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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 11 May 2018 [PDF]
• Coalition Strikes Hit ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 11 May 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 May 4-10, conducting 53 strikes consisting of 63 engagements, Combined task force officials reported today.
• Taliban kill over 30 police in western Afghanistan Press TV 11 May 2018 -- More than 30 policemen have been killed in separate assaults by Taliban in Afghanistan's western province of Farah, officials say.
• U.S. General Says Taliban 'Cannot Win Militarily' In Afghanistan RFE/RL 11 May 2018 -- The leader of the U.S. Central Command says the Taliban in Afghanistan "cannot win militarily" despite an uptick in attacks launched by the militants.
• Afghanistan: End attacks on civilians, prosecute perpetrators, says senior UN rights official UN News 11 May 2018 -- A top United Nations rights official has welcomed the Afghan Government's "undeniable commitment" to improving an often "dire" human rights record, while also voicing concern over continued attacks on civilians ahead of key elections later in the year.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Probe offers details on how secret US op in Niger went awry Press TV 11 May 2018 -- A Pentagon investigation of a botched US operation in Niger in 2017 has concluded, finding mistakes on all military levels in the secret mission that resulted in the death of four American Special Forces.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Mattis' Meeting With Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyungwha DoD 11 May 2018
• NATO provides "eye in the sky" for Red Flag AFNS 11 May 2018 -- The air war is underway at Red Flag-Alaska 18-1. But fifty miles southwest and ten thousand feet above the dog fighting, a NATO E-3A Component jet circles in its flight pattern, soaking up signals and squawks about the fluid battle space below and providing friendly forces a watchful "eye in the sky" that extends in every direction for hundreds of miles.
• Balikatan 2018: U.S., Philippine Forces Share Ideas, Best Practices AFPS 11 May 2018 -- U.S. and Philippine armed forces work to cultivate strong partnerships between the two nations by exchanging and demonstrating best practices and procedures during exercise Balikatan 2018, scheduled May 7-18 at various locations across the Philippines.
• Eucom Commander Calls for Unity, Resolve to Defend Strong, Free Europe AFPS 11 May 2018 -- Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti received the Atlantic Council's Distinguished Military Leader Award during a ceremony here last night.
• Balikatan 18: AFP, US military forces conduct combined Amphibious Exercise USMC News 11 May 2018 -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and U.S. military forces came together 9 May 2018 to conduct an amphibious landing exercise at the Naval Education and Training Command during exercise Balikatan 2018.
• USS Ronald Reagan Departs Yokosuka for Sea Trials NNS 11 May 2018 -- The forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), departed for sea trials, May 11, after successfully completing a two-day fast cruise.
• Oak Hill Completes First Half of Scheduled Deployment NNS 11 May 2018 -- Sailors and Marines aboard the Harpers Ferry-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) reached the halfway point in their scheduled six-month deployment, May 9.
• U.S. Coast Guard Takes on 'Dirty Job' of Tending Guantanamo Bay Buoys NNS 11 May 2018 -- Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs," filmed a segment onboard the buoy tender U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Aspen (WLB 206) and called the work performed by that crew the dirtiest he'd ever experienced.
• US Navy Wants New Anti-Missile Interceptor System for Surveillance Planes Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- The US Navy is considering adding a system of small interceptor missiles to its larger noncombat warplanes in response to the new generation of anti-air missiles being developed by China and Russia.
• British Armed Forces in Need of Up To $28.5 Billion Over Next Decade – UK MPs Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- Military spending in the UK has long been a contentious matter, with views polarized on whether or not Britain should continue to spend billions of pounds on its Trident nuclear program, among other defense-related projects and matters.
• China's Y-20 large transport aircraft takes boundary limit flight tests People's Daily 11 May 2018 -- The China-developed Y-20 large transport aircraft is now undertaking boundary limit flight tests, said its developer on Thursday.
• Chinese Air Force circles Taiwan in latest drill CNA 11 May 2018 -- China's Air Force conducted a long-range drill on Friday that had aircraft circling Taiwan in opposite directions, according to a statement from Taiwan's Air Force Command Headquarters.
• Chinese Fighters, Bombers Ring Taiwan, Show 'Upgrade in Combat Capabilities' Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- China's People's Liberation Army-Air Force planes conducted military drills around Taiwan Friday aimed at intimidating the island's "independence forces," according to reports.
• Chinese Missiles Challenge US in South China Sea VOA 11 May 2018 -- Chinese missile deployment in the South China Sea is meant as a challenge to the United States and its allies, scholars believe.
• Russia 'not in talks' with Syria to supply S-300, says top Kremlin aide Press TV 11 May 2018 -- Russia is not in talks with the Syrian government about supplying advanced S-300 missile defense systems to Syria in an effort to bolster the war-torn Arab nation's defensive capabilities, a top Kremlin aide says.
• Israeli Minister Lauds Russia for Not Negotiating S-300 Deliveries to Syria Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- Israeli Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz has told Sputnik that he considers Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Kozhin's remark that there were no negotiations on the supply of S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Syria to be a demonstration of Moscow's respect toward Tel Aviv.
• S-300 Deliveries to Syria Not Announced - Kremlin Spokesman Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- There's been much speculation circulating in the media around the possibility of Russia supplying its S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Syria after the latter was attacked by three Western nations – the United States, France and the United Kingdom – in response to an alleged use of chemical weapons by government forces in the city of Douma.
• Pakistan Defense Minister given additional FM charges IRNA 11 May 2018 -- Defense Minister of Pakistan Khurram Dastgir Khan has been given additional charge of ministry of foreign affairs, state media reported.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and HHS Secretary Alex Azar The White House 11 May 2018

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 11, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 11 May 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 11 May 2018
• Service born from sacrifice: Rwanda's commitment to UN peacekeeping UN News 11 May 2018 -- Over the years, African governments have led the way in contributing troops and police to United Nations operations to help save lives and keep the peace around the world. Today, one of the continent's smallest countries is also one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping.
• Chinese Military Aircraft Spotted on Third Disputed South China Sea Reef Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- A Chinese Y-8 military transport aircraft has been seen on the disputed Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, just 12 nautical miles from the Philippines-occupied Thitu Island.
• Yemeni ballistic missile targets Saudi military base in Najran Press TV 11 May 2018 -- Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have fired a domestically-manufactured ballistic missile at a military base in Saudi Arabia's southern border region of Najran in retaliation for the Saudi-led military strikes against their country, a Yemeni media report says.
• April deadliest month for civilians in Yemen, warns UN Press TV 11 May 2018 -- The United Nations Human Rights office has warned that April has been the deadliest month this year so far with a "sharp" increase in civilian casualties in Yemen, amid continued Saudi aggression against its impoverished Arab neighbor.
• Turkey 'concerned' by UAE's military build-up on Yemen's Socotra Press TV 11 May 2018 -- Turkey has voiced concern over the recent developments in Yemen's Socotra after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) deployed forces to the island, saying they pose a threat to the country's sovereignty.
• Yemeni Forces Launch Another Missile at Saudi Base Near Najran Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- Yemeni Army forces fired a homemade ballistic missile at a Saudi military base near the border city of Najran Friday.
• Iran Defends Syria After Israeli Missile Strikes RFE/RL 11 May 2018 -- Iran has strongly condemned Israel's missile strikes on Iranian targets inside Syria.
• Syria Army general Command renews readiness to confront any aggression IRNA 11 May 2018 -- The General Command of the Army and Armed Forces said that Air Defense of the Syrian Arab Army managed with high efficiency to intercept and destroy a large part of the Israeli missiles launched consecutively on Thursday at dawn at a number of military posts in several directions.
• Iran condemns Zionist regime attack on Syrian soil IRNA 11 May 2018 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi on Thursday strongly condemned the Zionist regime's attack on Syria as blatant violation of the country's sovereignty.
• Syrian Democratic Forces Return Fire in Self-Defense AFPS 11 May 2018 -- Syrian Democratic Forces returned fire at an unidentified aggressor near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria, around noon local time yesterday.
• 3rd batch of terrorists to exit Hama, Homs IRNA 11 May 2018 -- Preparations for evacuating the 3rd batch of terrorists, unwilling to settle their status, along with families from the countryside of Homs and Hama to northern Syria started on Friday in preparation for declaring this area clear from terrorists.
• Iraqi Forces With U.S. Backing Capture Five Top IS Leaders RFE/RL 11 May 2018 -- Iraqi forces in coordination with U.S.-backed Syrian forces have captured five senior Islamic State (IS) leaders, the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS said on May 10.
• For Rohingya refugees, imminent surge in births is traumatic legacy of sexual violence - special report UN News 11 May 2018 -- Late last year, as violent repression in Myanmar sent Rohingyas fleeing to safety in Bangladesh, women from the mainly Muslim minority were subjected to what a United Nations official called "a frenzy of sexual violence".
• On-the-Record-Briefing US Dept. of State 11 May 2018 -- Special Briefing by David Melech Friedman, U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Victoria Coates Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Strategic Assessment of the National Security Council
• Children 'are dying' now in DRC's Kasai from malnutrition, warns UNICEF UN News 11 May 2018 -- 400,000 children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) "are at risk of death" in the Kasais region from food shortages caused by conflict and displacement, according to a senior UN official who has just returned from the area, expressing shock at what he had witnessed.
• Analysts: Only Incentives, Pressure Can Achieve South Sudan Peace VOA 11 May 2018 -- South Sudan's much-delayed peace talks are scheduled to pick up again next Thursday in Ethiopia's capital. But analysts say diplomatic efforts won't succeed unless East African leaders use both carrots and sticks to force the warring sides to compromise.

News Reports

• Haspel's Role in CIA Torture Program 'Neither Minor Nor Incidental' - Senator Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- CIA Director nominee Gina Haspel likely played an important role in the agency's controversial interrogation program and the destruction of videotapes showing the use of torture, Senator Tim Kaine said in a press release.
• Former CIA Contractor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Retaining Classified Materials US Dept. of Justice 11 May 2018- - Reynaldo B. Regis, 53, of Fort Washington, Maryland, and a former CIA contractor, pleaded guilty today to unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials, and making material false statements to federal law enforcement officers.
• Putin 4.0: Five Issues Facing Russia's President In The Next Six Years RFE/RL 11 May 2018 -- With President Vladimir Putin's inauguration for a fourth presidential term in the books, Russians are looking ahead to the next six years.
• 'Not Their Business To Bomb Voronezh': Russian Lawmakers Gut Sanctions Bill Targeting U.S. RFE/RL 11 May 2018 -- The phrase "bomb Voronezh" has become a staple of the Russian political lexicon, a reference to what Kremlin critics call Russia's penchant for responding to Western sanctions with punitive measures that end up harming its own citizens.
• Russian Lawmakers Consider Making It A Crime To Observe Foreign Sanctions RFE/RL 11 May 2018 -- Draft legislation in the Russian parliament calls for the jailing of any person or representative of an organization in the country who goes along with sanctions imposed by foreign entities, Russian news agencies report.
• Navalny Hearing Over Anti-Putin 'Not Our Tsar' Protests Is Postponed RFE/RL 11 May 2018 -- A Moscow court opened a hearing in a case against Aleksei Navalny over nationwide protests but swiftly rescheduled it for May 15, prompting sardonic criticism from the opposition politician.
• South Korean President Vows to Ensure Further Seoul-Pyongyang Cultural Exchanges Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed Friday to ensure that the cultural exchanges between Seoul and Pyongyang would continue and intensify.
• Rodong Sinmun Blasts U.S. Plots against DPRK KCNA 11 May 2018 -- The U.S. drastically increased the funds for espionage against the DPRK and is scheming to intensify ideological and cultural poisoning against it through e-media and radio, says Rodong Sinmun Friday in a commentary.
• Trump says meeting with DPRK's Kim in Singapore on June 12 People's Daily 11 May 2018 -- U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday that his meeting with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, will be in Singapore on June 12.
• Mothers, children, lacking basic nutrition in North Korea: UN food aid chief UN News 11 May 2018 -- The head of the United Nations food relief agency said on Friday that many mothers and young children in North Korea are still relying on humanitarian assistance to meet their nutritional needs.
• Top Diplomats From Britain, France, Germany to Discuss Iran Deal VOA 11 May 2018 -- European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is expected to host a meeting Tuesday with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in Brussels to discuss the future of the Iran nuclear deal, now that U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the United States is pulling out of the deal.
• Statement from the Press Secretary on Iranian Aggression Against Saudi Arabia and Israel The White House 11 May 2018
• Mogherini: EU determined to preserve Iran Deal IRNA 11 May 2018 -- High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini expressed the European Union's determination to keep Iran nuclear deal in place.
• Iranian Gov't slams US walkaway from JCPOA IRNA 11 May 2018 -- The Iranian Government in a statement denounced US unilateral withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal also known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
• Putin, Merkel underline preserving Iran Deal IRNA 11 May 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a phone conversation underlined preserving Iran nuclear deal.
• Russia, Germany remain committed to Iran nuclear deal: Kremlin Press TV 11 May 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have reaffirmed their commitment to preserving a 2015 landmark nuclear agreement despite the US move to pull out of it, the Kremlin says.
• France, Germany urge Europe to act on US Iran sanctions Press TV 11 May 2018 -- France and Germany urge European nations to push back against US sanctions targeting their companies doing business with Iran after President Donald Trump's withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear agreement.
• U.S., Despite Dropping Nuclear Deal, Still Wants UN Inspections In Iran RFE/RL 11 May 2018 -- The White House wants UN inspections of Iran's nuclear sites to continue, despite President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 agreement that authorized those inspections, U.S. officials have said.
• Merkel Says U.S. Pullout From Iran Nuke Deal Undermines 'Global Order' RFE/RL 11 May 2018 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on May 11 that the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal undermines confidence in the global order.
• IRGC Exports 'Destabilizing Influence Throughout Middle East' - White House Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- The White House issued a statement on Friday, calling "responsible nations" to bring pressure on Iran to change this "dangerous behavior."
• Russia's Sukhoi Plans to Supply SSJ100R Planes to Iran Despite US Sanctions Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- Russia's Sukhoi Civil Aircraft said it would continue to cooperate with Iranian airlines in the framework of interim agreements on the delivery of SSJ100R passenger aircraft, despite the resumption of US sanctions on Iran.
• Iran Nuclear Deal Works, EU Intends to Preserve It - Mogherini Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- Following the US decision to withdraw from the Iranian Nuclear Deal, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini stressed that the bloc reserved the right to act in its security interests.
• China ready to defend its interests People's Daily 11 May 2018 -- China will resolutely defend its interests even as it expects a positive outcome from the upcoming China-US trade talks through efforts from both sides, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.
• China launches new Iran train route Press TV 11 May 2018 -- China on Thursday launched a freight train service that connects its northern regions to Iran's capital Tehran in what could be a major connectivity project of vital importance to the flow of trade between the two countries.
• Rebuilding, Returning, Renegotiating: Iraq's Diverse Election Wishes VOA 11 May 2018 -- Many areas that Islamic State militants once controlled in Iraq look like Mosul's old city. It was once the heart of the militants' de facto capital in Iraq. Now, it is broken and mostly abandoned and bodies still decay where they landed.
• Iraqis go to polls Saturday in first elections since victory over Daesh Press TV 11 May 2018 -- Iraqis are heading to key parliamentary elections on Saturday in their first vote since the country declared victory over the Daesh terrorist group some five months ago.
• Number of People Infected With Ebola in DR Congo Rises to 32 - WHO Sputnik 11 May 2018 -- The number of people, who were infected with the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), has increased to 32, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
• DR Congo: UN prepared for 'all scenarios' despite low risk of Ebola spreading UN News 11 May 2018 -- The chances of the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) spreading across borders are low, said the United Nations health agency on Friday, although nine neighbouring countries remain on alert.
• WHO Prepares for 'Worst Case Scenario' for DRC Ebola Outbreak VOA 11 May 2018 -- The World Health Organization said Friday it is preparing for "the worst case scenario" for an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• MOFA opens new unit to promote New Southbound Policy CNA 11 May 2018 -- The Indo-Pacific Affairs Section, a new unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) focused on promoting the government's New Southbound Policy, opened its doors Friday.
• U.S. congressman urges U.S. airlines not to bow to Beijing's demands CNA 11 May 2018 -- U.S. Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, wrote a letter to American airline carriers on Thursday urging them to resist bowing down to pressure from Beijing and Chinese political correctness.
• Turkish PM Says He's Willing To Discuss Diplomatic Ties With Armenia RFE/RL 11 May 2018 -- The Turkish prime minister has said his country is willing to consider an offer by new Armenian leader Nikol Pashinian to establish diplomatic relations and ease tensions between the longtime bitter rivals.
• Nigeria: 'Largest-ever' outbreak of Lassa fever contained but monitoring still needed, says UN health agency UN News 11 May 2018 -- With the largest-ever outbreak of the deadly Lassa fever in Nigeria having been contained, continued vigilance is vital to deal with any flare-ups, the United Nations health agency warned on Friday.
• Challenges Await Egypt's Sissi in New Term VOA 11 May 2018 -- Terrorism will be one of the major challenges facing Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi, who begins a new term in office next month after winning nearly 100 percent of the vote in February's election.
• Malaysia's New PM Ready to Pardon Opposition Leader VOA 11 May 2018 -- Malaysia's newly installed prime minister says he is ready to make good on a campaign promise to pardon opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.