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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 20 Apr 2018 [PDF]
• Military Strikes Target ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 20 Apr 2018 -- Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners continued to strike Islamic State of Iraq and Syria targets in designated parts of Syria and Iraq between April 13-19, conducting 30 strikes consisting of 47 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Army Secretary, Senior NCO Discuss Retention, Modernization AFPS 20 Apr 2018 -- Quality trumps quantity when it comes to soldiers, Army Secretary Mark Esper told reporters here today.
• Joint Force Space Component commander staff to move to Schriever AFB AFNS 20 Apr 2018 -- Air Force officials announced Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, as the preferred location for the Joint Force Space Component staff.
• African Nations, Western Partners Conduct Airborne Operations at Flintlock 2018 AFPS 20 Apr 2018 -- The African sun rises over an airfield here near the capital of Ouagadougou. Villagers look to the sky with anticipation as children point upwards and smile once they witness the opening of parachutes.
• Oklahoma National Guard unit rolls with active duty partner Army News 20 Apr 2018 -- Oklahoma Army National Guard Soldiers had a unique experience training with an active duty unit under a pilot program designed to integrate the knowledge and experiences of active and reserve Soldiers last month.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense James Mattis' Meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera DoD 20 Apr 2018
• Remarks By Secretary Mattis At An Enhanced Honor Cordon Welcoming Japan Minister Of Defense Itsunori Onodera To The Pentagon DoD 20 Apr 2018 -- Presenter: Secretary Of Defense James N. Mattis; Japan Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera
• USS Kearsarge Arrives in New Orleans for Navy Week NNS 20 Apr 2018 -- More than 1,300 Sailors and Marines manned the rails aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) as it moored pierside in New Orleans for the start of Navy Week New Orleans 2018, April 19.
• Ronald Reagan Completes Crew Certifications NNS 20 Apr 2018 -- The forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), successfully completed the Navy's mandated Crew Certification Phases II and III, April 20.
• Trump to boost US weapons sales abroad, drop curbs on drone exports Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- The administration of US President Donald Trump has dropped some restrictions on sales of advanced US weapons in order to bolster the American arms industry and compete with China on the world weapons market.
• Pentagon Pens $1 Bln Deal With Lockheed Martin for Hypersonic Cruise Missile Sputnik 20 Apr 2018 -- The deal comes amid concerns from STRATCOM about Russia and China's operation and testing of hypersonic weaponry.
• White House Paves Way for More US Drone Exports Sputnik 20 Apr 2018 -- The White House relaxed weapons export protocols on Thursday to allow US defense contractors to more easily sell unmanned aerial vehicles to foreign clients.
• Europe's largest military exercise gets under way in UK UK MOD 20 Apr 2018 -- Exercise Joint Warrior starts 21st April incorporating personnel from 17 nations
• Chinese air force conducts island patrols: spokesperson People's Daily 20 Apr 2018 -- A Chinese air force formation conducted island patrols recently during a training exercise with an aim of improving the ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, an air force spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
• PLA holds live-fire exercise on southeast coast People's Daily 20 Apr 2018 -- An air unit of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) ground force Wednesday held a live-fire exercise off China's southeast coast, the ground force said Thursday.
• South China base for deep-sea vessels under discussion People's Daily 20 Apr 2018 -- A South China base for deep-sea research vessels is under discussion and pending approval for completion in Hainan Province by 2019, project organizers said on Thursday.
• China Plans Base in South China Sea to Launch Deep-Diving Drones Sputnik 20 Apr 2018 -- Just after the likely next head of US Pacific Command told Congress China's undersea warfare capability is one of the most pressing threats to the US, a new report says Beijing is establishing another base in the South China Sea for deploying manned and unmanned submersible vehicles.
• China warns Australia over hostile sentiment People's Daily 20 Apr 2018 -- If Australia considers exchanges between countries as interference, it should lock itself up in the dark room, the Chinese foreign ministry said in response to Australia's anti-China allegations on Thursday.
• China rejects reports of 'challenging' Australia warships Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- China has rejected claims that Chinese naval vessels "challenged" Australian warships in a recent development in the South China Sea.
• Holding No Water: Beijing Denies Challenging Australia in S China Sea Sputnik 20 Apr 2018 -- The Australian Defense Department has declined to comment on the "operational details" of its three warships, which recently traveled to Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City via the disputed areas in the South China Sea.
• Chinese Nuke-Capable H-6K Bombers Spotted Circling Defiant Taiwan (Again) Sputnik 20 Apr 2018 -- Nuclear-capable bombers in China's People's Liberation Army-Air Force carried out a "sacred" military patrol encircling Taiwan, the military announced Thursday.
• North Korea to suspend missile tests, close nuclear site Saturday Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has announced plans to stop the country's nuclear and missile tests and close a nuclear test site.
• North Korea Suspends Nuclear and Long-Range Missile Tests VOA 20 Apr 2018 -- North Korea says it has suspended nuclear tests and plans to close its nuclear test site. The North's official Korean Central News Agency said the military is also suspending long-range missile tests and said the suspensions went into effect on Saturday.
• Lockheed Martin may sell stealth jet designs to Japan Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- US weapons contractor Lockheed Martin Corp has plans to sell Japan a stealth fighter design based on its export-banned F-22 Raptor and advanced F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
• Lavrov Says No 'Moral Obligation' To Deny Assad S-300 Missiles RFE/RL 20 Apr 2018 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has suggested that Moscow might supply high-precision S-300 air-defense missiles to its ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the wake of Western air strikes.
• No reason not to supply Syria with S-300 defense systems: Russian FM Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- Russia says the latest US missile strikes against Syria have removed any moral obligation for Moscow not to deliver advanced S-300 missile defense systems to Syria.
• Military pension reform bill passes 1st reading at Legislature CNA 20 Apr 2018 -- The Cabinet-proposed military pension reform bill passed its first reading at the Legislative Yuan Friday, amid clashes between ruling and opposition lawmakers, and will now be reviewed by legislative committees.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 20, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 20 April 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 20 Apr 2018
• 'Give peace a chance; give children a chance,' senior UN peacekeeping official says visiting South Sudan UN News 20 Apr 2018 -- All stakeholders in South Sudan must "engage genuinely and constructively in finding a political solution" to the conflict there, a senior United Nations peacekeeping official said at the end of her four-day visit.
• China's Visa-Free Tourism May Lure Travelers into Disputed Sea VOA 20 Apr 2018 -- China's opening of its southernmost province to visa-free foreign tourism next month could make features in a nearby, widely disputed sea more accessible to curious travelers.
• Yemeni Ansarollah targets Saudi Jizan Airport IRNA 20 Apr 2018 -- Yemeni missile unit on Friday targeted Jizan Airport, southwestern Saudi Arabia, Yemeni News Agency 'SABA' reported.
• Fresh Saudi airstrike leaves nearly two dozen civilians killed in SW Yemen Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- Nearly two dozen civilians have lost their lives when Saudi fighter jets launched an aerial attack in Yemen's southwestern province of Ta'izz as the Riyadh regime continues with its bombardment campaign against its impoverished neighbor.
• Syria hands over two unexploded cruise missiles to Russia found after US strike IRNA 20 Apr 2018 -- Two cruise missiles found unexploded by the Syrian military after the US missile strike on April 14 have been handed over to Russia, a source in the Syrian defense ministry told TASS on Thursday.
• Calm down tensions in Syria, Xi urges People's Daily 20 Apr 2018 -- In calls with British, Turkish leaders, president says rules established by the international community should apply
• Takfiri Jaish al-Islam militants return Qalamoun town to Syrian government Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- Syrian forces have established full control over a town northeast of the capital, Damascus, after the militants controlling the area agreed to hand it back to the government.
• Syrian Forces Strike Daesh, Nusra Front Positions South of Damascus – Reports Sputnik 20 Apr 2018 -- The Syrian Air Force is carrying out strikes on positions of the Daesh and Nusra Front terrorist groups south of Damascus, the SANA news agency reported on Friday.
• UN Commissioner on Human Rights Demands Access to Syria Sputnik 20 Apr 2018 -- The United Nations has extensive contacts in Syria, however, it asks to be given access to the country, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein told Sputnik.
• Iraqi Jets Strike IS Positions in Syria for First Time VOA 20 Apr 2018 -- Iraqi warplanes pounded Islamic State positions in eastern Syria with deadly airstrikes Thursday, the Iraqi government said.
• Early rains expose risks for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, but worst 'yet to come,' warns UN agency UN News 20 Apr 2018 -- The arrival of pre-Monsoon rains in southern Bangladesh have exposed alarming level of risks for Rohingya refugees, United Nations humanitarian agencies said, urging immediate funding to ensure support and protection can be provided to hundreds of thousands in desperate need.
• IOM: Rohingya Refugees at Risk as Monsoons Near VOA 20 Apr 2018 -- The International Organization for Migration says it does not have money to protect Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, from the impending regional monsoons and cyclonic storms.
• Romania government backs embassy relocation to Jerusalem al-Quds Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- Romania's government has thrown its weights behind moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem al-Quds, drawing a warning from President Klaus Iohannis that the decision could violate international law.
• First Group of Sudanese Refugees in Chad Returns Home to Darfur VOA 20 Apr 2018 -- The first group of 53 Sudanese refugees living in Chad has returned home to North Darfur more than a decade after fleeing, the U.N. refugee agency reports.

News Reports

• Democratic National Committee v. The Russian Federation, et al. 20 Apr 2018
• Democrats sue Trump campaign, Russia over 2016 election loss Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- The US Democratic National Committee (DNC) has sued President Donald Trump's campaign, the Russian government and the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks over an alleged conspiracy to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
• U.S. Democratic Party Sues Russia, Trump Campaign RFE/RL 20 Apr 2018 -- The U.S. Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit against the Russian government, President Donald Trump's election campaign, and the WikiLeaks organization, accusing them of conspiring to disrupt the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign and tilt the election to Trump.
• Bolton, U.S. National Security Adviser, Tells Russia Conditions For Better Ties RFE/RL 20 Apr 2018 -- The new U.S. national security adviser has told Russia's U.S. ambassador that Moscow must address U.S. concerns on election meddling, the "reckless" nerve-agent attack in Britain, and the situations in Ukraine and Syria before relations can substantially improve.
• Russia: Putin Ready to Meet Trump VOA 20 Apr 2018 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that President Vladimir Putin is willing to accept U.S. President Donald Trump's invitation to meet in Washington.
• Angling for a Summit, Kremlin Avoids Criticizing Trump VOA 20 Apr 2018 -- Kremlin officials, from President Vladimir Putin down, wasted no time in condemning the U.S.-led punitive airstrikes on Syria a week ago, warning of dire consequences. But Russian state-run media has focused more efforts on disputing the alleged Syrian government chemical attack, which prompted the Western airstrikes in the first place, than on the U.S.-led retaliation itself.
• U.S. Slams Russia, Iran As 'Morally Reprehensible' For Rights Violations RFE/RL 20 Apr 2018 -- A new U.S. State Department report has labeled the governments of Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea as "morally reprehensible" with human rights violations on a daily basis, making them "forces of instability."
• US Says China, Iran, Russia Are 'Forces for Instability' VOA 20 Apr 2018 -- The United States has labeled China and Russia "forces of instability" because of their human rights records, along with North Korea and Iran.
• Remarks on the Release of the 2017 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices US Dept. of State 20 Apr 2018 -- Remarks by John J. Sullivan, Acting Secretary of State, and Heather Nauert, Department Spokesperson
• Briefing on the Release of the 2017 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices US Dept. of State 20 Apr 2018 -- Special Briefing by Michael G. Kozak, Ambassador, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
• Two Koreas open hotline between their leaders ahead of summit Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- Just a week before North Korea's Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in meet for landmark talks, the two countries have opened a hotline between the leaders.
• Seoul, Pyongyang Set Up Hotline Between Leaders Ahead of Inter-Korean Summit Sputnik 20 Apr 2018 -- Seoul and Pyongyang have set up a direct hotline between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un just a week prior to the inter-Korean summit, the South Korean presidential office's senior official said Friday.
• US will regret leaving Iran nuclear deal: Zarif Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif says Tehran has a variety of options in store that will make the United States "regret" leaving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• Taiwan taps African diplomatic allies as launch pad into continent CNA 20 Apr 2018 -- Taiwan views its diplomatic allies in Africa as the starting point for a step-by-step approach to engaging with and investing in the continent, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on Friday as she addressed how the country would respond to China's recent attempts to expand its influence in Africa.
• Miguel Diaz-Canel elected as Cuba's new president, vows continuity of socialism People's Daily 20 Apr 2018 -- Miguel Diaz-Canel was elected on Thursday as Cuba's new president, as the successor of Raul Castro who concluded two consecutive five-year terms in office.
• Basque Terrorist Group Apologizes as It Prepares to Dissolve Sputnik 20 Apr 2018 -- The small regional militant group has been a thorn in the side of the Spanish government for almost six decades and is preparing to exit the military arena for good.
• ETA Separatists Apologize for 'Pain,' 'Harm' It Caused VOA 20 Apr 2018 -- The Basque separatist group ETA apologized Friday for the suffering caused by its decades-long campaign of violence to create an independent state and appealed to its victims for forgiveness.
• An Alternative Approach of Counter-terrorism People's Daily 20 Apr 2018 -- According to many scholars and institutes that specialize in the research of global counter-terrorism, the world has witnessed a transition of global strategy of counter-terrorism from eradication to containment in the most recent decades. However, the total number of terrorist attacks happening each year reveals that the improvement in strategy did not translate to a successful reduction of terrorist attacks.
• Armenian police arrest more amid ongoing protests Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- Police in Armenia have arrested scores of opposition supporters amid ongoing protests and sit-ins in the capital, Yerevan, against the parliament's election of former President Serzh Sargsyan as prime minister.
• Almost 200 Arrests In Yerevan As Anti-Sarkisian Protests Continue RFE/RL 20 Apr 2018 -- More than 180 people were detained in the Armenian capital, authorities said, as police tried to stop opposition supporters from blocking streets in protest against the election of former President Serzh Sarkisian as prime minister.
• Kyrgyzstan's parliament approves Abylgaziyev as new prime minister Press TV 20 Apr 2018 -- Kyrgyzstan's parliament has approved Mukhammedkaliy Abylgaziyev as the country's new prime minister after he was nominated by the Social Democratic party, which leads the ruling coalition.
• Kyrgyz Parliament Approves New Prime Minister, Cabinet RFE/RL 20 Apr 2018 -- The Kyrgyz parliament has confirmed Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev as the Central Asian country's new prime minister, a day after an ally of former President Almazbek Atambaev was sacked.
• EU Countries Agree On Thorny Text Of Western Balkans Summit Declaration RFE/RL 20 Apr 2018 -- The 28 European Union member states have agreed on a draft declaration ahead of the EU-Western Balkans summit on May 17 in Sofia, overcoming internal divisions.
• As Commonwealth Leaders Meet, Questions Over Purpose, Leadership VOA 20 Apr 2018 -- Leaders from around the world are gathered in London for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.