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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 19 Jul 2018 [PDF]
• Centcom Commander: Success in Defeating ISIS Lies With Coalition Partners, Allies AFPS 19 Jul 2018 -- In the U.S.-led campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the center of gravity remains the coalition network of allies and partner nations, the commander of U.S. Central Command told Pentagon reporters today.
• South Asia Strategy Working in Afghanistan, Centcom Commander Says AFPS 19 Jul 2018 -- While the fighting continues and work remains to be done in Afghanistan, progress there shows the president's South Asia Strategy is working, the commander of U.S. Central Command told Pentagon reporters today.
• U.S. General: No Major Changes In Strategy Likely In Afghanistan RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- U.S. Central Command chief General Joseph Votel says he does not expect major changes in military strategy as a result of an updated assessment of the war effort in Afghanistan currently being conducted.
• Taliban: No Plan to Stop Suicide Attacks in Afghan Cities VOA 19 Jul 2018 -- The Taliban is denying reports it has stopped suicide attacks in Afghanistan to avoid civilian casualties.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Previewing Secretary Pompeo's Participation in the 2018 Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations US Dept. of State 19 Jul 2018 -- Special Briefing by Senior State Department Official
• Air Force formalizes Air Force One replacement deal with contract to Boeing AFNS 19 Jul 2018 -- The U.S. Air Force awarded a contract to The Boeing Company to design, modify, test, certify and deliver two presidential, mission-ready aircraft by 2024.
• No New Pentagon Guidance on US-Russian Military Cooperation in Syria VOA 19 Jul 2018 -- The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East says he has not received new guidance from the Pentagon on military cooperation with Russia in Syria following the Helsinki summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Exercise Sea Breeze 2018 Concludes in Ukraine AFPS 19 Jul 2018 -- The 18th iteration of exercise Sea Breeze concluded July 17 following a closing ceremony in Odessa, Ukraine.
• SPAWAR Enterprise Launches Accelerated Acquisition War Room to Speed Delivery of Technology to the Fleet NNS 19 Jul 2018 -- Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (DASN (RDT&E)), in collaboration with Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) and Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (PEO C4I), announced the launch of the first satellite version of the accelerated acquisition war room to the SPAWAR workforce June 27.
• Iwo Jima, 26th MEU Complete MDVR NNS 19 Jul 2018 -- The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) and embarked Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) departed Aqaba, Jordan, after completing a mid-deployment voyage repair (MDVR) maintenance availability, July 13.
• Closer ties with Ukraine, Georgia would have dire consequences for NATO: Putin Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his strong opposition to the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) eastward, warning the US-led military alliance against unspecified consequences in case it seeks to forge closer ties with Ukraine and Georgia.
• Russia launches trials of Poseidon underwater drone that can carry nuclear warheads TASS 19 Jul 2018 -- The Poseidon oceanic multipurpose system is a principally new type of seaborne underwater weapons based on the use of drones
• Russia is preparing to test the Burevestnik missile with a nuclear engine RT 19 Jul 2018-- Russia is preparing to conduct flight tests of prototypes of the cruise missile "Burevestnik" with a nuclear engine that will be able to fly to unlimited range.
• Long Story: Spain's New Sub Won't Fit in Its Dock Due to Engineering Error Sputnik 19 Jul 2018 -- The new S-80 Plus-class submarine, a 4 billion euro ($4.6 billion) program expected to supply Madrid with a new generation of diesel-electric subs, has hit a major snag. Once calculated to be too heavy to float, the submarine is now said to be too long for the country's existing submarine pens.
• Spain to build five warships for Saudi Arabia under new deal Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Madrid has inked a military deal with the Riyadh regime, which would see a Spanish firm build five warships for Saudi Arabia, despite an international cry against the sales of military equipment to the kingdom amid its bloody war on impoverished Yemen.
• China's latest military drill aimed at rattling U.S., Japan: expert CNA 19 Jul 2018 -- China's ongoing live-fire military exercise in the East China Sea is actually targeting the peripheral areas of the Diaoyutai Islands, which are covered by the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, a security expert in Taiwan with knowledge of the matter said Thursday.
• Indian Navy Begins Mine Countermeasures Exercise With US, Japan Sputnik 19 Jul 2018 -- Presently, India is scrutinizing proposals by Russian and Italian shipyards to locally build mine countermeasures vessels for the Indian Navy. Prolonged negotiations with South Korean firm Kangnam Corporation fell apart earlier this year due to differences over cost and transfer of technology.
• Iran overhauls F-14 fighter jet IRNA 19 Jul 2018 -- Iranian experts and engineers overhauled an F-14 fighter jet, the country's Air Force said.
• Taiwan fully monitoring all shipping in Taiwan Strait CNA 19 Jul 2018 -- Taiwan upholds the universal principle of freedom of navigation and is carefully monitoring all foreign ships sailing through, and aircraft flying over, the Taiwan Strait, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Thursday.
• U.S. naval ships have right to traverse Taiwan Strait: official CNA 19 Jul 2018 -- A ranking United States official on Wednesday was reluctant to confirm whether Washington will send aircraft carriers through the Taiwan Strait but said it has the right to do so in international waters.
• Allure of Domestic Arms Drives Turkey Toward Russian Missiles VOA 19 Jul 2018 -- Turkey's strategic goal of developing a domestic arms industry is a driving force behind its intention to buy Russia's S-400 missile system, with Moscow including technology transfer as part of the deal. The technology transfer offer, analysts say, is impeding Washington's effort to persuade Ankara to buy the U.S. Patriot missile system instead.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 19, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 19 July 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 19 Jul 2018
• Yemeni official urges Russia to help stop aggression on Yemen IRNA 19 Jul 2018 -- President of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen Mahdi al-Mashat, on Thursday expressed hope that Russia would play a prominent role in stopping the aggression and lifting the siege on Yemen.
• Yemeni FM: Houthis Refused to Withdraw From Al Hudaydah Despite Ceasefire Sputnik 19 Jul 2018 -- The Yemeni government has provided two ceasefires to the United Nations for the withdrawal of Houthi rebels from the Al Hudaydah port, however, the militants have turned down the initiative, Yemen's Deputy Foreign Minister Mansour Bajash said Thursday.
• Yemeni forces fire missile at Jizan Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have fired a domestically-designed and -developed ballistic missile at a strategic economic target in Saudi Arabia's southwestern border region of Jizan in retaliation for the Riyadh regime's devastating military aggression against their impoverished country.
• Close to 7,000 evacuated from Syrian towns after enduring nearly 3-year siege UN News 19 Jul 2018 -- After close to three years of siege, 6,900 women, children and men were finally able to leave the Syrian towns of Foah and Kafraya over the past few days, following a local agreement between parties to the conflict.
• Syrian army liberates new villages in Daraa countryside IRNA 19 Jul 2018 -- Units of the Syrian Arab Army liberated on Thursday the villages of Kherbit al-Tair and al-Sheikh Saad in Daraa countryside.
• Militants agree to surrender in Syria's Quneitra near Israeli-occupied Golan Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Foreign-backed militants in Syria's southwestern Quneitra Province, which borders Jordan, Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied side of the Golan Heights, have agreed to hand back the control of the sensitive area to the Damascus government.
• Evacuation of militant-besieged towns in Syria's Idlib ends Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Syria has completed the evacuation of thousands of people from two Shia-majority towns, which have long been besieged by foreign-backed militants, state media say.
• Russian MoD: Militants in Syria Surrender Heavy Combat Vehicles, Munitions Sputnik 19 Jul 2018 -- Militants in Syria on Thursday surrendered three tanks, three infantry combat vehicles, two anti-aircraft guns, and a big stockpile of ammunition, head of the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation Maj. Gen. Alexei Tsygankov said Thursday.
• Syrian Gov't, Militants Agree on Full Ceasefire in Quneitra - Source Sputnik 19 Jul 2018 -- A full ceasefire agreement between the government and militants has been reached in the province of Quneitra, the government forces will return to their positions designated in 1974 agreement, a source from the security forces told Sputnik Thursday.
• Rohingya Muslims report more violence in Myanmar: UN investigators Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Rohingya refugees reaching Bangladesh say violence persists against them in Myanmar and the overall environment remains "menacing" for the Muslim minority in the country's western state of Rakhine.
• Myanmar's army planned out Rohingya genocide: Rights group Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- A human rights group says Myanmar's army had made "systematic preparations" for "genocide" against Rohingya Muslims in the country's western state of Rakhine, before Myanmar's security posts came under alleged militant attacks in August 2017.
• PKK logistics head slain in Turkish airstrikes in northern Iraq Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Turkey's military says the head of logistics for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group has been killed as Turkish military aircraft conducted a series of airstrikes against terrorist hideouts in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
• Joint Statement From G7 Foreign Ministers on MH17 US Dept. of State 18 Jul 2018 -- The G7 foreign ministers today issued the following statement in advance of the anniversary of the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17:
• Burkina Faso arrests 60 in anti-terror operation Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Burkina Faso's army says it has arrested at least 60 people suspected of having links to militant groups during an anti-terror operation in the country's volatile north.
• UN Hits Back at Indian Media Criticism of Kashmir Human Rights Report VOA 19 Jul 2018 -- The U.N. human rights office is criticizing the Indian media, saying it is intent on spreading misinformation about the publication last month of the first-ever U.N. human rights report on Kashmir.
• Official: Niger Is Facing Existential Threat VOA 19 Jul 2018 -- A senior defense official from Niger has told VOA that different militant groups operating along the country's borders are threatening the security of the state and the region.

News Reports

• Pompeo to VOA: US Won't Allow Russian Questioning of Former US Ambassador VOA 19 Jul 2018 -- The U.S. has no intention of allowing Russia to question Michael McFaul, Washington's former ambassador to Moscow and a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told VOA on Thursday.
• US Invites Putin to Washington for Second Summit VOA 19 Jul 2018 -- Discussions are being held between the United States and Russia to arrange a second summit between their leaders, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced Thursday on social media.
• What Did Trump and Putin Agree to During 'Successful' Meeting? VOA 19 Jul 2018 -- President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are defending their summit in Helsinki, saying the two hours of talks yielded progress on a range of issues, but disclosing few details.
• White House Says It's Weighing Putin Offer Of Joint Police Interrogations RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- The White House and the U.S. State Department are at odds over an offer by Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow U.S. prosecutors access to 12 Russians accused of hacking the 2016 election if Russian prosecutors who are pursuing Kremlin critic William Browder are allowed to interrogate several Americans.
• Putin says 'pathetic, worthless' US forces oppose improvement of Russia-US ties Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced the US opposition to his American counterpart Donald Trump as "pathetic, worthless people" willing to sacrifice Moscow-Washington relations to their own interests.
• Trump 'Disagrees' With Putin Request To Interrogate Americans RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- The White House says President Donald Trump "disagrees" with a proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin to have Russian investigators question U.S. citizens, including Michael McFaul, the former ambassador to Moscow.
• White House Says Putin Invited To Washington For Fall Summit RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders has said that U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered officials to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to Washington "in the fall."
• U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Warns Of Russian Interference In Upcoming Votes RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has said the United States must be ready to resist attempted Russian interference in the country's elections later this year.
• 'UK identifies Russian suspects in Skripals poisoning case' Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- British police have reportedly identified several Russian nationals suspected of having been behind an alleged nerve agent poisoning incident in which former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were injured more than four months ago.
• Guns, Sex, And A 'Flight Risk': Behind The Charges Against Maria Butina RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- The protest, held in September 2016 across the street from the Russian Embassy in the U.S. capital, featured a handful of activists intending to show their opposition to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and upcoming parliamentary elections.
• Investigative Report: On The Trail Of The 12 Indicted Russian Intelligence Officers RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- A U.S. grand jury charged 12 Russian citizens on July 13 with interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by organizing cyberattacks on the computers of Democratic Party figures during the campaign.
• Report: British Police Identify Russian Suspects In Novichok Attack RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- British investigators believe they have identified the suspects responsible for the Novichok attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, the Press Association (PA) reported on July 19.
• FBI Says China, Not Russia, 'Most Significant' Intelligence Threat to US Sputnik 19 Jul 2018 -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation said that it has ongoing economic espionage investigations in all 50 states tracing back to China, ranging from agriculture to high-tech.
• Iran rejects Israeli claim of stealing nuclear data as 'laughably absurd' Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Iran has dismissed as "laughably absurd" an Israel-fabricated scenario, in which the agents with the regime's Mossad spy agency are claimed to have spirited away loads of "secret documents" on the country's nuclear work from a site in southern Tehran.
• Europe takes 1st practical step toward direct Iran trade: Report Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- European economic powerhouses Germany, France and the UK have reportedly notified Tehran that they seek to open direct banking channels with the Islamic Republic, in what would be the first practical step to sustain the 2015 nuclear deal and sidestep the US, which has unilaterally withdrawn from the accord.
• Foreign Ministry presents report to brief MPs on JCPOA implementation Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry has presented a report to the Parliament (Majlis) to brief the lawmakers on the implementation process of the 2015 nuclear deal following Washington's withdrawal.
• European Bank Throws Doubt On EU Plan To Salvage Iran Nuclear Deal RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- The head of the European Investment Bank has thrown into doubt whether the European Union can deliver on its pledge to save the Iranian nuclear deal, saying the bank cannot invest in Iran as the EU has envisioned.
• Trump Sought Repeatedly To Meet With Iran's Rohani Last Year, Aide Says RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- Iranian President Hassan Rohani's chief of staff is claiming that U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly asked to meet with Rohani during his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly last year.
• Iran Says It's Continuing To Increase Uranium-Enrichment Capacity RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- Iran says it is continuing to acquire uranium and is close to finishing a plant where it can build more centrifuges to enrich uranium.
• U.S. reiterates no timelines for DPRK's denuclearization People's Daily 19 Jul 2018 -- The United States has no timelines for the denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the State Department reiterated on Wednesday.
• Kim Jong-un Unexpectedly Recalls Senior Overseas Envoys to Pyongyang - Reports Sputnik 19 Jul 2018 -- The country only had 43 ambassadorial meetings since foundation of the country in 1948.
• US Digs in for Long-Term North Korea Nuclear Talks VOA 19 Jul 2018 -- The North Korea denuclearization progress has stalled as pressure from economic sanctions appears to be easing, and after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat.
• Russia, China Delay US Push for Halt of Refined Petroleum to North Korea VOA 19 Jul 2018 -- Russia and China have requested more time to consider a U.S. request to stop deliveries of refined petroleum products to North Korea, diplomats said Thursday.
• Montenegro Responds To Trump: 'We Are Proud Of Our History' RFE/RL 19 Jul 2018 -- The government of Montenegro has defended its contribution to peace in response to a comment from the U.S. President Donald Trump, who said earlier this week that the tiny Balkan state's "aggressive" people were capable of triggering "World War III."
• China refutes U.S. accusations on tariffs, intellectual property issue People's Daily 19 Jul 2018 -- Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Wednesday said U.S. accusations of higher Chinese tariffs on American goods and pilfering American innovations are wrong.
• Pompeo to VOA: China on Wrong Side of Religious Freedom VOA 19 Jul 2018 -- Days ahead of the first-ever ministerial talks hosted by the State Department to advance religious freedom around the world, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sat down with VOA State Department correspondent Nike Ching on Thursday, addressing pressing issues including the plight of Myanmar's Rohingya, the repression of Uighurs Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists in China, and Russia's activities in eastern Ukraine. Below is an edited transcript.
• Israeli parliament passes controversial 'nation-state' law Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Israel's parliament (Knesset) has adopted a controversial bill that declares the occupying entity "the nation-state of the Jewish people," in what is widely criticized as an apartheid measure that could lead to discrimination against its own Arab population.
• Amendments to the Terrorist Designations of al-Shabaab US Dept. of State 19 Jul 2018 -- The Department of State has amended the designation of al-Shabaab – an al-Qa'ida affiliate in Somalia – to include al-Hijra and other aliases. These aliases have been added to al-Shabaab's designations as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224.
• 27 Satellites in 3 Years: Indian Private Sector Shifts Focus to Space Projects Sputnik 19 Jul 2018 -- A consortium of private firms is expected to assemble 7-9 satellites per year. For the past few years, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has been encouraging the country's private firms to undertake satellite and rocket manufacturing work so that the agency itself can focus on research.
• Emergency rule ends in Turkey after two years Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- A two-year state of emergency in Turkey that had been imposed nationwide after a failed coup in 2016 has expired, with Ankara deciding not to renew it.
• Turkish court sentences opposition journalist to over 2 years in prison Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- A court in Turkey has sentenced a journalist of the center-left and opposition daily newspaper Cumhuriyet to more than two years in prison on charges of purportedly making people potential targets for militant outfits through her reporting.
• EU warns over consequences of a 'no-deal' Brexit Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- The European Union has warned member states over the consequences of a "no-deal" Brexit if Britain fails to secure a deal to exit the bloc by March 2019.
• Nicaragua forces retake opposition stronghold Press TV 19 Jul 2018 -- Nicaraguan government forces have established control over a key opposition stronghold near the capital, Managua, following a long battle with anti-government protesters there who demand the ouster of President Daniel Ortega over an alleged violent crackdown on dissent.