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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Ex-Pentagon Adviser: US-Taliban Talks an 'Icebreaker' VOA 24 Aug 2018 -- The United States and the Taliban are reported to be in the early stages of discussions for the first time since 2012. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Christopher Kolenda, who fought in Afghanistan and later served as a senior Pentagon adviser, was instrumental in helping set up those talks – in part through his own discussion with Taliban officials in Qatar. He spoke with VOA's William Gallo about where he sees the peace process going, especially in light of a recent surge in violence. This interview was condensed for clarity.
• Taliban Accuse US of Airstrikes Against Fighters Battling IS VOA 24 Aug 2018 -- The Taliban insurgency claimed Friday that U.S. airstrikes killed 16 of its fighters in eastern Afghanistan who were battling militants loyal to the rival Islamic State.
• Colo. and Minn. National Guard troops assist in fire battles Army News 24 Aug 2018 -- The Colorado National Guard completed aviation firefighting in support of the incident commander overseeing the Cache Creek Fire in Garfield County, Colorado.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Navy Establishes U.S. 2nd Fleet, Vice Adm. Lewis Assumes Command NNS 24 Aug 2018 -- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson presided over a ceremony establishing U.S. 2nd Fleet and naming Vice Adm. Andrew “Woody” Lewis as the commander during a ceremony aboard the nuclear aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), Aug. 24, at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.
• US Reactivates 2nd Fleet, Responding to Threats Allegedly Posed by Russia, China Sputnik 24 Aug 2018 -- The United States has officially reactivated its Second Fleet to respond to growing competition at seas from Russia and China, Commander of US Fleet Forces Command Admiral Chris Grady said during a Navy ceremony on Friday.
• MCSC teams with Marines to build world's first continuous 3D-printed concrete barracks USMC News 24 Aug 2018 -- CHAMPAIGN, IL -- The Marine Corps is leading the way in employing advanced technologies and robotic construction.
• Sequenced Bomber Missions to Australia Showcase Alliance AFPS 24 Aug 2018 -- Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers assigned to the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, conducted two sequential bilateral training missions to Australia as part of exercise Pitch Black 18.
• Remarks by Secretary Mattis at the U.S. Transportation Command change-of-command ceremony, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois DoD 24 Aug 2018 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis
• US Air Force Tests Upgraded 'Earth-Penetrating' Nuclear Bomb Sputnik 24 Aug 2018 -- The US Air Force sent out a B-2 stealth bomber to deploy an upgraded B61-12 nuclear bomb recently in an effort to review the weapon's accuracy and ability to carry out its various attack options.
• AFCYBER move streamlines ACC warfighting efforts AFNS 24 Aug 2018 -- With the addition of 24th Air Force/Air Forces Cyber to Air Combat Command, new cyber outcomes are available to America's warfighting commanders.
• Cyber readiness evaluation keeps military info, systems safe Army News 24 Aug 2018 -- In today's high-tech military, cybersecurity plays a critical part of defending information and computer systems from hackers. U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz demonstrated its technology protection proficiency during a U.S. Army Europe Cyber Readiness Evaluation, Aug. 13-17.
• British Jets Again Scramble From Romania To Investigate Russian Aircraft RFE/RL 24 Aug 2018 -- British Typhoon jets based in Romania have scrambled for the second time in three days to investigate "provocative" Russian aircraft flying on a path toward NATO airspace, the British Defense Ministry says.
• RAF typhoons investigate Russians over Black Sea UK MOD 24 Aug 2018 -- Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets have interrupted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft's path towards NATO airspace.
• India, China to Expand Military Cooperation Year After Border Standoff Sputnik 24 Aug 2018 -- The defense ministers of India and China have met a year after a bitter standoff at Doklam. Both countries have decided to expand the scope of engagement between the two militaries in areas concerning training, joint exercises and other professional interactions, the Indian government said in a statement.
• Russia, India Solving Problems Over Payments for Current Defense Contracts Sputnik 24 Aug 2018 -- There have been no payments for current defense contracts from India since April 2018, the newspaper Vedomosti reported earlier. According to the media outlet, the problems had been caused by US restrictions.
• Iran's defense, military power of deterrent nature: Official IRNA 24 Aug 2018 -- Deputy defense minister said on Friday that Iran's military and defense power are for deterrence, as the enemies and the US never dare to invade Iran in view of its high military industry capabilities.
• Iran's defense hardware produced domestically IRNA 24 Aug 2018 -- The Deputy defense minister said on Thursday that all defense hardware needed by the Islamic Republic of Iran are produced inside the country with no dependence on foreign states.
• Japan's Saga Prefecture Governor Agrees to Deploy 17 Osprey Aircraft – Reports Sputnik 24 Aug 2018 -- Japan's Saga Prefecture Governor Yoshinori Yamaguchi has agreed with the defense ministry's plan to deploy 17 Osprey tiltrotor military aircraft in the prefecture, the NHK broadcaster reported.
• President Duterte says US arms have no use for Philippines Press TV 24 Aug 2018 -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says the United States is seeking talks over his procurement plan for military equipment amid Manila's plan to purchase weapons from Russia.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 24, 2018

Other Conflicts

• UN agency chiefs condemn Saudi-coalition led air strike that killed dozens in western Yemen UN News 24 Aug 2018 -- The UN humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock, and the head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Henrietta Fore, have condemned the deadly air strike in Hudaydah governorate, in western Yemen, that killed at least 26 children and four women on Thursday.
• Yemen's Ansarullah targets Saudi sea base IRNA 24 Aug 2018 -- Yemen Army and popular forces targeted a Saudi sea base in Red Sea near Aramco oil installations, south of Saudi Arabia.
• 140 Saudi-led coalition forces killed over past 48 hours IRNA 24 Aug 2018 -- Some 140 Saudi-led coalition's forces were killed during the clashes with the Yemeni Army and popular committees in Al-Hudaidah province over the past 48 hours.
• Russian, Turkish defense ministers discuss Syria IRNA 24 Aug 2018 -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed on Friday with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar the situation in Syria.
• Lavrov says efforts underway to eradicate terrorism in Syria IRNA 24 Aug 2018 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that efforts must be carried through to achieve a political settlement to the crisis in Syria and a complete elimination of terrorism in it.
• Syrian army advances in Sweida desert, kills scores of Daesh IRNA 24 Aug 2018 -- Units of Syrian Arab Army continued their operations against Daesh (ISIS) terrorist organization in the eastern desert of Sweida, establishing control over Kherbit al-Hawi.
• Putin: Cooperation with Iran, Turkey helped solve Syrian crisis IRNA 24 Aug 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Cooperation between Russia, Iran and Turkey greatly contributed to the Settlement of Syrian crisis.
• Russia respects Iran's steps to provide its security in Syria IRNA 24 Aug 2018 -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said that Iran's presence in Syria is at the invitation of this country's lawful government and that Moscow respects Tehran's steps to provide its security in Syria.
• Turkey Interested in Eliminating Militants in Syria's Idlib - Foreign Minister Sputnik 24 Aug 2018 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu held a joint press conference after negotiations in Moscow on August 24.
• Ankara, Moscow Intensify Diplomatic Efforts as Battle Brews in Syria VOA 24 Aug 2018 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has warned against a possible Syrian government offensive in Syria's last rebel-held province of Idlib, saying a military solution "would be a disaster," not just for the area, but for all of Syria. Cavusoglu made his comments in Moscow as Syrian forces backed by Russia massed ahead of an expected offensive against Idlib.
• Rohingya emergency one year on: UN says thousands of lives saved, but challenges remain UN News 24 Aug 2018 -- Significant progress has been made in protecting hundreds of thousands Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in the 12 months since they fled violence in Myanmar, but lives "will once again be at risk" if funding is not urgently secured, UN officials said on Friday.
• Troops on Border Mark Next Issue for Ethiopia-Eritrea Peace VOA 24 Aug 2018 -- Ethiopia and Eritrea have taken major steps toward peace in the past month, resuming flights, reopening telephone links, and allowing families to meet after more than 20 years of separation.
• US Cuts More Than $200 Million in Aid to Palestinians VOA 24 Aug 2018 -- The Trump administration has cut more than $200 million in economic aid to the Palestinians.
• UK, EU condemn huge Israeli settlement plans in occupied West Bank Press TV 24 Aug 2018 -- The British government and the European Union have condemned the Israel's recent approval of plans for the construction of hundreds of new housing units in the occupied West Bank irrespective of the international outcry against the Tel Aviv regime's land expropriation and settlement expansion policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.
• Bolton Says U.S. Won't Oppose Kosovo-Serbia Land Swap Deal RFE/RL 24 Aug 2018 -- White House national-security adviser John Bolton has said that the United States would not oppose a territorial exchange between Kosovo and Serbia to resolve their long-running dispute – provided Pristina and Belgrade work out a "mutually satisfactory settlement" between themselves.
• UN Security Council welcomes results of Mali's presidential elections UN News 24 Aug 2018 -- The UN humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock, and the head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Henrietta Fore, have condemned the deadly air strike in Hudaydah governorate, in western Yemen, that killed at least 26 children and four women on Thursday.

News Reports

• US to cut funding for UN human rights agency: Bolton Press TV 24 Aug 2018 -- US President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton says Washington will cut funding for the United Nations human rights agency in Geneva, Switzerland, the latest blow against the UN by the Trump administration.
• Russia vows all options on table in response to new US sanctions Press TV 24 Aug 2018 -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov says Moscow will have all options on the table to respond to new US sanctions against his country.
• U.S. Sanctions On Russia Tied To Poisoning In Britain Begin On August 27 RFE/RL 24 Aug 2018 -- Sanctions against Russia announced after the United States determined that Moscow used a nerve agent in an attempt to "assassinate" a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain will take effect on August 27, the government says.
• Bolton Says U.S. Sanctions To Stay Until Russia Changes Behavior RFE/RL 24 Aug 2018 -- White House national-security adviser John Bolton says U.S. sanctions against Russia will remain in place until Moscow changes its behavior.
• 'Not Making Sufficient Progress': Trump Cancels Pompeo's Visit to North Korea Sputnik 24 Aug 2018 -- In a trio of Tweets Friday, US President Donald Trump announced he was directing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to delay his upcoming trip next week to North Korea because "we are not making sufficient progress" on denuclearization.
• US lawmakers urge Treasury Dept. to cut off Iran from SWIFT IRNA 24 Aug 2018 -- A group of US senators is urging the Department of the Treasury to cut off Iran's financial institutions from Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication Senator Ted Cruz and 15 other senators said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Thursday.
• Xi to announce new actions, measures at China-African forum People's Daily 24 Aug 2018 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will introduce new concepts and proposals for ties between China and Africa, and announce new actions and measures on practical cooperation with Africa during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing summit September 3-4, with Chinese experts saying that China will further cultivate Africa's autonomous development capability and help boost modernization.
• Li: Accelerate western development People's Daily 24 Aug 2018 -- A number of major projects, including the Sichuan-Tibet and Chongqing-Yunnan railways, should be accelerated in the western regions of China to help prioritize economic structure and expand domestic consumption, Premier Li Keqiang said.
• Pakistan Disputes US State Department's Statement on Pompeo-Khan Conversation Sputnik 24 Aug 2018 -- While the US State Department claimed that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to take decisive action against terrorists operating in Pakistan, Pakistan has denied that terrorism was discussed in a recent telephone conversation between the two leaders.
• Pakistan: US Version of Pompeo's Phone Call to Khan 'Contrary to Facts' VOA 24 Aug 2018 -- The top Pakistani diplomat maintained Friday that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not mention anything about terrorists operating in Pakistan during a telephone call to new Prime Minister Imran Khan.
• Ex-South Korean President Jail Term Increased to 25 Years Sputnik 24 Aug 2018 -- The South Korean appeal court on Friday extended ex-president Park Geun-hye's prison sentence in a case arising from a corruption scandal that led to mass protests and her dismissal in 2017.
• ISIL continues to pose a 'serious challenge' worldwide: UN IRNA 24 Aug 2018 -- Despite serious military setbacks, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) may still have around 20,000 fighters and is continuing its dangerous transformation into a covert global network, while focusing on the activities of its regional offshoots, the United Nations Security Council was told.
• ISIL continues to pose a 'serious challenge' worldwide – UN counter-terror chief UN News 24 Aug 2018 -- Rebel violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is escalating inside the vast country's Ebola-hit North Kivu province, putting millions at risk, the United Nations refugee agency warned on Friday.
• US Sanctions Senior IS Recruiters From Southeast Asia VOA 24 Aug 2018 -- The United States on Friday designated three individuals from Southeast Asia as terrorists for allegedly recruiting people to join the Islamic State (IS) terror group.
• Treasury Sanctions Three ISIS Recruiters from Southeast Asia US Treasury 24 Aug 2018 `-- The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action today by designating three senior Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) recruiters: Mohamad Rafi Udin (Udin), Mohammed Karim Yusop Faiz (Faiz), and Mohammad Reza Lahaman Kiram (Kiram). Udin, Faiz, and Kiram have urged individuals in Southeast Asia to join ISIS and were featured in an official ISIS beheading video, where they executed captives held by ISIS.
• DR Congo: Ebola outbreak spreads to eastern 'no-go' zone surrounded by rebels UN News 24 Aug 2018 -- Rebel violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is escalating inside the vast country's Ebola-hit North Kivu province, putting millions at risk, the United Nations refugee agency warned on Friday.
• Possible worst-case scenario assessed: Presidential Office CNA 24 Aug 2018 -- As Taiwan still needs to overcome the bad feelings caused by El Salvador's switch of diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) admitted Friday that the government must assess the worst-case scenario if Taiwan is left with no diplomatic allies.
• Presidential Office thanks U.S. for speaking out for Taiwan CNA 24 Aug 2018 -- The Presidential Office thanked the United States Friday for speaking out for Taiwan following El Salvador's switch of diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing earlier in the week.
• U.S. to review relations with El Salvador CNA 24 Aug 2018 -- The United States said Wednesday it was gravely concerned about El Salvador's decision the previous day to shift diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, and as a result will reexamine its relations with the Central American country.
• Taiwan will not bow to China's plundering: MAC CNA 24 Aug 2018 -- Taiwan will never bow to China's bullying and plundering, and what China has done will also not alter the fact that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign country, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said Friday.
• Eyeing China, US Scolds El Salvador, Warns Others on Cutting Taiwan Ties VOA 24 Aug 2018 -- The Trump administration says it is re-examining relations with El Salvador after the Central American nation broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China. In a statement, the White House criticized the country's decision as well as Beijing's diplomatic outreach that led to the move.
• Poroshenko Declares Ukraine 'Has Cut All Ties With Russian Empire' RFE/RL 24 Aug 2018 -- President Petro Poroshenko has marked Ukraine's Independence Day by announcing at a military parade in Kyiv that his country "has cut all ties with the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union."
• Five Central Asian Leaders Discuss Aral Sea In Turkmenistan RFE/RL 24 Aug 2018 -- Leaders of five former Soviet republics in Central Asia met in Turkmenistan on August 24 to discuss the way to save the Aral Sea, which is facing severe environmental issues.
• Bidding A Final Adieu? Images Of Late Uzbek Leader Karimov Removed As Name Vanishes From TV RFE/RL 24 Aug 2018 -- His image was ubiquitous and his name everywhere as he ruled Uzbekistan with an iron fist for 27 years before his death was announced on September 2, 2016.
• Merkel Calls Ottoman-Era Killings Of Armenians 'Heinous Crimes' RFE/RL 24 Aug 2018 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described Ottoman-Era mass killings of Armenians as "heinous crimes against Armenians," which "cannot and must not be forgotten."
• Top Zimbabwe Court Confirms Mnangagwa's Election Victory VOA 24 Aug 2018 -- Zimbabwe's Constitutional Court has dismissed a challenge seeking to nullify the results of the country's July 30 presidential election.