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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 10 Aug 2018 [PDF]
• Taliban retreats from Afghan city of Ghazni: Sources IRNA 10 Aug 2018 -- Members of terrorist group of Taliban have retreated from the city of Ghazni, central-east of Afghanistan, after hours long clash with government forces, a local police officer said on Friday.
• Taliban raid Ghazni, seize parts of central Afghan city Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- Heavy fighting is underway in the Afghan provincial capital of Ghazni following an attack by Taliban militants, with gunfire and blasts ringing out across the city and residents told to stay indoors.
• Afghan Forces Aided By U.S. Air Power Repel Major Taliban Assault RFE/RL 10 Aug 2018 -- Hundreds of Taliban militants launched a major assault on a provincial capital in Afghanistan, killing at least 14 members of Afghan security forces before being pushed back with the help of U.S. air power, Afghan and U.S. military officials said.
• Afghan Taliban Storm City Southwest of Kabul VOA 10 Aug 2018 -- Afghan Taliban stormed Ghazni city, almost 150 kilometers southwest of Kabul Thursday night. Heavy clashes continued until late Friday morning between the insurgent group and government security forces.
• Pakistan: 'Sensitive Areas' Along Afghan Border to Be Fenced by December VOA 10 Aug 2018 -- Pakistan will have unilaterally fenced "sensitive areas" along the country's largely porous border with Afghanistan by the end of the year, discouraging terrorist infiltration in either direction, officials told VOA on Friday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Proposed Space Force to Protect, Expand U.S. Cosmic Capabilities AFPS 10 Aug 2018 -- The proposal to form the U.S. Space Force is rooted in protecting America's advantages in space and in ensuring such advantages continue, Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan said during a roundtable discussion with Pentagon reporters yesterday.
• Trump Administration Wants Space Force by 2020 VOA 10 Aug 2018 -- The Pentagon is taking new steps to create a space force by 2020 in order to "meet the emerging threats on this new battlefield," U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday.
• U.S. to establish Space Force by 2020: Pence People's Daily 10 Aug 2018 -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday that the United States plans to establish a Space Force by 2020, an idea floated by President Donald Trump and questioned by many top officers at the Pentagon.
• US Vice President Mike Pence announces plan for new Space Force by 2020 Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- US Vice President Mike Pence has called for the establishment of a Space Force by 2020, a plan that would add a sixth branch to America's massive military and fulfill President Donald Trump's wish to seek US dominance in space.
• Selva Highlights Need for Nuclear Enterprise Recapitalization AFPS 10 Aug 2018 -- On Aug. 16, 1968, the Air Force launched the first Minuteman III missile into the Eastern Test Range off the coast of Florida.
• Revitalizing squadrons, Air Force outlines progress AFNS 10 Aug 2018 -- Since Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein announced his initiative to revitalize squadrons, the assigned task force produced many visible changes and is moving forward with additional changes in an implementation plan.
• Keel Authenticated for the Future USNS Puerto Rico NNS 10 Aug 2018 -- A ceremony celebrating the keel authentication of the Navy's eleventh Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport ship, the future USNS Puerto Rico (EPF 11), was held at Mobile, Alabama shipyard of Austal USA, the ship's manufacturer. Puerto Rico will be the third ship in naval service named after the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, honoring its historically strong ties to the military.
• The Future of U.S. Navy Onboard Delivery Missions NNS 10 Aug 2018 -- In August 2018, Osprey pilots successfully tested rolling landing and takeoffs in excess of 57,000 pounds on the flight deck of the ship. This key capability allows the Osprey to haul more weight than the C-2A, which is limited to landing at 49,000 pounds. GHWB's onboard testing included integrating the MV-22 into flight deck operations, and heavy gross weight rolling landings and takeoffs.
• US, Malaysia Commence 24th CARAT Exercise NNS 10 Aug 2018 -- The U.S. and Royal Malaysian Navy commenced the 24th iteration of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Malaysia in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, August 10.
• Rushmore Arrives in Jakarta, Kicks-Off 24th CARAT Indonesia Exercise NNS 10 Aug 2018 -- The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps with the Indonesian navy commenced the 24th Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Indonesia exercise with the arrival of the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) with elements from 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Jakarta, Indonesia, August 10.
• Navy Region Southeast Leads Way in Energy Conservation NNS 10 Aug 2018 -- The Secretary of the Navy released the recipients of the annual Energy Excellence Awards Aug. 3 and installations from Navy Region Southeast were prominent in the fina
• US Navy Doesn't Comment on Reports of Russia Detecting US Sub - Spokesman Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- The United States Navy regularly interacts with Russian warships, but it does not have any comment on the latest reports that a Russian frigate detected a US submarine in the Mediterranean Sea, spokesman for US Sixth Fleet US Navy Cmdr. Kyle Raines told Sputnik on Friday.
• 'This is China, Leave Immediately': PLA Sends US Spy Plane Stern Warning Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- A US Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane flying over the contested Spratly Islands refused to alter its flight course after receiving six separate warnings from the People's Liberation Army telling it to leave the area at once.
• NATO ships to make Norwegian coast safer NATO 10 Aug 2018 -- One of NATO's naval groups is visiting Trondheim on Friday (10 August 2018), and from there it will go on to search for sea mines dating back to World War II. The operation will make the waters safer for fishermen and shipping in the area.
• Estonia stops aerial drill with NATO after missile misfired Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- Estonia has halted a NATO an aerial military drill in the Baltic country bordering Russia after a missile was accidentally shot by a Spanish fighter jet this week.
• Spain Will Not Change Pilots in NATO Mission Over Missile Incident in Estonia Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- The Spanish Defense Ministry will not change its pilots serving in the NATO mission in Lithuania over the recent incident in Estonian airspace involving an accidental launch of a missile, a spokesperson for the ministry told Sputnik on Friday.
• Pakistani Soldiers To Receive Russian Military Training Under New Deal RFE/RL 10 Aug 2018 -- Pakistan and Russia have reached a military cooperation deal that includes sending Pakistani soldiers to Russia for training, the countries' defense ministries have announced.
• Chinese naval hospital ship Ark Peace concludes visit to Fiji People's Daily 10 Aug 2018 -- The Chinese naval hospital ship Ark Peace left the Fijian capital city of Suva on Thursday after wrapping up an eight-day good-will visit to the South Pacific island nation.
• China's military drills closely monitored: MND CNA 10 Aug 2018 -- With China set to stage military drills in the Yellow Sea, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Friday that all military movements in that area have been and will continue to be closely monitored to safeguard Taiwan's safety.
• Finland to Participate in NATO Training Mission in Iraq Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- Finland, which is not a NATO member state, will participate in the alliance's training mission in Iraq, the Finnish government said Friday, adding that it would send a small number of staff officers and trainers.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 10, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 10 August 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 10 Aug 2018
• UN Chief Calls for Independent Probe Into Airstrike on School Bus in Yemen Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for an independent and prompt investigation into the deadly Saudi-led coalition deadly airstrike that hit a bus carrying children, United Nations deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a press release.
• Saudi Arabia Intercepts Two Ballistic Rockets Fired by Houthis - Reports Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- Saudi Arabia's air defense system intercepted two missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi group on Friday. The attack targeted its southern Jizan province, Al Arabiya TV reported.
• UNICEF condemns Saudi killing Yemeni children IRNA 10 Aug 2018 -- Head of the UN children entity condemned the Saudi-led air strike on Yemeni children that left at least 100 casualties.
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• Yemeni forces fire missiles at Saudi military bases, key positions in Jizan Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have launched a barrage of domestically-designed and –manufactured ballistic missiles at military bases and key facilities in Saudi Arabia's southwestern border region of Jizan in relation to the Riyadh regime's devastating military aggression against their homeland.
• Yemen bus attack just the latest outrage against civilians: UN agencies UN News 10 Aug 2018 -- An air strike on a busy market area in Yemen that reportedly killed scores of people including more than 20 children on a bus, is likely the worst attack on youngsters in the conflict so far, and the latest in a recent spate of violence targeting civilians, UN agencies said on Friday.
• UN Chief Urges Probe Into Airstrike that Killed Yemen Children VOA 10 Aug 2018 -- The United Nations has called for an independent investigation into the Saudi-led coalition airstrike on Yemen's Houthi rebels, who say it killed at least 50 people and wounded 77, many of them children. The rebels say one of the missiles struck a bus taking children back from a summer school picnic.
• Syrian Army intensifies raids on terrorists IRNA 10 Aug 2018 -- Syrian Army have targeted strongholds of terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra in Hama countryside, killing scores of them.
• Syria urges militants in Idlib to surrender as war 'nears end' Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- The Syrian government is calling on what is left of Daesh and other terrorist groups in the country to surrender as the war against foreign-backed militancy in the country is "nearing an end."
• Syrian Army Cracks Down on Terrorists Outside Hama, Sweida Provinces - Reports Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- The clampdown came a month after Hama governor Mohammad Abdullah Hazzouri said that about 20 percent of refugees have returned from temporary housing to their homes in the province as the government troops continue to cleanse the region from militants.
• UN Patrols Buffer Zone in Syrian Side of Golan Heights for First Time Since 2011 Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- UN troops on Friday patrolled the Syrian side of the demilitarized Golan Heights buffer zone with Israel for the first time since the war broke out in 2011, the deputy commander of Russian forces in Syria said.
• Senior PKK terrorist killed in anti-terror operation in Turkey's Diyarbakir Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- Turkish security forces have killed a high-ranking member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group during a counter-terrorism operation in the country's Kurdish-populated southeastern province of Diyarbakir.
• Troika Statement on South Sudan Peace Talks US Dept. of State 10 Aug 2018 -- The text of the following statement was issued jointly by the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Norway.
• Analysts Warn of Overly Bloated South Sudan Government VOA 10 Aug 2018 -- South Sudan's government and opposition groups have begun the process of implementing the peace agreement signed last week. But some analysts warn it will be difficult to maintain the bloated government for three years.

News Reports

• Yes Or No: Is A Referendum In The Cards Over Russian Pension Reform? RFE/RL 10 Aug 2018 -- It has been a quarter century since the Russian government asked its citizens their opinion on anything in a formal national referendum.
• PM: Russia to view any new US sanctions 'declaration of war' Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says Moscow will consider any new sanctions by the United States as a "declaration of economic war" and will retaliate in kind.
• Putin, Russia Security Council Say Sanctions 'Absolutely Illegal' RFE/RL 10 Aug 2018 -- President Vladimir Putin and Russia's Security Council have described possible new U.S. sanctions against Moscow as "absolutely illegal," Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
• Russia, China Block U.S. Bid To Blacklist Moscow Bank At UN RFE/RL 10 Aug 2018 -- Russia and China have blocked a U.S. proposal to add a Russian bank and Moscow-based North Korean banker to a UN blacklist, UN diplomats have said.
• North Korea may go through 'full-blown food security crisis,' Red Cross warns Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- North Korea is likely to go through a "full-blown food security crisis" amid a heat wave that has destroyed fields of rice, maize and other crops, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has warned.
• Russia, China block US bid for North Korea sanctions Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- Russia and China have blocked a US request to add a Russian bank to a UN sanctions blacklist along with a North Korean official.
• North Korean Heat Wave 'Potentially Catastrophic,' Warn International Charities Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- Experts warn that if the status-quo continues, the North Korean people may face a pandemic in the form of major food scarcity.
• Three S Korean Firms Buying N Korean Coal May Have Violated Sanctions – Reports Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- Three South Korean companies may have violated the UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea by importing the latter's coal and pig iron, Yonhap news agency reported Friday, citing the Korea Customs Office (KCS).
• S. Korea: N. Korean Coal, Iron Illegally Entered Its Ports VOA 10 Aug 2018 -- South Korea said Friday three South Korean companies apparently violated United Nations sanctions by importing nearly 35,000 tons of coal and iron worth nearly $6 million from the North last year.
• DPRK condemns U.S. new sanctions, urging for joint effort to improve ties People's Daily 10 Aug 2018 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday condemned the United States for placing fresh sanctions on it and called on the country to respond to its efforts to improve bilateral ties.
• Navy to ensure marine imports, exports security: Cmdr IRNA 10 Aug 2018 -- Navy Commander Rear Admiral Amir Hossein Khanzadi recalled significance of sea economy, saying that the force will ensure security of all Iranian exports and imports via sea.
• Al-Maliki: Iraq opposes economic pressure on Iran IRNA 10 Aug 2018 -- Iraqi Vice President Nouri Al-Maliki said on Thursday that his country is opposed to any pressure and economic sanctions imposed by the US against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• US sanctions won't affect Turkey ties with Iran: FM Cavusoglu Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu says his country is resolved to expand ties with Iran despite US threats to punish governments that violate recently-restored economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
• Turkey not to implement anti-Iran sanctions: Turkish FM IRNA 10 Aug 2018 -- Turkish foreign minister said that his country will not execute the US' anti-Iranian sanctions.
• Deep understanding of the trade war allows China more composure People's Daily 10 Aug 2018 -- The US has once again put domestic law above international law by imposing very unreasonable new tariffs on Chinese goods, said a spokesperson of China's Commerce Ministry on Aug. 8 after the US announced to implement 25 percent tariff on $16 billion worth of Chinese goods since August 23, 2018.
• Iraq elections results almost unchanged after manual recount Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- Almost no change has been made to the results of a recent parliamentary election in Iraq after ballots were manually recounted over fraud allegations, the country's top electoral body has announced.
• Recount Shows Al-Sadr Alliance Winner in Iraqi Poll VOA 10 Aug 2018 -- A recount of votes cast in Iraq's May parliamentary election shows nationalist Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's alliance was the winner, the country's election commission said Friday.
• As China Bears Down, Taiwan's President Turns to the Americas VOA 10 Aug 2018 -- Taiwan's president will travel to North, Central and South America this month to renew support from two of her government's few remaining foreign allies and tighten informal ties with the United States, both steps crucial to resisting increased pressure from China.
• Trump doubles tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum, says relations 'not good' Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- US President Donald Trump has announced to double steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey, saying relations between Washington and Ankara "not good" as tensions mount between the two countries.
• President Erdogan: US has dollars, 'we have our God' Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Turks to "have no worries" after the national currency lira hit a new record low amid political tensions with the US.
• Trump Doubles Tariffs On Turkish Steel, Aluminum In Pastor Row RFE/RL 10 Aug 2018 -- U.S. President Donald Trump says he has authorized the doubling of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Turkey as the diplomatic row over Ankara's detention of a U.S. pastor intensified.
• Trump Authorizes Doubling Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Imports From Turkey Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- US President Donald Trump said in a statement on Friday that he has doubled the steel and aluminum tariffs already in place against imports from Turkey.
• Turkey's Erdogan Defiant Amid US Tensions: 'They Have Dollars, We Have Our God' Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- Turkey's president called on Turks to keep calm as their country's currency slid to new lows against the US dollar in Friday trading.
• Erdogan Vows Turkey 'Won't Lose Economic War' After Lira Crash - Reports Sputnik 10 Aug 2018 -- Turkey's national currency, the lira, hit new record lows against the US dollar and euro with a 6 percent fall amid strains with the United States showing no sign of de-escalation.
• Trump Doubles Tariffs on Turkish Steel, Aluminum Imports VOA 10 Aug 2018 -- U.S. President Donald Trump further escalated tensions with Turkey Friday by announcing a sharp increase in tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in an early morning post on Twitter.
• Brexit uncertainty is depressing UK growth: Finance minister Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has said that uncertainty over Brexit is depressing economic growth in the United Kingdom.
• Caspian states to sign 'legal status' deal Sunday: Russia Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- Russia says the five countries, which border the Caspian Sea, are to adopt a convention on its "legal status" at a summit of their presidents in Kazakhstan Sunday.
• Convention On Caspian Sea's Legal Status To Be Signed On August 12, Kremlin Says RFE/RL 10 Aug 2018 -- The Kremlin says that, after more than two decades of negotiations, leaders of the five Caspian Sea countries will sign a convention on the resource-rich sea's legal status at a summit in the Kazakh port city of Aqtau on August 12.
• A Landmark Caspian Agreement -- And What It Resolves RFE/RL 10 Aug 2018 -- It has taken more than 20 years. But on August 12, the leaders of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan will meet in the Kazakh port city of Aqtau, reportedly to sign a new convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea.
• Malaysia's ex-PM Najib in court over money linked to Saudi family Press TV 10 Aug 2018 -- Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing on corruption and money laundering charges.
• Venezuelan exodus to Ecuador reaches record levels: UN refugee agency steps up aid UN News 10 Aug 2018 -- One of the largest population movements in Latin American history is under way from Venezuela, according to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, which on Friday confirmed that it is increasing assistance to neighbouring Ecuador, where more and more Venezuelans are arriving each week.
• UN chief welcomes DR Congo President's promise to stand down UN News 10 Aug 2018 -- The United Nations Secretary-General has commended the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Joseph Kabila's decision on Thursday, not to stand in elections scheduled to take place on 23 December.
• NRL's Sun Imaging Telescopes Fly on NASA Parker Solar Probe NNS 10 Aug 2018 -- The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's unique expertise in sun-viewing telescopes will be an integral part of the historic NASA Parker Solar Probe mission scheduled to launch Aug. 11 to better understand how the Sun affects our solar system.