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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 20 Jul 2018 [PDF]
• Pressure Mounting on ISIS as Operation Roundup Continues AFPS 20 Jul 2018 -- Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials congratulated the Syrian Democratic Forces today on their successful clearance of Dashishah, Syria, and the ongoing success of their operations to clear Islamic State of Iraq and Syria remnants from northeast Syria.
• June airpower highlights: Afghan ceasefire, op roundup in Iraq and Syria AFNS 20 Jul 2018 -- U.S. Air Forces Central Command published its monthly Airpower Summary today, highlighting U.S. and coalition airpower operations in June 2018 in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility.
• Afghanistan probes deaths of 14 civilians after US airstrikes Press TV 20 Jul 2018 -- At least 14 people have been killed in an air raid in Chardara district near the northern Afghan city of Kunduz after an anti-Taliban operation which involved US airstrikes.
• Dozens Of Afghan Civilians, Police Killed In Fighting In North RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- At least 14 people, including women and children, have been killed in an Afghan-U.S. air strike near the northern city of Kunduz, officials say.
• Pakistan: Engagements With US Over Afghanistan to 'Yield More Positive Results' VOA 20 Jul 2018 -- Following years of an acrimonious blame game, the Pakistan and U.S. militaries appear to be engaged again in tactical counterterrorism cooperation for promoting a negotiated settlement to the war in Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US, Italian air forces, NATO work together for exercise Spartan Alliance 18-8 AFNS 20 Jul 2018 -- More than 80 service members, civilians and contractors from U.S. Air Forces in Europe, the Italian air force and NATO participated in exercise Spartan Alliance 18-8, July 17 – 20, 2018, from three locations in Germany and Italy.
• United Accord Brings Together U.S., Ghanaian Troops AFPS 20 Jul 2018 -- Members of Ghana's armed forces are partnered with participants from other African nations, European allies and U.S. Army Africa for exercise United Accord 2018, which began July 16 at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre here.
• Expeditionary Combat Camera Completes Final Mission NNS 20 Jul 2018 -- Expeditionary Combat Camera (ECC) completed its final mission off the coast of Fire Island, New York, July 19, 2018, while supporting Naval History and Heritage Command's ceremony that commemorated the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the World War I cruiser USS San Diego (ACR 6).
• NATO Hits Back at Trump: Article 5 Was Invoked Once, to Support US Sputnik 20 Jul 2018 -- The North Atlantic Alliance has issued a response to President Trump following his comments about Montenegrins being "very strong" and "very aggressive people" who could pull the military bloc into a major war.
• Russia Hunting Leaker of Hypersonic Missile Details to Western Agencies Sputnik 20 Jul 2018 -- Russian intelligence officers have raided the offices of two missile development facilities of the Roscosmos Corporation in search of the person who leaked classified information on hypersonic missiles to Western intelligence agencies.
• Russian MoD: New Air Defense Missile Succesfully Test-Fired in Kazakhstan Sputnik 20 Jul 2018 -- A new air defense missile was successfully test fired from a testing range in Kazakhstan, the Russian Defense Ministry said in an official publication on Friday.
• Sri Lanka Will Not Allow Military Use of Mattala Airport by India - Minister Sputnik 20 Jul 2018 -- The Sri Lanka government has proposed to transfer 70 percent ownership of the loss-making Mattala International Airport to India. The airport is less than 30 kilometers away from Hambantota Port, in which China holds a 70 percent stake.
• Indian Navy's First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier to Begin Sea Trial in 2020 Sputnik 20 Jul 2018 -- The Indian Navy had decommissioned its second 23,900-ton Centaur-class carrier in March 2017; since then, the world's fifth largest naval force has been operating with a lone 44,000-ton Kiev-class carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, a refurbished Soviet-era carrier.
• DOD Announces $200M to Ukraine DoD 20 Jul 2018 -- The Department of Defense announced today that they will provide $200 million to Ukraine in security cooperation funds for additional training, equipment and advisory efforts to build the defensive capacity of Ukraine's forces.
• U.S. Announces $200 Million In New Security Aid To Ukraine RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- The United States will provide $200 million in additional security funding to Ukraine.
• Pentagon to Provide $200Mln to Ukraine in Security Cooperation Funds Sputnik 20 Jul 2018 -- The United States is providing Ukraine with $200 million in security cooperation funds for training, equipment, and advisory efforts, the Department of Defense said in a press release on Friday.
• Remarks With Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley US Dept. of State 20 Jul 2018 -- Remarks by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 20, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 20 July 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 20 Jul 2018
• Refugee health services on track despite record level of displacement, says UN agency UN News 20 Jul 2018 -- Despite record numbers of people fleeing conflict and natural disasters globally, vital health services have been largely able to cope, the United Nations refugee agency has said; although communicable diseases, anaemia and stunting remain areas of concern.
• UN agency warns conditions around Yemen's key port city of Hudaydah still 'very bad', as staff rush to deliver aid UN News 20 Jul 2018 -- United Nations migration agency staff in Yemen say the key port city of Hudaydah remains "a difficult environment" for the delivery of aid to thousands of people displaced by heavy fighting this week.
• Syrian besieged towns fully evacuated IRNA 20 Jul 2018 -- All locals of two Shia-majority Syrian towns, al-Fouaa and Kefraya, were evacuated from the terrorist-held parts of Idlib Province, Syrian local sources said.
• 750,000 internally displaced Syrians returned home in first half of 2018, UNHCR says Press TV 20 Jul 2018 -- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says an estimated 750,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Syria returned to their homes in the first half of the current year, adding that the figure equals the amount for all of last year.
• Syria moves to retake control over Golan Heights from terrorists Press TV 20 Jul 2018 -- The government of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has started operations to evacuate terrorists from areas near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights through yet another surrender deal.
• Netanyahu Tells Putin That Israel Still Targeting Iran Assets In Syria RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Israel will continue to target Iranian military assets in Syria.
• Syria Regains Control Over Frontier With Israel In Russia-Brokered Deal RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is set to regain control of his country's frontier with Israel in a major victory over rebels who have agreed to surrender in negotiations with Russia, sources on both sides say.
• Syria: Scaled-up assistance, 'sustained access' needed to 140,000 made homeless, says UNHCR UN News 20 Jul 2018 -- Following a Government-led assault on Syria's opposition-held areas, an estimated 140,000 people in the country's south-west remain homeless and in need of help, the United Nation Refugee Agency (UNCHR) said on Friday, calling for sustained access to displaced communities.
• U.S. 'Not Considering' Putin Proposal For Ukraine Referendum RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump says it is "not considering supporting" a proposal made by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his summit with Trump to hold a referendum in regions of eastern Ukraine where an armed conflict is being waged against the Ukrainian government.
• Nearly One Million Ethiopians Displaced by Conflict Since April VOA 20 Jul 2018 -- Nearly one million people in southern Ethiopia have been forced to flee their homes since April due to intercommunal violence in the Gedeo and West Guji zones, according to a survey from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
• Fears of War Run High on Gaza Border VOA 20 Jul 2018 -- Nearly four months of Palestinian protests on the border of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and Israel are raising concerns of yet another war.

News Reports

• US Senate warns White House: No Russian interrogation of American officials allowed Press TV 20 Jul 2018 -- The United States Senate has unanimously passed a resolution banning the questioning of any US official by Russia, in an explicit warning to US President Donald Trump, who earlier implicitly agreed to cooperate with Moscow on the interrogation of American officials before his staff walked back that notion.
• Despite backtracking on Russia meddling comments, Trump invites Putin to US Press TV 20 Jul 2018 -- US President Donald Trump has invited his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to Washington, boosting a hailstorm of criticism against his administration's relations with Moscow.
• Democrats Want to Compel Interpreter to Testify About Helsinki Summit VOA 20 Jul 2018 -- U.S. Democratic lawmakers are trying to compel a government interpreter to testify about what was discussed during President Donald Trump's one-on-one meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, but legal analysts say that is not likely to happen – unless the president allows it.
• DoJ Releases Report on How to Tackle Global Cyber Threats Sputnik 20 Jul 2018 -- US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced the release of a report on countering global cyber threats, the first such publication since a relevant task force was created this year within the Justice Department.
• The Week In Russia: Summit Shortcomings, Pension Perils RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- From Washington to Moscow, the summit in Helsinki was widely seen as a big win for Vladimir Putin. But despite President Donald Trump's follow-up invitation for Putin to visit the White House within months, the meeting may have fallen short of some of the Kremlin's more ambitious expectations.
• Putin Moves Away From Unpopular Move To Increase Retirement Age RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has distanced himself from an unpopular government plan to increase the retirement age, saying "I do not like any of the ways that have been discussed" to implement the idea.
• Russia Dumped U.S. Bond Holdings This Year Amid U.S. Sanctions Push RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- While Russian President Vladimir Putin has been seeking to mend relations with his U.S. counterpart, his government has been dumping U.S. debt in a way seldom seen in global markets, financial analysts say.
• Russian Rights Ombudswoman Calls For Support For Accused Agent Butina RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- Russian human rights ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova has called on international organizations and rights groups to voice support for Maria Butina, who was indicted in the United States this week on charges of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
• UK using child spies in police and intelligence operations: Report Press TV 20 Jul 2018 -- British police and intelligence agencies are using children as spies in covert operations against terrorists, gangs and drug dealers, a new UK parliamentary report has revealed.
• British Man Exposed To Novichok Released From Hospital RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- A British man who was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok has recovered sufficiently to be released from the hospital, authorities say.
• South Korea says North has shown 'clear commitment' to denuclearization Press TV 20 Jul 2018 -- South Korea's foreign minister says North Korea has shown a "clear commitment" to complete denuclearization amid attempts by the United States to pressure Pyongyang.
• North Korea unlikely to denuclearize in 1 year: US intelligence chief Press TV 20 Jul 2018 -- The United States' intelligence chief says North Korea is unlikely to denuclearize in one year, even though Pyongyang can, according to him, "technically" do so and as another US official has claimed it can.
• Russia, China Block U.S. Bid At UN To Halt Fuel Deliveries To North Korea RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- Russia and China are blocking a U.S. effort at the United Nations to halt all deliveries of refined oil products to North Korea amid charges that Pyongyang is smuggling fuel into the country, diplomats say.
• Pompeo Urges Nations to Keep Pressuring N. Korea VOA 20 Jul 2018 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted Friday that the international community must continue to keep the pressure on North Korea to denuclearize.
• Statement by the President The White House 20 Jul 2018
• Turkey says working to avoid repercussions of US sanctions on Iran Press TV 20 Jul 2018 -- Turkey's Foreign Ministry says the country's officials are working to prevent Ankara from being negatively affected by the US move to re-impose nuclear sanctions against Iran in the wake of Washington's withdrawal from a historic nuclear deal signed between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015.
• US sends team to Turkey to discuss Iran sanctions Press TV 20 Jul 2018 -- Turkey says it expects a delegation from the United States which it says would discuss sanctions against Iran.
• Pompeo Reaches Out To Iranian-Americans Amid Hard-Line On Iran RFE/RL 20 Jul 2018 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will reach out to a divided Iranian-American community -- some of whom are dismayed by Washington's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the reimposition of sanctions as well as a travel ban that prevents many Iranians from entering the United States -- in a July 22 speech near Los Angeles.
• Previewing Secretary Pompeo's Remarks on Iran at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library US Dept. of State 19 Jul 2018 -- Special Briefing by Senior State Department Official
• China slams senior US official's remarks on trade dispute People's Daily 20 Jul 2018 -- China Thursday refuted the remarks made by a senior U.S. official who blamed China for the bilateral trade dispute, saying his words distorted the facts.
• Trump says is 'ready' to slap tariffs on all Chinese imports Press TV 20 Jul 2018 -- US President Donald Trump has expressed readiness to intensify his trade war with China by imposing tariffs on all $500 billion of imports from the world's second largest economy.
• US Senators Drop Efforts to Cripple China's ZTE VOA 20 Jul 2018 -- U.S. Republican lawmakers have dropped their efforts to reimpose a crippling ban on exports to the Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE.
• Ex-South Korean President Park Sentenced to 8 More Years in Jail Sputnik 20 Jul 2018 -- Earlier in April, the Seoul Central District Court has sentenced former South Korean President Park Geun-hye to 24 years in prison.
• China finishes hot-fire test of next generation rocket engine People's Daily 20 Jul 2018 -- China has successfully finished its first joint hot-fire test of a domestically-developed liquid oxygen and kerosene engine, Xinhua reported on July 19.
• Cameroon's Opposition Fails to Present Candidate to Challenge Biya VOA 20 Jul 2018 -- Cameroon's opposition has again failed to present a single presidential candidate to challenge Paul Biya who has been in office for 36 years. Twenty-eight candidates will be contesting the country's October 7 presidential election, which Biya is favored to win.