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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• US Military Reportedly Sends More Troops to Syria's Manbij Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- Even as President Donald Trump promised to pull out American troops from Syria, the US military has reportedly dispatched yet another convoy to the country's northern reaches.
• Launching of Operations To Liberate Final ISIS Strongholds in Syria US Dept. of State 01 May 2018 -- The United States, the Global Coalition, and local partners, including the Syrian Democratic Forces, are launching operations to liberate the final ISIS strongholds in Syria.
• Report: Afghan Security Forces See Drastic Decline VOA 01 May 2018 -- The number of Afghan security forces declined sharply over the past year amid worsening violence, according to a U.S. government watchdog's latest assessment of the conflict.
• Number Of Afghan Security Forces Drops 10 Percent During Past Year RFE/RL 01 May 2018 -- The U.S. government's watchdog on Afghanistan says the number of Afghan security forces has decreased by nearly 11 percent during the past year as security in the country has deteriorated.
• U.S. Calls Killing Of Kabul Journalists Attack On 'Cornerstone Of Democracy' RFE/RL 01 May 2018 -- The United States has decried the killing of journalists in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan and accused the militants of trying to undermine the country's upcoming elections by attacking the "cornerstone of democracy."
• Afghan Security Force Numbers Tumble as Taliban Maintains Territorial Grip Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- The number of Afghan security forces dropped by 11 percent between 2017 and 2018, amid an uptick in violence in the country and despite the US' 17-year-long effort to bolster their abilities.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Air Force ramps up flying ICU teams AFNS 01 May 2018 -- When the U.S. military needs to transport critically injured patients by air, it calls on Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Teams. The Air Force is increasing CCATT capabilities to meet the needs of the warfighter.
• Mattis Addresses Issues in Syria, Afghanistan, Korea AFPS 01 May 2018 -- The situation in Syria is the "most complex security situation, fighting situation" he has experienced in his four decades of military service, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said yesterday.
• Army Secretary Notes Another Inflection Point for Service AFPS 01 May 2018 -- The U.S. Army has faced inflection points in the past and is facing one today, Army Secretary Mark T. Esper told the Atlantic Council here this morning.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis' Bilateral Meeting with Macedonian Minister of Defense DoD 01 May 2018
• Remarks by Secretary Mattis at an Enhanced Honor Cordon Welcoming Macedonia Defense Minister Shekerinska to the Pentagon DoD 01 May 2018 -- Presenter: Secretary Of Defense James N. Mattis; Macedonia Defense Minister Radmila Shekerinska
• Maritime Makeover: Navy-Owned Research Vessel Back at Sea After Refit NNS 01 May 2018 -- It's an extreme makeover, U.S. Navy-style. The research vessel (R/V) Thomas G. Thompson recently completed an 18-month upgrade to extend its working life, improve operating systems, and bolster its research capabilities for the Navy and scientific organizations.
• Navy Adjusts Incoming FDNF Sailors' First-Term Sea Duty Tour Lengths NNS 01 May 2018 -- To improve readiness and reduce turnover of Forward Deployed Naval Force (FDNF) sea duty units, the Navy announced May 1, that effective immediately, incoming first-term enlisted Sailors assigned to sea duty billets in Japan, Guam and Spain will be assigned to longer tour lengths, in NAVADMIN 107/18.
• Pentagon Chief Pushes to Waive Sanctions for US Allies That Buy Russian S-400s Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- US Defense Secretary James Mattis is seeking to circumvent potential conflicts with US allies that have purchased Russian military equipment with an appeal to US legislators to relax sanctioning requirements against countries that do so.
• Taiwan mulling buying tanks from US , defense minster says Press TV 01 May 2018 -- Taiwan is mulling the purchase of US M1A2 Abrams tanks in order to protect itself from a potential attack from China, its defense minster says.
• Indian, Russian Scientists Pursue Mach 7 For BrahMos Missile Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- The present version of the BrahMos missile travels at a speed of Mach 2.8. The makers are now aiming to achieve the speed of Mach 3.5 and Mach 5 in three years. They will subsequently increase the speed to a hypersonic level – Mach 7.
• India Successfully Tests Indigenous Engine Meant to Power UAVs in the Himalayas Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- The 450 kg thrust class engine is a generic twin spool engine without an afterburner. The Indian armed forces have been in dire need of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of operating over mountainous areas.
• Defense Minister: Iran to give crushing response to enemy's plots IRNA 01 May 2018 -- Iran's Minister of Defense Brigadier General Amir Hatami said on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic of Iran will give a crushing response to the enemy's plots.
• Iran vows benumbing, crushing response to enemies' conspiracies Press TV 01 May 2018 -- Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami slams Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's baseless claims and his provocative measures, saying the Islamic Republic will give a benumbing and crushing response to enemies' conspiracies.
• Iran Vows 'Surprising' Response to Israel Amid Nuclear Deal Tensions Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- Iranian Defense Minister Amir Khatami has commented on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that Israel's intelligence had obtained thousands of documents proving that Tehran has been secretly developing a nuclear weapons program.
• Knesset allows Netanyahu, Lieberman to declare war in 'extreme' situations Press TV 01 May 2018 -- Israel's parliament (Knesset) has passed a controversial law that allows the prime minister to bypass the legislative chamber and declare war or order a major operation on his own after only consulting his minister for military affairs.
• Israeli PM Given Power to Declare War With Only Defense Minister's Approval Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, as well as the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee originally decided against the proposal, but it was later passed in the Knesset during a second and third reading, Haaretz newspaper reported.
• Pompeo Pledges to Return 'Swagger' to US State Department VOA 01 May 2018 -- New U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is vowing to bring back the "swagger" to the State Department.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders The White House 01 May 2018

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 01, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 1 May 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 01 May 2018
• Yemeni air defense shoots down Saudi coalition spy plane IRNA 01 May 2018 -- A Saudi spy plane was shot down by Yemeni air defense in northwestern Yemen, Arabic-language media 'Al Mayadeen' reported.
• Saudi military forces killed in Yemen border IRNA 01 May 2018 -- A number of Saudi military forces were killed in Yemeni forces' ambush in Najran, southern Saudi Arabia, Russian media 'Sputnik' reported.
• Sudanese MPs urge withdrawal from Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen Press TV 01 May 2018 -- A group of Sudanese lawmakers has urged President Omar al-Bashir to withdraw the country's troops from a Saudi Arabian-led coalition waging war on Yemen.
• Syrian Democratic Forces Announce Drive to Reclaim Last ISIS Territory AFPS 01 May 2018 -- The coalition affirms its support and confidence in the Syrian Democratic Forces as they commence operations to clear the final Islamic State of Iraq and Syria territories in northeastern Syria, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials said today.
• Coalition Forces in Syria Renew Fight Against Islamic State VOA 01 May 2018 -- U.S.-supported Syrian forces have launched a new offensive to remove Islamic State from the militants' last stronghold, the oil-rich eastern province of Deir al-Zour.
• US-led strikes on Syria's Hasakah leave over two dozen civilians dead Press TV 01 May 2018 -- More than two dozen civilians have lost their lives and scores of others sustained injuries when the so-called US-led coalition purportedly fighting Daesh Takfiri terrorist group carried out a series of airstrikes on Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah.
• Militants agree to leave Yarmouk Camp in deal with Syrian government Press TV 01 May 2018 -- Takfiri militants have agreed to evacuate the Yarmouk refugee camp in southern Damascus along with their families as part of a deal with the Damascus government.
• Israeli F-15s Hit Syrian Base Storing Iranian Anti-Aircraft Missiles - Reports Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- Arms depots in the vicinity of the Syrian cities of Hama and Aleppo were attacked in the early hours of Monday with "hostile rockets," a Syrian military source told Sputnik. The Israeli military has declined to comment on the strikes.
• Syrian Army Conducts Intensive Air Strikes on Terrorists' Dens South of Damascus Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- Syrian state media reported Monday that the Syrian Army has conducted precision and intensive airstrikes on fortified militant positions in the Al-Hajar al-Aswad area to the south of Damascus.
• UN urges Myanmar to 'properly' probe atrocities against Rohingya Press TV 01 May 2018 -- A UN Security Council envoy says Myanmar must conduct a "proper investigation" into alleged atrocities against the persecuted Rohingya Muslims in northwestern state of Rakhine.
• Security Council urges conditions that allow safe return of Rohingya refugees UN News 01 May 2018 -- After seeing for themselves the conditions facing Rohingya refugees in the camps of southern Bangladesh as well as homes they fled in Myanmar, Security Council members called on Tuesday for them to be allowed a safe return.
• Buhari: Nigerians Returning to Homes, Farms as Boko Haram Fades VOA 01 May 2018 -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says life in the country's northeast is improving, as the threat of Boko Haram militants recedes and people return to their homes and farms.
• Suspected Boko Haram bomb attacks kill dozens in Eastern Nigeria Press TV 01 May 2018 -- At least 24 people have lost their lives in suspected Boko Haram bomb attacks in and around a mosque in Nigeria's eastern province of Adamawa, police and officials say.
• 9 die in attack on church in Central African Republic Press TV 01 May 2018 -- At least nine people, including a priest, have been killed in an attack on a church in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic.
• Egypt's Army Reportedly Amasses Troops on Israeli Border for Anti-Daesh Campaign Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- Cairo is planning to strike at Daesh (ISIS) militants concentrated in Egypt's sparsely populated Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel from the southwest.
• No More Pellet Guns in Kashmir: Forces to Use Rubber Bullets, Chili Grenades Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- In Kashmir valley, security forces have been using pellet-firing shotguns to disperse violent mob protests in the last few years. Pellet guns are considered non-lethal but hundreds of locals have allegedly turned blind due to their injuries.

News Reports

• Report: Special Investigator Gives Trump Lawyers Questions On Russia Contacts RFE/RL 01 May 2018 -- The New York Times has reported that U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has given a list of questions to lawyers for President Donald Trump as part of his investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump obstructed justice.
• U.S. Not Aiming To 'Put Russian Aluminum Giant Out Of Business' With Sanctions RFE/RL 01 May 2018 -- The United States isn't seeking to put Russian aluminum giant Rusal out of business by sanctioning the company, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said, but majority owner Oleg Deripaska must reduce his stock holdings to less than 50 percent.
• Armenians Skeptical After Ruling Party Blocks Protest Leader's PM Bid VOA 01 May 2018 -- Former government officials and citizens in Armenia expressed reservations about the ruling party's decision to block a bid by opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan to become prime minister, setting up a standoff between the elite, which has run the state for more than a decade, and thousands of Pashinyan's supporters camped on the streets.
• Armenia's protest leader not elected as premier at parliament Press TV 01 May 2018 -- Leader of Armenia's protest movement Nikol Pashinyan has failed to secure a majority of votes at the parliament to become the prime minister of the South Caucasus country.
• Armenia's opposition leader warns of more protests if excluded from power Press TV 01 May 2018 -- Armenia's opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan has warned the country's parliament that his exclusion from power could escalate demonstrations on the streets.
• Armenia opp. figure faces hurdles on path to premiership Press TV 01 May 2018 -- Armenia's parliament is set to hold a vote to elect the country's next prime minister after weeks of anti-government rallies that forced then-Premier Serzh Sargsyan to resign.
• Armenian Parliament Rejects Opposition Leader Pashinian As PM RFE/RL 01 May 2018 -- Armenia's parliament has voted 45-to-55 against opposition leader Nikol Pashinian as the country's next prime minister, leaving him eight votes short of the simple majority he needed to win the post.
• Minju Joson Urges U.S. to Drop Hostile Policy toward DPRK KCNA 01 May 2018 -- Those concerned of the White House recently said that no one is sure when and how the DPRK will carry out the promise it made at the plenary meeting and there is no statement about "dismantlement", even claiming that it could be a "trap" laid by the DPRK.
• Japan set to host trilateral summit on North Korea Press TV 01 May 2018 -- Japan, along with South Korea and China, is set to hold a trilateral summit in Tokyo next week, the latest move in a diplomatic whirlwind centered around North Korea, the South Korean government says.
• South Korea asks UN to verify North's nuclear site shutdown Press TV 01 May 2018 -- South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has asked the United Nations (UN) to help verify the shutdown of a North Korean nuclear power plant.
• North, South Korea Align Time Zones, Take Down Propaganda Speakers in DMZ Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- Both North Korea and South Korea began taking down loudspeakers that blasted propaganda at one another along the demilitarized zone on Tuesday, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry.
• European Diplomats Suspect Netanyahu Choreographed Iran Presentation with US VOA 01 May 2018 -- America's European allies are drawing a sharply different collective conclusion from the U.S. about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's dramatic presentation Monday of "evidence" he says demonstrates Iran lied about its nuclear program.
• IAEA: 'No Credible Indications' of Iran Nuclear Weapons Activity after 2009 VOA 01 May 2018 -- The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog called attention Tuesday to a 2015 report by its director that said it had "no credible indications" of Iranian activity linked to the development of nuclear weapons after 2009.
• US Backs Israeli Claims on 'New and Compelling' Evidence Against Iran VOA 01 May 2018 -- The White House is praising new intelligence from Israel on Iran's nuclear weapons program, calling it "new and compelling" though officials in Washington have stopped short of charging Tehran with outright violations of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
• IAEA confirms peaceful nature of Iran nuclear program IRNA 01 May 2018 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday confirmed the peaceful nature of Iran's civil nuclear program.
• FM denounces Trump's 'old allegations' against Iran Deal IRNA 01 May 2018 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed US President Donald Trump's old allegation against Iran nuclear deal also known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
• Iran FM lashes out at Israeli PM 'cartoon fiasco' IRNA 01 May 2018 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his baseless allegations against Iran.
• Nuclear development to start if US leaves Iran Deal: Lawmaker IRNA 01 May 2018 -- If the US withdraws from the July 2015 nuclear deal, Iran will go ahead with its nuclear development less than a week, a senior member of Iranian Majlis (Parliament) said on Tuesday.
• Saudi Arabia not capable of posing threat to Iran: Commander Press TV 01 May 2018 -- A senior Iranian commander says Saudi Arabia is incapable of posing a threat to Iran as the Islamic Republic has the upper hand in different spheres.
• Iran FM slams Pompeo's about-turn on nuclear program Press TV 01 May 2018 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has slammed the U-turn in his American counterpart's position on Iran's nuclear activities, highlighting Mike Pompeo's previous remarks in which he affirmed that Tehran had never tried to develop nuclear weapons.
• Iran confident about strategic fuel as Trump looms Press TV 01 May 2018 -- Iran looks confidently to the future when the operation of a new refinery on Saturday propels the country to its long-held goal of fuel self-sufficiency.
• No 'credible' proof of Iran nuclear weapons program after 2009: IAEA Press TV 01 May 2018 -- The UN's nuclear agency has reiterated that it has "no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009," citing its assessments from 2015.
• US revises statement saying Iran 'has' secret nuclear program Press TV 01 May 2018 -- The White House has changed a public statement, which was issued in support of the Israeli prime minister's speech against Iran's nuclear activities and which stated that Tehran "has" a secret nuclear program.
• Only IAEA can assess any claim on Iranian nuclear program: Mogherini Press TV 01 May 2018 -- The EU foreign policy chief says what the Israeli premier tried to present as documents on Iran's "secret" nuclear work fails to question Tehran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, and that any such claims should solely be assessed by the UN nuclear watchdog.
• IAEA Saw No 'Credible Evidence' Iran Was Working On Nuclear Weapon After 2009 RFE/RL 01 May 2018 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it has "no credible" evidence Iran was working on developing a nuclear "explosive device" after 2009 and that the UN's nuclear watchdog considered the issue "closed" after it was presented in a report in December 2015.
• Moscow Stresses Need to Authenticate Israel's Iran Nuclear Deal Docs - Envoy Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the Israeli intelligence had obtained thousands of documents proving that Iran violated its commitment to maintaining a peaceful nuclear program and kept secretly developing a nuclear weapons program.
• Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Blames Netanyahu for Nuclear Deal Remarks Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again accusing Tehran of violating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, the Iranian Foreign Ministry underlined that Netanyahu's allegations hold no water.
• Pompeo: Israel's Iran Documents 'Authentic', Prove Iran Had Secret Nuke Program Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday night that intelligence revealed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day is authentic and does show that Iran was pursuing a secret nuclear program in violation of international accords.
• EU to Assess Netanyahu's Statement on Iranian Nuclear Projects Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement on Tehran's military nuclear projects can be assessed only after a thorough analysis.
• 'If You Hit, You Will Be Hit Back': Iran Warns US, Allies After Attacks in Syria Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- Supreme leader of Iran Ayatollah Khamenei threatened the United States and its allies during a Monday speech to workers leading up to International Workers' Day. The remarks came in response to a Sunday attack on a base in Syria that killed a number of Iranians.
• NASA Faces Cost Overruns, Launch Delays in 9 Major Projects Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- The US space agency NASA is facing increased costs and delays in its portfolio of major projects, including the Orion crew capsule, Space Launch System rocket and James Webb space telescope, according to a report by the General Accountability Office on Tuesday.
• China's move to lure Taiwan's allies unhelpful to regional peace: AIT CNA 01 May 2018 -- China's move to lure Taiwan's diplomatic allies has changed the status quo and is unhelpful to regional stability, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said Tuesday.
• Full text of statement on cutting ties with Dominican Republic CNA 01 May 2018 -- Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has issued a statement on its termination of diplomatic relations with the Dominican Republic after the Caribbean country formally recognized the People's Republic of China.
• Dominican Republic envoy apologizes over diplomatic break with Taiwan CNA 01 May 2018 -- Dominican Republic ambassador to Taiwan Angel Soto Jimenez on Tuesday offered a personal apology to the government after his country announced that it was switching diplomatic allegiance to China, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
• U.S. expresses concerns over China's belittling of Taiwan CNA 01 May 2018 -- The U.S. State Department on Monday expressed concerns over China's ongoing efforts to belittle Taiwan after Beijing demanded that two U.S. airlines remove any reference of Taiwan as a country on their websites.
• China hooks new ally with US$3 billion in loans: source CNA 01 May 2018 -- China has promised the Dominican Republic more than US$3 billion in loans to support its infrastructure projects, leading the Caribbean country to cut ties with Taiwan, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs source told local media Tuesday.
• Taiwan urges Beijing to stop undermining cross-strait peace CNA 01 May 2018 -- Taiwan's Presidential Office has urged Beijing to "immediately stop" all behavior that is negatively affecting peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait following the Dominican Republic's decision to cut ties with Taipei.
• Taiwan cuts ties with Dominican Republic CNA 01 May 2018 -- Taiwan is cutting diplomatic ties with the Dominican Republic after the Caribbean country switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing on Monday, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) announced Tuesday.
• Dominican Republic severs relations with Taiwan in win for China Press TV 01 May 2018 -- The Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic has severed its diplomatic ties with Taiwan, officially recognizing Chinese sovereignty over the self-ruled island.
• Taiwan Severs Diplomatic Ties With Dominican Republic Over China Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- Taiwan cut off its diplomatic ties with the Dominican Republic on Tuesday after the latter established official diplomatic relations with China, the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of China (Taiwan) said in a statement.
• Dominican Republic Establishes Relations With China, Severs Ties With Taiwan Sputnik 01 May 2018 -- Dominican Republic has signed an agreement establishing diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
• Proposed Constitutional Amendments in Burundi US Dept. of State 01 May 2018 -- The United States is concerned with the May 17, referendum aimed at amending the constitution of Burundi through a non-transparent process. We are especially concerned that the amendments to the constitution will be interpreted as resetting presidential term limits and run counter to the Arusha Agreement.
• Almost 500,000 affected as devastating floods inundate central Somalia - UN mission UN News 01 May 2018 -- United Nations agencies in Somalia have stepped up their response in the wake of devastating flash floods across large parts of the country that have impacted nearly 500,000 people and displaced close to 175,000 from their homes.