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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghans Voting In Kandahar Elections Delayed By Violence RFE/RL 27 Oct 2018 -- Afghans in the country's southern province of Kandahar are voting in parliamentary elections on October 27, a week after 32 of the country's 34 provinces went to the polls.
• Afghans voting in Kandahar elections delayed by violence Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- Afghan residents in the southern province of Kandahar are casting their ballots in parliamentary elections that were postponed for a week after a Taliban attack killed two top government officials, including a powerful provincial police chief.
• Pentagon chief approves US troops at border with Mexico Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- US Defense Secretary James Mattis has authorized the use of troops and other military resources at the US-Mexico border, after President Donald Trump ordered the US military to prevent a caravan of thousands of migrants from Central America from entering the US.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Russia Fails In Bid To Schedule UN Vote On Nuclear Treaty Spurned By Trump RFE/RL 27 Oct 2018 -- Russia has failed in a bid at the United Nations to schedule debate on a resolution to preserve a 1987 nuclear arms treaty that U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to abandon.
• Mattis Says Russia Cannot Replace U.S. Commitment In Middle East RFE/RL 27 Oct 2018 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has told Arab leaders that Russia is no replacement for the United States in the Middle East, following Moscow's military intervention in Syria.
• US Ramstein Airbase in Germany Receives Biggest Ammo Shipment in Almost 20 Years Sputnik 27 Oct 2018 -- Ramstein is the largest overseas US air base in the world and is used as a hub for many of its operations, including drone strikes. The base has repeatedly drawn protests in Germany, with the latest taking place in July, 2018.
• Remarks by Secretary Mattis at International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue DoD 27 Oct 2018 -- Presenter: Secretary Of Defense James N. Mattis; John Chipman, Chief Executive of IISS
• Readout of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis' Meeting with Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani DoD 27 Oct 2018
• Readout of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis' Meeting with Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa DoD 27 Oct 2018
• Readout of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis' Meeting with German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen DoD 27 Oct 2018
• US makes biggest arms shipment to Europe since Yugoslav war Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- The United States Air Force has shipped about 100 munition containers into its Europe and Africa headquarters in Ramstein, Germany, making it the biggest shipment since the 1999 NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia, according to an official Air Force statement.
• Macron raps Belgium's F-35 purchase as 'against European interests' Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- French President Emmanuel Macron has blasted Belgium's decision to purchase US-manufactured F-35 fighter jets instead of rival European planes, saying that the move "strategically goes against European interests".
• Armenia Open To Possible U.S. Military Purchases RFE/RL 27 Oct 2018 -- Armenia is open to discussing a possible purchase of military equipment from the United States if there is a good offer, according to the acting prime minister of the South Caucasus nation, which has traditionally close ties with Russia.
• 'Reasonable Waiting Mode': Spain Taking Its Time Buying F-35s Sputnik 27 Oct 2018 -- Even though some experts believe that the US-made F-35 5th generation fighters could be a good replacement for Spain's ageing fleet of ship-borne aircraft, recurring problems with the F-35 may cast doubt on its suitability.
• Iranian Fast Boats Buzz Around US Warship With Top Commander on Board in Gulf Sputnik 27 Oct 2018 -- The US 5th Fleet, currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, has reported multiple confrontations with Iranian forces in recent years.
• Russia to Provide Cuba With Weapons Worth Over $50 Mln – Reports Sputnik 27 Oct 2018 -- The latest loan agreement between the two countries dates back to 2009 and has been twice prolonged since then.

Defense Industry

• Airbus, Dassault Slam Belgium's Choice of US F-35 Jets Over Eurofighter Typhoon Sputnik 27 Oct 2018 -- On Thursday, Belgium announced plans to purchase Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth jets to replace its fleet of F-16s in a 4 billion euro ($4.55 billion) deal.

Other Conflicts

• Half of Yemen on the brink of famine: UN IRNA 27 Oct 2018 -- United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has warned half of the population of Yemen - nearly 14 million people in the war-torn nation- may soon be on the brink of famine and depend on humanitarian assistance to survive.
• Yemeni army unveils new domestically-built high-precision Badr P-1 ballistic missile Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- Yemeni army forces have unveiled a domestically- designed and -manufactured smart missile intended to precisely hit specific targets, minimize collateral damage and increase lethality against designated targets, as the Riyadh regime presses ahead with its atrocious aerial bombardment campaign against its southern neighbor.
• Tens of Sudanese troops killed in southern Saudi Arabia IRNA 27 Oct 2018 -- Scores of Sudanese mercenaries affiliated to the Saudi-led coalition were killed or wounded in southern Saudi Arabian border areas with Yemen, Yemeni military sources said Friday night.
• Istanbul summit stresses Syria's territorial integrity IRNA 27 Oct 2018 -- The final statement of Istanbul quadripartite summit which brought together leaders of Russia, Germany, France, and Turkey stressed commitment to Syria's territorial integrity and that there could be no substitute for political solution for the crisis in it.
• Erdoghan: Assad's fate must be decided by Syrian people IRNA 27 Oct 2018 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed the need for preserving Syria's territorial integrity, saying that Syrian President Bashar Assad's fate must be determined by the Syrian people.
• Putin highlights Iran's role in addressing Syrian crisis IRNA 27 Oct 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin in a press conference on four-way meeting on Syria on Saturday underlined Iran's role in settling Syrian crisis.
• Daesh terrorists kill 60 US-backed SDF militants in Syria's Dayr al-Zawr Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- Dozens of US-backed militants from the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been killed after members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group launched a surprise attack on them in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr near the border with Iraq.
• Constitutional committee for Syria should start work, Russia to join in: Putin Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says a constitutional committee for Syria should start work in order to help put an end to the years-long bloody conflict in the Arab country, adding that Moscow would actively take part in that process.
• Istanbul Summit Ends With Call For UN-Backed Process To End Syrian War RFE/RL 27 Oct 2018 -- The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France, and Germany have discussed the war in Syria at a summit, reiterating calls for a UN-backed political process to end the war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.
• UN, West Call On Russia To Stop Syria From Blocking Peace Effort RFE/RL 27 Oct 2018 -- UN and Western diplomats are urging Russia to help overcome Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's opposition to giving the UN a role in forming a committee to draft a new constitution for the war-torn country.
• Uncertain Fate for Syria's Last Rebel Stronghold VOA 27 Oct 2018 -- Syria's largest surviving rebel stronghold, Idlib, faces a complex, uncertain and possibly violent future.
• Two UN Peacekeepers killed, five wounded in Mali Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- Two soldiers have been killed and five others wounded after unidentified assailants mounted two attacks on United Nations peacekeeping forces in central Mali, according to the country's UN Stabilization Mission (MINUSMA).
• Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement accepts to stop firing rockets into occupied territories Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- The Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement says it has agreed with Egyptian mediators to stop firing rockets from the Gaza Strip into the Israeli-occupied territories and restore calm in the besieged coastal enclave.
• Israeli warplanes conduct fresh airstrikes against blockaded Gaza Strip Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- Israeli warplanes have carried out fresh airstrikes against the besieged Gaza Strip, shortly after soldiers of the occupying regime shot dead several protesters from the impoverished enclave.

News Reports

• Court Appearances Set for Bomb Suspect VOA 27 Oct 2018 -- The man arrested and charged with mailing at least 13 packages containing explosive devices to critics of President Donald Trump is expected to make his first court appearance Monday, according to several media reports citing law enforcement officials.
• Florida Man Charged in Connection With Mailed Explosive Devices VOA 27 Oct 2018 -- A Florida man with a decades-long criminal record was arrested and charged Friday with mailing at least 13 packages containing explosive devices to critics of President Donald Trump, authorities said.
• U.S. Distortion of Facts Censured KCNA 27 Oct 2018 -- The director of the Pyongyang Friendship Hospital gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA on Saturday as regards allegations coming out recently within the U.S., which distort the truth as to the cause of death of an American student Warmbier.
• Inter-Korean Military Talks Held KCNA 27 Oct 2018 -- Inter-Korean general-level military talks were held at the Thongil House of Panmunjom on Friday under an agreement of the north-south high-level talks for implementing the historic "September Pyongyang Joint Declaration".
• US General: Diplomatic Success to Lead to Military 'Discomfort' on Korean Peninsula VOA 27 Oct 2018 -- The top U.S. general says diplomatic efforts on the Korean Peninsula will lead to military "discomfort" in the coming months, as leaders try to strike a "very difficult balance" between military risk and political progress.
• Iran has upper hand in countering US plots: President Rouhani Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has hailed the recent "unprecedented" achievements made by the Iranian nation in the political arena, stressing that the Islamic Republic has the upper hand in countering US plots.
• US sanction threat breaches Amity deal, ICJ ruling: Iran UN envoy Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- Iran's United Nations envoy says the United States' threat of imposing more sanctions on the Islamic Republic violates both the Amity pact between the countries and a UN court ruling against Washington.
• Media Reaction to Khashoggi Assassination is 'Hysteria' - Saudi Foreign Minister Sputnik 27 Oct 2018 -- Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir on Saturday said that the world media's response to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul amounted to "hysteria," the Bahrain-based Al Bahil Press news portal reported Saturday.
• Saudi Arabia rejects Turkish call to extradite Khashoggi killers Press TV 27 Oct 2018 -- Saudi Arabia has rejected Turkey's calls on the kingdom to extradite 18 Saudis wanted for the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi as international outrage mounts over the killing.
• Turkey demands extradition of 18 Saudis in Khashoggi case IRNA 27 Oct 2018 -- Turkish prosecutors have prepared an extradition request for 18 suspects from Saudi Arabia in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, authorities said on Friday, after President Tayyip Erdogan urged Riyadh to disclose who ordered the murder.
• Foreign Minister: The kingdom is An Ally of Western Countries, and This Alliance Will Not Change Despite the Passage of Successes and Failures SPA 27 Oct 2018 -- Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubier poinbtd out to the conflicts that are witnessed in the region, daying that these conflicts are led by attempts to change the regional order and control the Middle East. All this was the result of the Iranian Revolution and regime, which can be described as the dark system,"
• Last Direct Presidential Election In Georgia May Set A Caucasus First RFE/RL 27 Oct 2018 -- Georgia may be on the precipice of being the first Caucasus nation to elect a female president in balloting this weekend to succeed incumbent Giorgi Margvelashvili, who isn't seeking a second term.
• China to Give Pakistan 'Grant' as UAE Mulls $6B in Aid VOA 27 Oct 2018 -- China plans to provide an unspecified financial "grant" to Pakistan while the United Arab Emirates is actively considering Islamabad's request for a fiscal relief package of up to $6 billion to help the country deal with a looming balance-of-payments crisis, Chinese and Pakistani officials say.