Nerve Agent Used in Poisoning of Former Russian Agent VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- British counter-terrorism police say a former Russian double agent, whom Russian President Vladimir Putin had vowed to kill, was poisoned by a nerve agent.
• Weeks Before Skripal Incident, Litvinenko's Wife Warned Of Russian Reach RFE/RL 07 Mar 2018 -- While British counterterrorism police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the sudden severe illness of a Russian defector and his daughter, at least one person warned weeks ago of the possibility of a Kremlin foe abroad falling prey to a poisoning.
• 'More Known' About Substance Involved In Russian Ex-Spy Suspected Poisoning RFE/RL 07 Mar 2018 -- Britain's home secretary says more is known about the substance used in the suspected poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the southwestern British city of Salisbury.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, March 7, 2018 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 07 Mar 2018
• Putin Praises Trump, Assails Sanctions, Vows To Defend 'Great Power' Russia RFE/RL 07 Mar 2018 -- Russian leader Vladimir Putin praised U.S. President Donald Trump as a "balanced" man he can negotiate with, but he also assailed the West for "illegitimate and unfair" Ukraine-related sanctions imposed on Moscow.
• Premier underlines reform, opening-up, people's livelihood People's Daily 07 Mar 2018 -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for joint efforts to advance reform and opening-up, promote innovation, sustain economic growth and improve people's livelihood at the ongoing national legislative session Tuesday.
• China party system sets an example People's Daily 07 Mar 2018 -- Leaders of non-Communist parties said on Tuesday that China's system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation creates a new party system and provides "China's solution" and "China's wisdom" for the development of world party politics.
• China capable of forestalling systemic risks: finance minister People's Daily 07 Mar 2018 -- China is confident of fully forestalling systemic risks, the country's financial minister said here Wednesday, voicing firm stance on debt control.
• China to strengthen financing support for Belt and Road Initiative People's Daily 07 Mar 2018 -- China will strengthen financing and tax support to better serve the Belt and Road Initiative, a deputy finance minister said on Wednesday.
• South Korea says 'too early to be optimistic' about North Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in says he has no plans to ease sanctions on the rival North only because of Pyongyang's offer to discuss denuclearization with the United States.
• 'Too Early To Be Optimistic' On North, Says South Korea's Moon RFE/RL 07 Mar 2018 -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said it was "too early to be optimistic" about the North's offer to discuss denuclearization with the United States.
• DPRK shows willingness to talk "candidly" with U.S. about denuclearization, normalized ties People's Daily 07 Mar 2018 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has shown willingness to talk "candidly" with the U.S. side about the denuclearization issue and normalized ties between Pyongyang and Washington.
• Trump welcomes progress on Korean Peninsula issue People's Daily 07 Mar 2018 -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that there was progress on the Korean Peninsula issue after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) expressed willingness to denuclearize the peninsula.
• US sanctions N Korea over alleged assassination of Kim Jong-un's brother Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- The US has imposed further sanctions against North Korea after formally accusing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un of involvement in the assassination of his half-brother in 2017.
• Trump: US 'Willing to Go Either Way' with North Korea VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- President Donald Trump said the United States is "willing to go either way" in response to North Korea's development of nuclear-tipped missiles, adding "hopefully it's going to be the proper way."
• North Korea Nuclear Talks – Approach With Caution, Analysts Say VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- North Korea's agreement to enter into talks with the United States could be a diplomatic breakthrough to reach a peaceful resolution to the nuclear crisis, or a ruse to weaken sanctions, or both.
• US Sanctions N. Korea over Poisoning Death of Estranged Brother VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- The United States says it will impose new economic sanctions on North Korea for using a lethal chemical nerve agent in last year's assassination of the estranged half-brother of leader Kim Jong Un.
• US undermining nuclear deal: Iran's envoy IRNA 07 Mar 2018 -- Iran's Ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog said US Government, in contradiction with Iran's nuclear agreement, has taken a destructive approach to undermine "successful implementation" of the deal.
• Iran says US non-compliance with JCPOA undermining nuclear deal Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- The Iranian envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has criticized the US for failing to live up to its commitments under the nuclear deal signed between Tehran and the P+1 group of countries in 2015.
• China Warms, for Now, to Rival Taiwan VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- China is testing a friendlier stance, at least for now, toward old foe Taiwan as military moves and a diplomatic squeeze have made the island's leaders angrier.
• Tensions Re-Emerge Ahead of Key Turkey-US Talks VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- Turkish and U.S. officials are scheduled to meet Thursday to resolve unprecedented bilateral tensions between the NATO allies.
• What's Ukraine Doing To Combat Russian Cyberwarfare? 'Not Enough' RFE/RL 07 Mar 2018 -- Dmytro Shymkiv fidgeted in a chair as his boss, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, testified via video linkup from a few doors down in the Kyiv trial of his exiled predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych.
• Hariri tribunal to bring formal charges against suspects Press TV 07 Mar 2018 -- The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) says it has now ample evidence to bring charges against four people suspected of involvement in an explosion 13 years ago that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
• Armenia's Ruling Party 'Open' To Opposition Candidates For PM RFE/RL 07 Mar 2018 -- A senior member of Armenia's ruling party has challenged other political groups to name their own candidates to be prime minister, which will be the country's top post after constitutional reform is completed next month.
• Ex-Argentine President to Be Tried for Alleged Jewish Center Bombing Cover-Up Sputnik 07 Mar 2018 -- Former Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner and 11 other senior members of her government will face a public trial over their alleged involvement in covering up Iran's role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Federal Judge Claudio Bonadio ruled on Monday.
• Sierra Leone Roiled by Unrest After Polls Close VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- Sierra Leone's main opposition leader called for calm Wednesday night after his supporters engaged in running street battles with police, resulting in at least one injury at the end of an otherwise peaceful day of polling in the West African nation.
• Peaceful Election Unfolds in Sierra Leone VOA 07 Mar 2018 -- Lining up hours before dawn, citizens of Sierra Leone went to the polls Wednesday to choose a new president, parliament, and local councilors in one of the most hotly contested elections in the West African nation's history.