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Defense Policy / Programs
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Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• UN deplores pre-election killings and attacks, urges Afghans to defy terror, and vote UN News 19 Oct 2018 -- With just hours to go before Saturday's parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, the UN has been expressing concern at the uptick in deadly political violence in the country, whilst encouraging Afghans to exercise their right to vote.
• Death Of Regional 'Sheriff' Leaves Security Vacuum In Afghanistan RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- General Abdul Raziq, known to sport traditional garb and a mischievous smile, was nominally the police chief of the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.
• Baby Steps: Young Afghan Candidates Take On Old Guard RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- Clad in a bright yellow head scarf and sporting a pen and notebook, Zuhra Nawrozi is unlike many of the candidates competing for a seat in Afghanistan's parliament.
• Afghan Candidates Killed On The Campaign Trail RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- The run-up to Afghanistan's October 20 parliamentary elections is taking its toll on the field.
• Elections In Afghanistan's Kandahar Province To Be Delayed A Week RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- Parliamentary elections in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar will be delayed by one week following the assassination of the powerful provincial police commander, Afghan officials said.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Electronic warfare: A battlefield on a different wavelength Army News 19 Oct 2018 -- Soldiers on the ground are now capable of rapidly reacting to electronic and cyber data rather than waiting on their higher echelons.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis' bilateral engagement with India Minister of Defence Nirmala Sitharaman at the 2018 ADMM-Plus DoD 19 Oct 2018
• Readout of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis' participation in tri-lateral meeting with Japan and the Republic of Korea. DoD 19 Oct 2018
• Readout of Secretary Mattis' Meeting with ROK Minister of Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo DoD 19 Oct 2018
• Readout of Secretary James N. Mattis' meeting with Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence General Prawit Wongsuwan DoD 19 Oct 2018
• Readout of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis' meeting with Japan Minister of Defense Taeshi Iwaya at the 2018 ADMM-Plus. DoD 19 Oct 2018
• Readout of Secretary Mattis' Meeting with Singaporean Minister of Defence Dr. Ng Eng Hen DoD 19 Oct 2018
• 24th MEU capabilities on display in Iceland USMC News 19 Oct 2018 -- The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit executed an air assault rehearsal aboard Keflavik Air Base, Iceland Oct. 17. The rehearsal was conducted in Iceland in order for the 24th MEU and Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group to rehearse ship to shore maneuver as an integrated Navy-Marine Corps team prior to executing an amphibious rehearsal in Norway for Exercise Trident Juncture 18.
• Harry S. Truman Strike Group Enters Arctic Circle, Prepares for NATO Exercise NNS 19 Oct 2018 -- For the first time in nearly 30 years, a U.S. aircraft carrier entered the Arctic Circle Oct. 19 to conduct operations in the Norwegian Sea.
• Ronald Reagan Resumes Flight Operations Following Helicopter Crash NNS 19 Oct 2018 -- The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) resumed flight operations after an MH-60R Sea Hawk assigned to the "Saberhawks" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 77 made an emergency landing and crashed on the ship's flight deck shortly after takeoff at approximately 9:00 a.m., Oct. 19.
• F-35B Finishes Initial Testing aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth NNS 19 Oct 2018 -- On Oct. 16, British sailors and members of the F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, completed a successful opening phase of the First of Class Flight Trials (FOCFT) being conducted this fall aboard the United Kingdom's new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, near the U.S. eastern seaboard.
• Helicopter Crash on board USS Ronald Reagan NNS 19 Oct 2018 -- A U.S. Navy MH-60 Sea Hawk assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 crashed on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) shortly after takeoff at approximately 9:00 a.m. Oct. 19.
• Former U.S. Navy Commander Sentenced to Prison for Bribery Conspiracy with Foreign Defense Contractor in Massive U.S. Navy Corruption and Fraud Case US Dept. of Justice 19 Oct 2018 -- A former U.S. Navy Commander was sentenced today to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, a $10,000 fine and $21,625.60 in restitution by the Honorable Janis L. Sammartino of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. The case relates to a wide-ranging corruption and fraud investigation involving foreign defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis and his Singapore-based company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA).
• US, South Korea cancel major military drill: Pentagon Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- The United States and South Korea have agreed to suspend another major joint military exercise amid ongoing diplomatic negotiations with North Korea.
• US, South Korea Again Call Off Major Drill VOA 19 Oct 2018 -- The United States and South Korea have suspended another major military exercise in a continued push for diplomacy, the Pentagon said Friday.
• Russia hopes NATO 'wise enough' to prevent war: Lavrov Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the NATO military should be "wise enough" not to start a war with Russia, warning that unintended incidents between the two sides have increased due to a complete lack of dialogue.
• Russian Pres. says new hypersonic weapons aimed at incoming missiles Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed his country's newly-developed hypersonic missiles that gives it a military edge, yet insisted that Moscow would only resort to using nuclear arms if targeted.
• Putin Says Russia Has Ruled Out Launching Preemptive Nuclear Strikes RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- President Vladimir Putin said Russia would only use its nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack on the country, in what some arms control experts said appeared to be an important clarification of Russian doctrine.
• UK increased weapons sales to Saudi Arabia by two thirds: Report Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia had increased in 2017 by two thirds, according to British media reports.
• Pakistan Blasts India Over Purchase of Russian Air Defense System VOA 19 Oct 2018 -- Pakistan has criticized and downplayed rival India's acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 Triumph air defense system, claiming Islamabad can counter the threat.
• United Kingdom - H-47 Chinook (Extended Range) Helicopters and Accessories DSCA 19 Oct 2018 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the United Kingdom of sixteen (16) H-47 Chinook (Extended Range) helicopters for an estimated cost of $3.5 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
• UK troops touch down in Norway following epic road move UK MOD 19 Oct 2018 -- Hundreds of British Army troops have successfully completed an epic road move to Norway
• Defence Secretary welcomes Qatari counterpart to UK UK MOD 19 Oct 2018 -- The UK and Qatar's Defence relationship is closer than ever, the Defence Secretary has reaffirmed, as production starts on Typhoon fighter jets that will be sold to the Gulf nation.
• Remarks to Traveling Press US Dept. of State 19 Oct 2018 -- Remarks by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
• Statements to the Press US Dept. of State 19 Oct 2018 -- Remarks by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State, and Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 19, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 19 October 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 19 Oct 2018
• China to hold first naval drill with ASEAN nations in South China Sea Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- China is preparing to hold its first joint maritime exercise with the navies of ten South Asian nations next week in an effort to ease rising tensions in the disputed South China Sea, Singapore says.
• U.S. Envoy: No Progress Ending Ukraine War As Putin Waits For Kyiv Elections RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- The U.S. special envoy for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, says he does not expect progress anytime soon toward ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine because Russia appears to be waiting for possible changes coming out of the Ukrainian elections.
• Mali: UN Peacekeeping chief 'extremely concerned' over insecurity, regrets peace deal delays UN News 19 Oct 2018 -- After commending the "overall peaceful" climate in which the Malian elections were held in July, the United Nations peacekeeping chief said on Friday that he is "extremely concerned" over the increasing number of attacks by armed insurgents, against a backdrop of continued delays in implementing the 2015 peace agreement.

News Reports

• Russian National Charged with Interfering in U.S. Political System US Dept. of Justice 19 Oct 2018 -- A criminal complaint was unsealed in Alexandria, Virginia, today charging a Russian national for her alleged role in a Russian conspiracy to interfere in the U.S. political system, including the 2018 midterm election. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia, and FBI Director Christopher Wray made the announcement after the charges were unsealed.
• U.S. Agencies Again Warn Of Foreign Interference In Elections By Russia, Iran, China RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- U.S. intelligence and law-enforcement agencies issued another warning about foreign interference -- by Russia, China, Iran, and others -- in the upcoming congressional elections and other elections in the future.
• US Officials Warn No Letup in Russian Meddling Attempts VOA 19 Oct 2018 -- U.S. intelligence, law enforcement and security agencies are warning that Russia is persistently targeting the country's upcoming midterm elections. They laid out the latest evidence in new charges against a Russian national connected to the oligarch known as "Putin's cook."
• Trump Administration Rethinks Foreign Aid With Eye Toward China VOA 19 Oct 2018 -- A gleaming new $3.2 billion railway cuts in half the travel time from Kenya's capital, Nairobi, to the coast. Major investments in transportation, energy and maritime infrastructure are turning Pakistan into a major economic corridor. A new industrial zone in Thailand boasts solar, rubber and industrial manufacturing plants and is slated to host 500 companies by 2021.
• Russia liquidating US debt holdings, investing in gold Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- Russia's Central Bank has persistently sold off its US Treasury bonds and trying to bring down the share of Russian investments in American debt to near zero, reaching merely $14 billion in August from the 2011 high of $180 billion
• Russia's Patriarch Kirill Blames Istanbul Orthodox Church For 'Schism' RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- The head of Russia's Orthodox Church has blamed Orthodox leaders in Istanbul for prompting a schism, the worst crisis to face the religion in hundreds of years.
• Norway To Free Russian Spy Suspect RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- Norway is to release a Russian suspected of spying, the country's intelligence agency, the PST, has said, adding that it had withdrawn its appeal against his release.
• Inter-Korean Military Pact Leaves Washington Uneasy VOA 19 Oct 2018 -- A gap is growing between Washington and Seoul over an inter-Korean military pact that Washington worries might weaken South Korea's defenses against a North Korea attack.
• Pakistan Says Searching For 14 Abducted Iranian Border Guards RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has told his Iranian counterpart that security forces are searching for 14 Iranian border guards who Tehran says were abducted by militants this week.
• Russia: US' anti-JCPOA act violating int'l regulations IRNA 19 Oct 2018 -- Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says the US' measures against Iran nuclear deal are in violation of the international regulations.
• FATF gives Iran 4-month deadline to complete reforms IRNA 19 Oct 2018 -- The anti-terror Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has in Paris, France, on Friday given Iran a four-month deadline until February to complete reforms.
• EU, Asia leaders call for lifting sanctions on Iran Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- Participants in the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) have reaffirmed their "collective support" for a multilateral nuclear agreement Iran signed with major world powers in 2015, saying the lifting of sanctions against Tehran is an essential part of the deal.
• Iran hails FATF's decision to extend suspension of its counter-measures Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry has hailed a decision by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global anti-money laundering body, to extend the suspension of its counter-measures against Tehran despite Washington's tremendous efforts to get the Islamic Republic back into the body's blacklist.
• Haley Blasts Iran Over Alleged Use of Child Soldiers VOA 19 Oct 2018 -- U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley strongly condemned Iran for its alleged recruitment and use of child soldiers in battlefields across the Middle East.
• Saudi Arabia admits Khashoggi murdered in Turkey, sacks bin Salman's top aide Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- Saudi Arabia has sacked a top general and arrested several people after confessing that dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
• Saudi, Egyptian Armed Forces' Joint Tabuk 4 Exercise, Conducted, in Egypt, Concluded SPA 19 Oct 2018 -- Under the co-sponsorship of the Egyptian Defense Minister Major Gen. Ahmed Safi and the Deputy Commander of the Saudi Royal Land Forces Maj. Gen. Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Muqrin, Tabuk 4 Exercise was held on Thursday, at Safaga naval base, in Egypt.
• UN chief 'deeply troubled' by Saudi confirmation of Jamal Khashoggi's death UN News 19 Oct 2018 -- In a statement released on Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that he is "deeply troubled" by the reported confirmation of the death of Jamal Khashoggi.
• Saudi Arabia Says Journalist Khashoggi Died After Fight in Consulate VOA 19 Oct 2018 -- Saudi Arabia says preliminary results from its investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi shows he died in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after a fight with people he met there, state media reported.
• Official Source: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia takes necessary measures to clarify truth into case of citizen Jamal Khashoggi, emphasizes to hold all those involved accountable SPA 19 Oct 2018 -- An official source stated the following:
• Saudi Public Prosecutor: Preliminary Investigations into Case of Citizen Jamal Khashoggi Showed his Death SPA 19 Oct 2018 -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Public Prosecutor stated the following:
• Trump says Saudi sanctions possible over Khashoggi Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- US President Donald Trump says imposing sanctions against Saudi Arabia is a possibility if the kingdom is found guilty in the suspected murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
• Turkey says to publicize results of probe into Khashoggi's assassination Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced on Friday that his country will share "with the world" the results of its ongoing probe into the alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi once it is over.
• Saudi looking for bin Salman replacement: Report Press TV 19 Oct 2018 -- Having found Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's antics too costly for its already stained reputation, Saudi Arabia's ruling family is looking to replace the young prince with his less ambitious brother, Khalid, a new report suggests.
• UN rights experts stand with businesses protesting Saudi journalist's disappearance UN News 19 Oct 2018 -- Independent UN human rights experts are praising business leaders who have decided to pull out of a high-level investment conference taking place next week in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, over concern for the fate of dissident Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
• Sudanese Official: We Are Not Sponsoring Terrorists VOA 19 Oct 2018 -- The U.S. should consider removing Sudan from its list of states sponsoring terrorism, a senior Sudanese diplomat in Washington told VOA, citing the country's efforts against terror groups on its soil.
• Premier blames Interpol rejection on China CNA 19 Oct 2018 -- Premier Lai-Ching-te (賴清德) blamed China on Friday for a decision by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) rejecting a request from Taiwan to attend as an observer the Interpol general assembly in Dubai next month.
• Pope Francis declines invitation to visit Taiwan CNA 19 Oct 2018 -- Pope Francis currently has no plans to visit Taiwan, the Holy See said Thursday in response to media inquiries, four days after Taiwan invited the pontiff to visit.
• Taiwan calls on China to end hostility, restore peace: MAC chief CNA 19 Oct 2018 -- Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) on Friday called on China to end its hostility toward Taiwan and help restore peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait.
• Ukraine, IMF Reach Deal On New $4 Billion Loan RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- The International Monetary Fund said it had reached a new agreement with Ukraine, paving the way for a fresh $4 billion loan.
• Macedonia's Parliament Approves Change in Country's Name VOA 19 Oct 2018 -- Macedonia's parliament has approved a proposal to change the country's name, a move that could pave the way for it to join NATO and the European Union.
• Putin, Mirziyoev Launch Construction Of Nuclear Power Plant In Uzbekistan RFE/RL 19 Oct 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev have launched the construction of a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan's western region of Navoiy, which Moscow estimates will cost $11 billion.