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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghanistan Probes Claims That 14 Civilians Killed In Army Raid RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- Afghan officials say they have launched an investigation into claims that at least 14 civilians were killed in a military ground operation in eastern Afghanistan.
• Pakistan Frees Senior Taliban Commander In Possible Peace-Talks Bid RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- Pakistan has released from detention a senior Afghan Taliban commander who had been arrested eight years ago, reports say.
• Pakistan releases top Taliban commander 'at US request' Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- Pakistan has released Mullah Baradar, a senior Taliban commander, as a "confidence-building" measure requested by the US, which is engaged in so-called peace talks with the insurgents.
• NATO Forces Scale Back 'Face-to-Face' Contacts With Afghan Partners VOA 25 Oct 2018 -- U.S.-led international forces in Afghanistan have temporarily scaled back "face-to-face" contacts with local partners after two "insider" attacks in the past week that killed a revered top Afghan police chief and a foreign service member.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DOD Expands Tech Talent Initiative to Develop Critical Cyber Capabilities DoD 25 Oct 2018 -- Today, the Defense Digital Service (DDS) announced the expansion of an initiative to cultivate and engage technical talent in the Army by bringing together skilled cyber soldiers and top civilian technologists to rapidly build cyber capabilities. The program expansion is marked by the opening of 'Tatooine'- a new DDS workspace launching in downtown Augusta, Ga.
• Pentagon launches cyber op for 'Russian interference' in midterm elections Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- The US Cyber Command has launched a cyber operation to counter what it describes as "Russian interference" in the upcoming midterm elections.
• Pentagon Mulling Request for Troops at Southern Border to Stem Migrant Flow VOA 25 Oct 2018 -- The Pentagon is considering sending hundreds of troops to the southern border after President Donald Trump reiterated Thursday the military would be used to prevent a caravan of Central American migrants from entering the United States.
• Innovative solar panel project first in South Carolina AFNS 25 Oct 2018 -- The 20th Fighter Wing celebrated the completion of the Shaw Military Housing's solar power installation project with a ribbon cutting ceremony, Oct. 22, at Shaw Air Force Base.
• USS Harry S. Truman Strike Group Joins NATO for Trident Juncture NNS 25 Oct 2018 -- The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and select ships from Carrier Strike Group Eight (CSG-8) joined U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps service members Oct. 25 for the largest NATO exercise since 2015 – Trident Juncture 2018 (TRJE 18).
• Peru and US Navy Celebrate a Successful DESI Deployment NNS 25 Oct 2018 -- Peruvian and U.S. Navy Sailors celebrated 89 days of joint operations with the Peruvian Submarine BAP Arica (SS-36) at a closing ceremony held at Naval Station Mayport, Oct. 22.
• Ecuadorian Minister of Defense Visits USNS Comfort NNS 25 Oct 2018 -- As part of its partnership with Ecuador, the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) hosted officials from the government of Ecuador during the ship's medical assistance visit, Oct. 22.
• Interoperability a key focus in building the Army's future network Army News 25 Oct 2018 -- Bolstering the Army's network against increasing enemy threats has become a crucial point of emphasis in the Army's ongoing modernization efforts.
• North Atlantic Council discusses INF NATO 25 Oct 2018 -- Ambassadors in NATO's North Atlantic Council met on Thursday (25 October 2018) to discuss the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, with the participation of senior officials from the US.
• NATO launches military drills in Norway, alarming Russia Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- Tens of thousands of NATO troops are deployed to Norway for one of the biggest military exercises of the military bloc since the end of the Cold War.
• NATO Drills Aggravate Military Situation in North Atlantic, Baltic Sea - Moscow Sputnik 25 Oct 2018 -- NATO Trident Juncture 2018 drills in Northern Europe are obviously anti-Russian, and they lead to deterioration of military and political situation in the region, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Information and Press Department said in a statement on Thursday.
• NATO Begins Largest Exercise Since Cold War VOA 25 Oct 2018 -- About 50,000 NATO personnel from 31 NATO and partner countries are springing to action Thursday at the start of the alliance's Trident Juncture exercise, its largest drills since the end of the Cold War.
• Russia Successfully Launches Soyuz Rocket With Military Satellite RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- Russia has successfully launched an unmanned Soyuz rocket, the first such liftoff since an aborted launch of a similar rocket earlier this month.
• Putin Warns Of New 'Arms Race' If Trump Abandons Nuclear Pacts RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Washington's withdrawal from a decades-old nuclear treaty could lead to a new "arms race," and the Kremlin said it would put the U.S. decision before the United Nations for a symbolic vote.
• Putin: Russia Will Create Never-Before-Seen Weapons VOA 25 Oct 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will create weapons without comparison anywhere in the world.
• Russian Defense Ministry Explains Why S-400 is Better Than Patriots Sputnik 25 Oct 2018 -- Despite Washington's threats to impose sanctions on states buying military equipment from Moscow, many of them, such as Turkey, India and Indonesia, still stick with Russian weaponry, citing its outstanding quality.
• China 'will take military action at any cost to prevent Taiwan split if necessary' Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- China says it will take necessary military actions, "at any cost," to thwart potential attempts to separate the self-ruled island of Taiwan – which Beijing claims as part of its territory – from mainland China.
• 'Armed Forces Will Take Action': Beijing Warns of Taiwan Secession Attempts Sputnik 25 Oct 2018 -- The Chinese armed forces will take action if someone tries to separate Taiwan from China, China's Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said on Thursday.
• Beijing Boom: China Wants More Nuclear-Armed Subs, Report Suggests Sputnik 25 Oct 2018 -- A new report released on Monday by the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy suggests that China is looking to build its nuclear arsenal over concerns that its existing stockpile isn't strong enough to stand a chance against other countries.
• US Understands India's Need to Purchase S-400 - Defense Minister Sputnik 25 Oct 2018 -- Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has indicated that the US may not impose sanctions on India for the purchase of Russian S-400 Triumf air defense and missile systems.
• Installation of Russia's S-400 systems to begin October 2019: Turkey Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- Turkey's defense chief says the deployment of Russian S-400 air defense missile systems will start next year, despite warnings from the US, a NATO ally, not to buy the advanced missile batteries.
• Turkey To Start Installing Russian S-400 Missile Systems In October 2019 RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said the country will begin the installation of Russian-made S-400 antiaircraft missile systems in October 2019, state media reported.
• Turkey Says Russian S-400 Systems Installation to Begin Oct. 2019 - Reports Sputnik 25 Oct 2018 -- Turkish personnel will be sent to Russia to receive training at the start of 2019, the Hurriyet newspaper reported citing Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
• Historic day for the military as all roles are opened to women UK MOD 25 Oct 2018 -- Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has today announced that all roles in the military are now open to women.
• £93 million missile project secures over 100 Belfast jobs UK MOD 25 Oct 2018 -- Defence Minister Stuart Andrew has announced a multi-million-pound deal to modernise and boost the British Army and Royal Marines' very short-range air defence capability.
• Belgium To Purchase F-35 Fighter Aircraft, Reaffirming Enduring Partnership With the United States US Dept. of State 25 Oct 2018 -- The United States welcomes the decision by the Government of Belgium to purchase thirty-four new F-35 fighter aircraft.
• Bolton Vows To 'Squeeze Iran,' Explore Weapons Sales To Armenia RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton has vowed that President Donald Trump's administration will "squeeze Iran" with maximum economic pressure in response to Tehran's "malign" behavior in the Middle East and around the world.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 25, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 25 October 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 25 Oct 2018
• 'Crippling to our credibility' that number of women peacekeepers is so low: UN chief UN News 25 Oct 2018 -- Despite greater participation of women in building and sustaining peace and the recognition from all quarters of the value they bring, the realities on the ground show that much more remains to be done, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told Security Council members on Thursday.
• 19 killed, 10 Injured in Saudi-Led Coalition raid in Yemen IRNA 25 Oct 2018 -- At least 19 people have been killed and 10 others wounded by the Saudi air strikes on Yemen's western city of Bayt al Faqih located in the vicinity of the port city of Al Hudaydah on Wednesday, local media reported.
• Armed Forces always ready to restore stability to Syria IRNA 25 Oct 2018 -- Syrian Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Armed Forces, Defense Minister Major Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayoub said that the armed forces are always ready to shoulder responsibility in restoring safety and security over Syria.
• Constitution sovereign affair decided by Syrian people: FM IRNA 25 Oct 2018 -- Syrian Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem on Wednesday received UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and the accompanying delegation.
• Lavrov stresses Syria sovereignty, territorial integrity IRNA 25 Oct 2018 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the situation in Syria with Senior Assistant to Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Jaber Ansari, and the Turkish Assistant Foreign Minister Sadat Unal.
• US plane piloted drones attacking Russia's Syria airbase: General Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- Russia says its Hmeimim air base in Syria – where it is involved in an anti-terror mission – once came under attack by over a dozen remotely-piloted American unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs.)
• Russia-Turkey deal on Syria's Idlib 'was Iran's idea' Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- (This is the fifth and last news article in the series "Iran's point man on Middle East." To read the fourth, click here; the third, here; the second, here; and the first, here. To read a report of the interview with Hossein Jaberi Ansari, see here.)
• US Poseidon-8 Orchestrated Drone Attack on Hmeymim Air Base - Russian MoD Sputnik 25 Oct 2018 -- Russia's Hmeymim Air Base in Syria has been subject to a massive drone attack, with unmanned aerial vehicles having been piloted by a US Poseidon 8 surveillance aircraft, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin stated, without specifying when exactly the assault took place.
• European Parliament Urges Tough Stand On Russia Over Sea Of Azov 'Blockade' RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- The European Parliament has urged EU states to make clear to Russia that it will face tougher measures if it intensifies its "de facto blockade" of international shipping in the Sea of Azov.
• Homes, Villages Burned as Cameroon Targets Separatists VOA 25 Oct 2018 -- Some of the thousands of people who fled the volatile English-speaking regions of Cameroon before the Oct. 7 presidential election have returned nome to find that their houses and villages have been burned to the ground.
• UN rights chief denounces Burundi for 'belligerent and defamatory' attack on inquiry team UN News 25 Oct 2018 -- The top United Nations human rights official has called on Burundi to "immediately retract" its threat to try and prosecute members of a UN Commission of Inquiry into rights abuses in the central African nation.
• Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate The White House 25 Oct 2018
• Text of a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Democratic Republic of the Congo The White House 25 Oct 2018

News Reports

• 10 Pipe Bombs Sent to Trump Critics VOA 25 Oct 2018 -- Investigators are expressing confidence they will identify who is responsible for sending 10 pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and critics of U.S. President Donald Trump.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, October 25, 2018 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 25 Oct 2018
• Italian Leader Urges End To EU Sanctions On Russia During Moscow Visit RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is urging an end to European Union sanctions on Russia and said he is committed to boosting trade with Moscow, despite the sanctions.
• Moscow Considers US Actions in S Syria 'Occupation' - Russian Foreign Ministry Sputnik 25 Oct 2018 -- Moscow has repeatedly criticized the US military campaign in Syria, which has not been authorized by either the UN or Damascus.
• Court Rejects Early Release For Former Russian Intelligence Officer RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- A court in Russia's Republic of Mordovia in the Volga region has refused to approve the early release of a former Russian intelligence officer jailed for treason.
• North Korean official warn US against 'confidence-destroying measures' Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- A North Korean official tells a security forum in Beijing that US sanctions are "confidence-destroying" and hinder the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula.
• 'Koreas officially start demilitarizing border zone' Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- South and North Koreas have officially launched the demilitarization process of a border village, Seoul says, as part of an agreement to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
• Treasury Designates Singapore-Based Targets for Laundering Money in Support of North Korea US Treasury 25 Oct 2018 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today announced North Korea-related designations of two entities and one individual, continuing the implementation of existing sanctions. In a related action, today the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed criminal charges against the same individual, Tan Wee Beng.
• Iraq to prioritize own interests as regards US sanctions on Iran: PM Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- New Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi says Baghdad will prioritize its own interests and independence when it comes to implementing unilateral US sanctions on Iran.
• Mogherini: EU, UN will continue supporting JCPOA IRNA 25 Oct 2018 -- EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Wednesday that the European Union and the United Nations as champions of dialogue and cooperation will continue supporting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
• Haspel briefs Trump on Turkish evidence on Khashoggi's death Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- CIA Director Gina Haspel has briefed US President Donald Trump after reportedly listening to "compelling" audio recording which captured the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
• Turkey to Saudi Arabia: Who gave order for Khashoggi killing? Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has urged Saudi Arabia to answer questions over the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
• CIA Director Gina Haspel in Turkey to investigate Khashoggi murder Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- The Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Gina Haspel has listened to audio allegedly capturing the interrogation and killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
• Saudi Crown Prince Calls Journalist's Killing 'Repulsive,' Vows Justice RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- Saudi Arabia's crown prince has called the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate "repulsive" and vowed that justice will prevail, in his first public comments on a case that has provoked an international outcry.
• Public Prosecution: Information from Turkish Side Indicates that Suspects in Khashoggi Case have Committed their Act with Premeditated Intention SPA 25 Oct 2018 -- The General Attorney stated that further to the statement issued on 10/2/1440 H on the findings of preliminary investigations conducted by the Public Prosecution in the case of citizen Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi, the Public Prosecution received information from the Turkish side through the Joint Working Team between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Turkey indicates that the suspects in the incident had committed their act with a premeditated intention.
• Saudi Arabia Now Says Khashoggi's Killing 'Premeditated' RFE/RL 25 Oct 2018 -- Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has said the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul was premeditated, reversing previous official statements that his death was unintended.
• Saudi Public Prosecutor Says Khashoggi Killing Was Premeditated - Saudi TV Sputnik 25 Oct 2018 -- Ekhabariya TV has reported that prosecutors are interrogating suspects, verifying the information provided by a joint Saudi-Turkish task force.
• Saudi Arabia: Killing of Khashoggi Was 'Premeditated' VOA 25 Oct 2018 -- Saudi Arabia has again changed its explanation for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside Riyadh's Istanbul consulate, now saying it was "premeditated," based on information it had received from Turkey.
• Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques makes Telephone call to Chancellor of Federal Republic of Germany SPA 25 Oct 2018 -- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud made a telephone call today to Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Federal Republic of Germany.
• What Does Turkey's Erdogan Want From Khashoggi Probe? VOA 25 Oct 2018 -- As they demand answers about his death, friends of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi have drawn some comfort from the unlikely figure of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has overseen his own crackdown on dissent, has jailed journalists and has shuttered media outlets in his country.
• CIA Chief Reportedly Listens to Tape of Khashoggi's Death VOA 25 Oct 2018 -- U.S. CIA Director Gina Haspel, who traveled to Turkey to investigate the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has reportedly listened to the audio recording of his torture and killing, The Washington Post said Wednesday.
• New Iraqi PM, two-thirds of proposed ministers sworn in Press TV 25 Oct 2018 -- New Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and almost two-thirds of his ministerial picks were sworn in on Wednesday, but lawmakers failed to reach a consensus on the rest of the cabinet, postponing the votes to November 6.
• Ohio Man Arrested and Charged with Attempting to Travel to Join ISIS US Dept. of Justice 25 Oct 2018 -- An Ohio man has been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with attempting to provide material support to ISIS-affiliated foreign terrorist organizations. Naser Almadaoji, 19, an Iraqi-born naturalized U.S. citizen, was arrested yesterday at John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. It is alleged Almadaoji intended to travel through Kazakhstan on his way to Afghanistan, where he intended to join with, and fight for, ISIS.
• Statement from the Press Secretary The White House 25 Oct 2018