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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 09 Mar 2018 [PDF]
• Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 09 Mar 2018 -- U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria between March 2 and March 8, conducting 20 strikes consisting of 30 engagements in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• At Least Nine Dead In Kabul Suicide Bombing RFE/RL 09 Mar 2018 -- An Islamic State (IS) suicide bomber blew himself up in Kabul's Shi'ite area on March 9, killing at least nine people, officials said.
• U.S. Calls On Afghan Taliban To 'Step Up' After Peace Offer RFE/RL 09 Mar 2018 -- The United States has called for the Taliban to "step up" and engage the Afghan government in peace talks to end the 16-year conflict.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pentagon Approves Military Parade – Without Tanks VOA 09 Mar 2018 -- The Pentagon says it is planning a military parade requested by U.S. President Donald Trump later this year, but says the celebrations will not include tanks because they could damage Washington's roads.
• Pilot Training Next lands at Sheppard AFB AFNS 09 Mar 2018 -- With technology constantly advancing, the Air Force is breaking barriers with the way it trains pilots.
• GHWB Successfully Completes 3MI NNS 09 Mar 2018 -- The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) completed the Maintenance and Material Management Inspection (3MI), March 9.
• Carl Vinson Strike Group Departs Vietnam NNS 09 Mar 2018 -- The Carl Vinson Strike Group departed Da Nang, Vietnam, March 9, completing a historic visit that marked the first time a U.S. aircraft carrier has visited the country in more than 40 years.
• Israeli, U.S. forces hold joint military drill in Israel People's Daily 09 Mar 2018 -- U.S. and Israeli military officials said on Thursday they have launched a month-long joint military drill that simulates a missile attack on Israel.
• Israel holding joint military drill with US amid threats of new war on Lebanon Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- Thousands of American and Israeli military forces are holding a month-long joint military exercise in the occupied territories amid the Tel Aviv regime's rising threats of a new war against Lebanon.
• Ballistic Missile Defense Remains Focal Point of Juniper Cobra 2018 AFPS 09 Mar 2018 -- Juniper Cobra is a U.S. European Command bilateral exercise.
• Secretary General and President Margvelashvili discuss deepening NATO-Georgia Relations NATO 09 Mar 2018 -- The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with President Giorgi Margvelashvili on Friday (9 March 2018) and thanked him for Georgia's remarkable contributions to international security and to NATO operations and missions, including the contribution to the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and to the NATO Response Force. He commended Georgia for the progress in implementing important reforms that will strengthen Georgia's democracy and rule of law. He encouraged Georgia to continue on this path.
• US, NATO flex muscle with 'largest artillery drill' in Europe Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- The United States and its NATO allies have been conducting an annual drill that is said to be Europe's "largest artillery exercise" since the end of the Cold War in 1991.
• China's development does not threaten others: senior military officer People's Daily 09 Mar 2018 -- A senior Chinese military officer on Thursday defended the proposed rise of China's annual defense budget against a new round of "China threat theory."
• Coalition live-fire exercise enhances Iraqi combat capabilities AFNS 09 Mar 2018 -- The first coalition live-fire exercise for the Iraqi Forward Air Controller course took place at Besmaya Range, Iraq, March 4-8, 2018.
• Hashd al-Sha'abi formally inducted into Iraq security system Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has issued a decree, ordering the formal inclusion of pro-government fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in the Arab country's security forces.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders The White House 09 Mar 2018

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 9, 2018

Other Conflicts

• Service and Sacrifice: Mongolia continues to strengthen its contribution to UN peacekeeping UN News 09 Mar 2018 -- Mongolia first joined United Nations peacekeeping in 2002 with the deployment of two unarmed military observers to the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. Soon after that, it sent two more officers to the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, Mongolia has continued to expand its contributions to UN peace operations in hot spots around the world.
• UN envoy on conflict-related sexual violence reports on visits to Iraq and Sudan UN News 09 Mar 2018 -- A senior United Nations official has stressed the need to ensure survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Iraq are fully protected and that perpetrators are brought to justice.
• 1.3 million Syrian refugees back home: Russian Cmdr IRNA 09 Mar 2018 -- Head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria Major General Yuri Yevtushenko said over 1,300,000 Syrian refugees have returned home.
• Aid convoy reaches militant-held Eastern Ghouta: ICRC Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says a humanitarian aid convoy has entered Syria's Eastern Ghouta as government troops secured a humanitarian corridor for trapped civilians to leave the militant-held area near Damascus.
• Militants open fire on families leaving Syria's Ghouta: Russia cmdr. Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- A Russian military commander says militants in Syria's East Ghouta have opened fire on a convoy of about 300 families who were trying to leave the embattled region.
• First Of Insurgents Reported To Evacuate Syrian Rebel Enclave RFE/RL 09 Mar 2018 -- Small groups of Islamist militants have begun to evacuate the besieged Syrian rebel enclave of eastern Ghouta after negotiations with the United Nations.
• Seven years of war in Syria has left 'colossal human tragedy' in its wake – UN refugee chief UN News 09 Mar 2018 -- After seven years of brutal conflict in Syria, there are no clear winners, "but the losers are plain to see," the United Nations refugee agency chief said Friday, describing the "colossal human tragedy" that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, driven 6.1 million people from their homes and forced 5.6 million others to seek safety in neighbouring countries.
• Syria: UN aid convoy returns to eastern Ghouta UN News 09 Mar 2018 -- The United Nations and partners on Friday reached the Syrian city of Douma in Eastern Ghouta to complete distribution of food aid after intense shelling cut short deliveries to the war-torn enclave earlier this week.
• US offers $5 million in award money for Taliban leader Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- The US has announced it will pay a $5 million reward to anyone who assists in the finding of the leader of Pakistan's Taliban, and has offered $3 million for two other militants from other terrorist groups.
• U.S. Offers Rewards For Help Locating Pakistani Taliban Leaders RFE/RL 09 Mar 2018 -- The United States says it is offering multimillion-dollar rewards for information leading to the location of Pakistani Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah and two other militant leaders believed to be in Pakistan.
• Pakistani Taliban Confirms Death Of Leader's Son RFE/RL 09 Mar 2018 -- The Pakistani Taliban has confirmed the death of the son of leader Mullah Fazlullah in a suspected U.S. drone strike on March 6.
• UN: More Than 2 Million Malnourished Children in DRC at Risk VOA 09 Mar 2018 -- The United Nations warns more than two million severely acutely malnourished children in Democratic Republic of Congo are at risk of dying unless they receive urgently needed therapeutic aid.
• 2 million children face starvation in DR Congo: UN Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- More than two million children suffer from severe malnutrition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They are at risk of dying if they do not get the needed assistance. That is what the United Nations has warned.
• DR Congo: UN warns of spike in displacement amid funding shortfall UN News 09 Mar 2018 -- The United Nations migration agency is hoping that the upcoming donor pledging conference for the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will generate more financial support to cope with a spike in the number of people displaced by violence.
• Sri Lanka ups security to prevent more anti-Muslim violence Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- Police in Sri Lanka have stepped up security around mosques ahead of Friday prayers to try to prevent more violence against Muslims, who have been targeted by Buddhist mobs for several days despite a state of emergency.

News Reports

• Readout of President Donald J. Trump's Call with President Xi Jinping of China The White House 09 Mar 2018
• Statement from Vice President Mike Pence on North Korea The White House 09 Mar 2018
• Trump agrees to meet DPRK's Kim by May, tweets about "great progress" People's Daily 09 Mar 2018 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to meet Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), by May at Kim's invitation, "to achieve permanent denuclearization", a visiting South Korean envoy said here on Thursday.
• North Korean invitation shows US isolation strategy working: Pence Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- US Vice President Mike Pence says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's invitation to President Donald Trump to a historic summit shows that the American strategy to isolate Pyongyang is working.
• Tillerson says US ready for 'talks' with North Korea, not 'negotiations' Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Washington is ready for "talks" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, not "negotiations."
• South Korea, China, Russia welcome possible meeting between Trump and Kim Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- An unexpected announcement that a meeting is being planned between the leaders of long-time adversaries the United States and North Korea has been welcomed by regional powers China and Russia as well as South Korea.
• Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un to meet by May: South Korea Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- US President Donald Trump has agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by May, says a senior South Korean official, claiming that Pyongyang is ready to get rid of its nuclear weapons under certain conditions.
• Trump Agrees To Meet North Korea's Kim To Seek Denuclearization Deal RFE/RL 09 Mar 2018 -- U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to meet with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un by May to seek a deal to remove nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula, a senior South Korean official said after meeting with Trump at the White House.
• Encouraged by proposed DPRK-US talks, Guterres reiterates support for peaceful denuclearization of Korean Peninsula UN News 09 Mar 2018 -- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday said he is "encouraged" by the announcement of an agreement between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to hold a summit meeting by May.
• Human Rights Questions Loom Over Possible US-North Korea Summit VOA 09 Mar 2018 -- The announced talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have been broadly welcomed following years of tension over the North's nuclear weapons and missile programs. Less clear is how such a meeting could affect human rights in North Korea, which has one of the world's most oppressive governments.
• Hidden Risks Seen in Trump's High-Stakes Decision to Meet With Kim Jong Un VOA 09 Mar 2018 -- As President Donald Trump embarks on an unprecedented diplomatic mission to end North Korea's nuclear program, he faces complex, unresolved issues, according to former U.S. officials and analysts who have dealt with North Korea extensively.
• White House: 'Concrete Steps' Must Precede Any Trump, Kim Meeting VOA 09 Mar 2018 -- The White House on Friday emphasized that the United States had made "zero concessions" in agreeing to face-to-face talks between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
• Trump to Meet With Kim in Visit to North Korea VOA 09 Mar 2018 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang "by May" to discuss ending the North's threatening nuclear program. The surprising announcement was made Thursday evening by Chung Eui-yong, the head of South Korea's National Security Office, who was in Washington to brief Trump, and White House officials including National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, on diplomatic progress made during his visit to Pyongyang earlier this week.
• Britain Deploys Specialist Troops In City Where Ex-Russian Spy Collapsed RFE/RL 09 Mar 2018 -- Britain has deployed specialist troops to remove potentially contaminated objects from the site where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious after a suspected nerve-agent attack.
• British Soldiers Aid Police in Poisoning Probe VOA 09 Mar 2018 -- British soldiers have been deployed to the normally quiet town of Salisbury to help officials decontaminate the area after a Russian former double agent and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent.
• Russian State Pollsters: Putin Popularity Slipping Ahead of Election VOA 09 Mar 2018 -- A respected Russian-language business newspaper is reporting a 12-percent drop in President Vladimir Putin's popularity in cities with more than 1 million inhabitants between mid-January and mid-February.
• Turkey issues arrest warrants for 243 over affiliation to Gulen network Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- Turkish prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 243 people, including 92 teachers, on suspicion of affiliation to a movement led by US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Ankara government accuses of having masterminded the failed July 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
• Kiev charges prisoner-swap negotiator with plot to kill President Poroshenko Press TV 09 Mar 2018 -- Ukraine has charged a prisoner swap negotiator with plotting to assassinate the country's Western-backed president as well as other officials by staging attacks on their homes and offices with mortar fire and grenades.
• Ukrainian Prisoner-Exchange Organizer Accused Of Plotting To Kill Poroshenko RFE/RL 09 Mar 2018 -- Ukrainian authorities have arrested a key negotiator in prisoner exchanges with Russia-backed separatists and accused him of plotting to kill President Petro Poroshenko and other top officials.
• Uzbek President Vows Closer Ties In 'Fateful' Visit To Tajikistan RFE/RL 09 Mar 2018 -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev, making a landmark visit to Tajikistan, has vowed to swiftly build stronger relations after years of tension between the Central Asian neighbors.
• Uzbekistan's Former Chief Interrogator Decries Being Tortured In Prison RFE/RL 09 Mar 2018 -- Once known as a ruthless inquisitor, Farrukh Tokhtimametov insists there was no mistreatment of detainees in the notorious jails of Uzbekistan's powerful National Security Service (SNB), arguably the most feared institution in the country.
• Press Availability With Kenyan Foreign Minister Monica Juma US Dept. of State 09 Mar 2018
• Press Availability With Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf US Dept. of State 09 Mar 2018
• UN rights chief denounces 'unacceptable' charges of terrorism by Philippine's Duterte against UN expert UN News 09 Mar 2018 -- Flinging terrorism charges at a United Nations human rights expert is just one act in a litany of profane and inflammatory comments made by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte against the rapporteur, prompting the UN rights chief to questions the leader's mental stability.