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Current Operations

• OIF / OND / OEF / OIR / OFS Casualty Update 14 Aug 2018 [PDF]
• Department Of Defense Press Briefing By General Gedney and Colonel Ryan Via Teleconference From Baghdad, Iraq DoD 14 Aug 2018 -- Presenter: U.K. Army Maj. Gen. Felix Gedney, Deputy Commander, Strategy and Support, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve; Army Col. Sean J. Ryan, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman
• Afghanistan, The 'Unintended Casualty' Of U.S. Sanctions On Iran RFE/RL 14 Aug 2018 -- As the United States reinstates crippling economic sanctions on Iran, Washington's ally in the region, Afghanistan, could become collateral damage.
• Taliban Captures Afghan Army Base In North, Battle For Ghazni Continues RFE/RL 14 Aug 2018 -- Taliban fighters have overrun an Afghan National Army operations base in northern Afghanistan while, further to the south, security forces are battling for a fifth consecutive day against Taliban militants who seized the city of Ghazni.
• Afghanistan Mulls New Cease-Fire Despite Insurgent Attacks VOA 14 Aug 2018 -- Despite major attacks by the Taliban in various provinces of Afghanistan including southeastern Ghazni province in recent days, the Afghan government is still considering attempting a possible cease-fire with insurgents ahead of the Eid holidays, a government spokesperson told VOA.
• Taliban Demand Swap of Haqqani Member, Others for Western Hostages VOA 14 Aug 2018 -- The Afghan Taliban is demanding freedom for a member of the militant Haqqani network along with other insurgent prisoners in exchange for the release of an American professor and his Australian colleague who were kidnapped two years ago, officials revealed Tuesday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Colombian Air Force steps up participation in Red Flag exercise AFNS 14 Aug 2018 -- The Colombian Air Force made history while participating in the U.S. Air Force's premier air-to-air combat training exercise, Red Flag 18-3, July 16 to August 3.
• Exchange program instructor fuels interoperability at Pitch Black 2018 AFNS 14 Aug 2018 -- Immersing oneself in a foreign culture is something many Airmen stationed overseas are accustomed to doing. The mission of the U.S. Air Force is to fly, fight and win in air, space and cyberspace; and every day Airmen stationed overseas not only accomplish that mission, but also build upon the partnerships established between the U.S. and its allies.
• Troops Hone Warfighting Capabilities, Interoperability at Noble Partner 18 AFPS 14 Aug 2018 -- Anyone who's ever played a game of chess knows what it takes to win a match: patience, concentration and a bit of foresight.
• U.S. Army Garrison Japan preps for Full Scale Exercise Army News 14 Aug 2018 -- United States Army Garrison Japan personnel will conduct an annual Full Scale Exercise from Aug. 20-24 to increase their proficiency in response and recovery to emergency all-hazards events.
• Secretary Mattis Remarks at Brazil's Escola Superior de Guerra DoD 14 Aug 2018 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis
• UN Chief hails signing Caspian Sea convention IRNA 14 Aug 2018 -- The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres in a statement on Monday welcomed signing the landmark convention on the Caspian Sea Legal Regime.
• Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Professional Development Center Becomes Naval Information Warfare Training Group Gulfport NNS 14 Aug 2018 -- Naval Information Warfare Training Group Gulfport (IWTG Gulfport) leadership has announced the command's transition from Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Professional Development Center (NMOPDC) to IWTG Gulfport.
• US Army's Supergun Dumped After Low Demand For Failed Weapon Sputnik 14 Aug 2018 -- The Pentagon has gutted its XM-25 "supergun" program that was supposed to make the strategy of hiding behind cover obsolete by shooting grenades that burst in the air near the target.
• US Awards $480Mln for Designing Second Hypersonic Weapon Prototype - Pentagon Sputnik 14 Aug 2018 -- The US Air Force awarded $480 million to weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin to begin design on a second hypersonic weapon prototype, the Defense Department said in a press release.
• Remarks on Recent Russian Space Activities of Concern US Dept. of State 14 Aug 2018 -- Remarks by Yleem D.S. Poblete, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance
• Russia Says U.S. Demand For Chemical Inspectors 'Hypocritical' RFE/RL 14 Aug 2018 -- Russia has reiterated that the country finished eliminating its chemical arsenal last year, in response to a new U.S. demand that Moscow allow chemical weapons inspectors into the country after the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy.
• Russian Armaments Completely Adhere to International Law - Kremlin Sputnik 14 Aug 2018 -- All new Russian armaments are consistent with the letter and spirit of international agreements, Russia has never violated them, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
• Moscow Regrets US Suspension of Cooperation Within Open Skies Treaty Sputnik 14 Aug 2018 -- Moscow deeply regrets Washington's decision to suspend cooperation with Russia under the Open Skies Teaty in accordance with the new US defense budget. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has told Sputnik that such a move can be deemed an "intoxication" of international relations.
• Russian Multi-Rotor Helicopter's Design Will Be Ready by End of 2018 - Source Sputnik 14 Aug 2018 -- The design of a multi-rotor helicopter with a hybrid engine is expected to be developed in Russia by the end of 2018, an aircraft manufacturing industry source told Sputnik.
• Washington Freezes Open Sky Treaty With Moscow in New Defense Bill Sputnik 14 Aug 2018 -- US President Donald Trump signed the $716 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2019 at Fort Drum, New York on Monday.
• Taiwan thanks U.S. for defense bill signing CNA 14 Aug 2018 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Taiwan's defense authorities have expressed gratitude to the United States after U.S. President Donald Trump signed the national defense authorization for fiscal 2019 Monday, which includes provisions supporting the strengthening of Taiwan's armed forces.
• Ark Peace arrives in Tonga for goodwill visit, to provide medical service People's Daily 14 Aug 2018 -- The Chinese naval hospital ship Ark Peace arrived in the Tongan capital of Nukualofa on Monday for an eight-day goodwill visit and humanitarian medical service.
• Chinese naval hospital ship brings treatment, care to Fijians People's Daily 14 Aug 2018 -- Diana, a six-year-old Fijian girl, with long eyelashes, had a severe malformation on her right hand, left leg and on her toes, which had inflicted restrictions upon her daily movements.
• Chinese Navy Tests Interceptors After US B-52 Flyover Sputnik 14 Aug 2018 -- The Chinese navy recently tested its surface warfare fighting ability in the East China Sea.
• Iran Unveils New Ballistic Missile As Rejects Talks With United States RFE/RL 14 Aug 2018 -- Iran has unveiled a next generation short-range ballistic missile and vowed to further boost its capabilities, defying U.S. demands to stop the development of such sophisticated weapons.
• US Defense Spending Bill: Trump Delays F-35 Sale to Turkey as Tensions Rise Sputnik 14 Aug 2018 -- Turkey has placed orders for 30 US-made F-35A fighter jets, and intends to order 70 more as part of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) project, which involves 10 countries and produces various versions of the plane.
• Department Press Briefing - August 14, 2018 US Dept. of State 14 Aug 2018

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 14, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 14 August 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 14 Aug 2018
• UN: Up to 30,000 Islamic State Extremists In Syria, Iraq RFE/RL 14 Aug 2018 -- Despite the military defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and most of Syria, the extremist group still has around 20,000 to 30,000 militants in the two countries, according to a United Nations report.
• Syrian army closing in on Daesh remnants in Sweida desert IRNA 14 Aug 2018 -- Syrian Arab Army units continue to close in on the remnants of Daesh (ISIS) terrorists in the badiya (desert) of Sweida province, killing a number of terrorists and destroying their weapons and equipment.
• 5 drones downed near Hmeimim airbase in Syria IRNA 14 Aug 2018 -- Five drones launched towards the Russian military base in Hmeimim Airport in Lattakia Province in Syria were downed on Monday evening, Syrian media 'SANA' reported.
• Russian Air Defenses at Hmeimim Base Destroy 16 Militant Drones in August Sputnik 14 Aug 2018 -- Since the beginning of August, Russian air defenses at the Hmeimim airbase in Syria have downed a total of 16 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by militants operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone, Maj. Gen. Alexei Tsygankov, head of the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation, said Tuesday.
• Bosnian Serb Leader Denies Scope Of Srebrenica Massacre, Calls For Investigation RFE/RL 14 Aug 2018 -- Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has disputed whether the 1995 Srebrenica massacre was a genocide committed against Muslim Bosniaks, and called for the forming of an "unbiased" international investigation into the tragedy.
• Militias force nearly 2,000 to leave Libyan capital's largest shelter for internally-displaced: UNHCR UN News 14 Aug 2018 -- Libyan militias have forced nearly 2,000 people from an ethnic minority likely targeted for their alleged links to the former Gadaffi Government, to flee long-established shelters in the capital Tripoli, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.

News Reports

• U.S. Prosecutors Rest Case In Trial Of Trump Ex-Campaign Chair Manafort RFE/RL 14 Aug 2018 -- U.S. prosecutors have rested their case against President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, after 10 days of testimony alleging how he hid millions he earned for political consulting work in Ukraine to escape taxes.
• Iran vows not to renegotiate landmark nuke deal with U.S. People's Daily 14 Aug 2018 -- Iran will never enter a new round of talks with the United States over the 2015 nuclear deal as Washington is "bullying and cheating" in negotiations, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Monday.
• Reform and opening up ushers China into bright future: People's Daily People's Daily 14 Aug 2018 -- "Reform and opening up was a game-changing move in making China what it is today; it now remains a game-changing move for China to achieve its two centenary goals and realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," said an article titled "Reform and Opening up ushers China into bright future" under the byline of "Xuanyan" published on People's Daily on Monday.
• China to stabilize foreign capital and expand opening up People's Daily 14 Aug 2018 -- Since the beginning of this year, the utilization of foreign capital in China has continued to grow at a steady pace and with increasing quality, even though the global competition for attracting foreign investment has become progressively more intense.
• Slandering Xinjiang as "no rights zone" against fact, Chinese official told UN panel People's Daily 14 Aug 2018 -- There is no arbitrary detention in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and the view that Xinjiang is a "no rights zone" is completely against the fact, a Chinese official on Monday told the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
• China Claims Security Forces Prevented 'Great Tragedy' In Uyghur Region RFE/RL 13 Aug 2018 -- China's state-run media claimed on August 13 that the country has prevented a "great tragedy" in the far-western Xinjiang region, the country's first response to remarks by a United Nations panel saying it was "deeply concerned" about the flight of 1 million ethnic Uyghurs there.
• Thousands of Guardsmen Battle Western U.S. Wildfires AFPS 14 Aug 2018 -- Calling up the soldiers and airmen of the National Guard has become an unfortunate ritual of summer.
• British Police Search Three Addresses After London Incident RFE/RL 14 Aug 2018 -- British police investigating a man who drove into pedestrians outside Parliament early on August 14 say they are searching three addresses in central England as part of their inquiries.
• Romania Investigating Charges Of Police Violence At Protests RFE/RL 14 Aug 2018 -- Romania has opened an investigation into alleged police violence at a mass protest against the government last week that left hundreds of people injured, prosecutors said as protests continued for a fourth day on August 13.
• Romanians Gather Again To Demand Government's Resignation, Probe Into Violence RFE/RL 14 Aug 2018 -- Scores of Romanians on August 14 gathered for a fifth night in a row outside the government building in Bucharest demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Viorica Dancila's cabinet and calling for those responsible for the violent repression of an August 10 protest to be held accountable.
• Ebola in DR Congo: conflict zones could constitute 'hiding places' for the deadly virus - WHO chief UN News 14 Aug 2018 -- Following a two-day mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday repeated his call for warring parties in conflict-riven North Kivu to stop fighting, and allow health teams access to areas affected by the recent Ebola outbreak in the region.
• Turkey's Erdogan: 'We Will Boycott US Electronic Products' Sputnik 14 Aug 2018 -- Relations between Ankara and Washington have deteriorated due to the case of US pastor Andrew Brunson, detained in Turkey, as well as tariff issues and the contradictions over the purchase of Russian-made weapons systems by the Turkish military.
• Bolton, Turkish Envoy Discuss US Pastor Detention - White House Sputnik 14 Aug 2018 -- US National Security Advisor John Bolton and Turkey's Envoy to the United States Serdar Kilic have discussed the imprisonment of US pastor Andrew Brunson, as well as bilateral ties between the two nations in a meeting on Monday, White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said in a statement.
• Armenian Court Dismisses Case, Frees Detained Former President Kocharian RFE/RL 14 Aug 2018 -- Former Armenian President Robert Kocharian has been released from a pretrial detention facility after the country's Court of Appeals ruled that he cannot be prosecuted for the 2008 postelection violence in Yerevan.
• UN chief appeals for calm as Mali presidential election draws to a close UN News 14 Aug 2018 -- Following the conclusion of the second round of presidential elections in Mali, political leaders in the West African country are being encouraged by the UN Secretary-General to promote a peaceful atmosphere and avoid incendiary rhetoric.