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News Reports

Current Operations

• Update: air strikes against Daesh UK MOD 30 Oct 2018 -- The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Syria.
• Taliban Floggings Hint At New Crackdown On Smartphones RFE/RL 30 Oct 2018 -- The scenes of a public flogging in a Taliban stronghold in northern Afghanistan showed two women in blue burqas kneeling nearly motionless as a man beat them over their heads and bodies with a cane.
• Ex-Guantanamo Taliban Prisoners Join Team Negotiating Peace with US VOA 30 Oct 2018 -- Five senior Afghan Taliban leaders, who were swapped for the freedom of an American hostage in 2014, have been "re-activated" and made part of the Islamist insurgency's Qatar-based "political office" holding peace talks with the United States.
• General O'Shaughnessy, Commander of U.S. Northern Command, Press Gaggle DoD 30 Oct 2018 -- Presenter: General Terrence John O'Shaughnessy, Commander of U.S. Northern Command
• Active-Duty Troops En Route to Texas, Northcom Chief Says AFPS 30 Oct 2018 -- As of this afternoon, a little over 1,000 troops are in place in south Texas, and that number is changing by the hour as additional forces move in place, Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, said at a Pentagon news conference today.
• Pentagon: 5,200 US Troops Headed to Border with Mexico VOA 30 Oct 2018 -- The Pentagon is deploying 5,200 troops along the U.S. border with Mexico to help agents deal with a caravan of Honduran migrants heading to the United States.

Defense Policy / Programs

• FY18 Military Intelligence Program Top line budget DoD 30 Oct 2018 -- The Department of Defense released today the Military Intelligence Program (MIP) appropriated top line budget for fiscal year 2018. The total MIP budget, which included both the base budget and Overseas Contingency Operations appropriations, was $22.1 billion.
• US Budgets $22.1Bln for Military Intelligence Programs in 2018 – Pentagon Sputnik 30 Oct 2018 -- The US budget for military intelligence in fiscal 2018, which ended on September 30, was $22.1 billion, the Department of Defense disclosed in a press release on Tuesday.
• Secretary Mattis Remarks on the National Defense Strategy in Conversation with the United States Institute for Peace DoD 30 Oct 2018 -- Secretary Of Defense James N. Mattis; Stephen Hadley, United States Institute for Peace
• Air Force Reserve Command activates first ISR Wing AFNS 30 Oct 2018 -- Born out of necessity in 2012, the 655th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group embraced its destiny to restructure as a wing during a ceremony at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Oct. 20.
• Closing Ceremony Held at One of Two Medical Sites in Esmeraldas NNS 30 Oct 2018 -- Senior leadership and personnel embarked aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) attended a closing ceremony at a medical site, in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, following five days of treating patients, Oct. 26.
• Air Force leadership talks retention and readiness at the Airlift/Tanker Association Symposium AFNS 30 Oct 2018 -- The 50th annual Airlift/Tanker Association Symposium brought top Air Force leadership to Grapevine, Texas, Oct. 25 to 27, to address issues of interest to the mobility force and the Air Force as a whole.
• 24th MEU executes amphibious assault during Trident Juncture 18 USMC News 30 Oct 2018 -- The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted an amphibious landing in Alvund, Norway, Oct. 29, 2018, during Exercise Trident Juncture 18. The exercise allowed the MEU to rehearse their amphibious and expeditionary capabilities in a unique environment in support of partner nations.
• USS Shoup Arrives in American Samoa as Part of OMSI Deployment NNS 30 Oct 2018 -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86) arrived in Pago Pago October 27 as part of the ship's Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) deployment.
• US Does Not Seek to Change Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons in Space - Pence Sputnik 30 Oct 2018 -- The United States fully supports the 1967 Treaty banning nuclear weapons in space and has no intention to change that, US Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview on Tuesday.
• U.S. to keep backing freedom of navigation in Taiwan Strait: Navy CNA 30 Oct 2018 -- The United States military will continue to advocate for free navigation through international waters, including those in the Taiwan Strait, a top U.S. Navy official said Monday, a week after the Navy sent warships through the strait.
• US, China 'Will Meet More and More on High Seas' – Navy Chief Richardson Sputnik 30 Oct 2018 -- Tensions between Washington and Beijing were ramped up last month following an incident involving a US Navy destroyer nearly colliding with a Chinese warship in the South China Sea, a contested sea zone where the US military has been making demonstrative 'freedom of navigation' missions in recent years.
• Joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Minister of Defence of Norway, Frank Bakke-Jensen at the Trident Juncture 2018 distinguished visitors' day NATO 30 Oct 2018
• NATO Chief Expects Russian 'Professionalism' As Both Prepare For War Games RFE/RL 30 Oct 2018 -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says he expects Russia to behave in a "professional" manner as the Russian Navy and the Western military alliance both conduct exercises in the same area in waters off Norway's coast this week.
• One Person Missing, Four Hurt As Dry Dock Sinks, Damaging Russia's Only Aircraft Carrier RFE/RL 30 Oct 2018 -- Four workers have been injured and one remains missing after Russia's only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, suffered damage when a floating dry dock sank while the vessel was leaving it, officials say.
• Fallen Crane Leaves '4x5-Meter Hole' in Russian Warship Admiral Kuznetsov Sputnik 30 Oct 2018 -- A floating dry dock holding Admiral Kuznetsov became submerged in water after a power supply disruption, collapsing a crane on the carrier's deck and causing injuries to ship repair plant workers.
• Russia's Shoigu Warns Of 'Serious Consequences' For Europe If U.S. Quits Nuclear Pact RFE/RL 30 Oct 2018 -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is warning that Washington's plans to withdraw from a decades-old nuclear arms agreement will have "serious consequences" for Europe.
• Japan to Resume Construction of Airfield for US Troops in Okinawa - Minister Sputnik 30 Oct 2018 -- The Japanese government wants to resume work on the construction of a new airfield for the US armed forces in the southwestern prefecture of Okinawa in the near future, Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Tuesday.
• Taiwan defense strategy built on dual-development system: official CNA 30 Oct 2018 -- Taiwan's national defense will be built on a dual-development system that focuses on both indigenous system development and foreign arms sales, Vice Minister of Defense Chang Guan-chung (張冠群) said Monday.
• India Makes $4 Bln Down Payment for Rafale Jets Despite Controversy– Sources Sputnik 30 Oct 2018 -- India's main opposition party has accused the Indian government of corruption claiming that the price of each Rafale Jet under the current deal has gone up significantly without proper justification as compared to the previous deal during their tenure.
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders Aboard Air Force One The White House 30 Oct 2018
• Department Press Briefing - October 30, 2018 US Dept. of State 30 Oct 2018

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 30, 2018

Other Conflicts

• 30 October 2018 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 30 Oct 2018
• Ending the Conflict in Yemen US Dept. of State 30 Oct 2018 -- "The United States calls on all parties to support UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen based on the agreed references."
• Yemeni army shoots down 2 Saudi spy drones IRNA 30 Oct 2018 -- The air defense units of the Yemeni army and popular forces shot down two Saudi spy drones on Monday, Almasirah news network reported.
• 'Saudi-led coalition sends 10,000 of troops to Hudaydah ahead of new offensive' Press TV 30 Oct 2018 -- The Saudi-led military coalition has sent 10,000 of troops to Yemen's Hudaydah ahead of a fresh offensive against the blockaded port city, a report says.
• Bulldozing the past: Myanmar erasing evidence on Rohingya Press TV 30 Oct 2018 -- Myanmar's government has been destroying villages in Rakhine State and the physical evidence of state-sponsored violence committed against the Rohingya Muslims there, a report says.
• Bangladesh, Myanmar Agree to Repatriate Rohingya VOA 30 Oct 2018 -- Myanmar and Bangladesh have agreed to repatriate Rohingya refugees back to the country they fled, in the midst of a U.N warning that genocide was still being committed against them.
• Exercise 'utmost restraint' in eastern Ukraine to safeguard civilian life, top UN official urges fighters on the ground UN News 30 Oct 2018 -- After a lull in fighting in Ukraine over the summer, the last few weeks have seen a sharp rise in civilian deaths, more than half of which are due to landmines and explosive remnants of war, the United Nations top political official said on Tuesday.
• UN: Congolese Children Deported From Angola Face Humanitarian Crisis VOA 30 Oct 2018 -- The U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports that more than 80,000 children are among 330,000 Congolese migrants expelled by the Angolan government since the start of October. The migrants were sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo's volatile Kasai Province, where ethnic tensions triggered a brutal conflict in 2016.
• 80,000 youngsters at risk in DRC after forcible expulsion from Angola: UNICEF UN News 30 Oct 2018 -- Tens of thousands of children who have been forcibly returned from Angola to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) need help urgently, UN Children's Fund UNICEF said on Tuesday.

News Reports

• Chinese Intelligence Officers and Their Recruited Hackers and Insiders Conspired to Steal Sensitive Commercial Aviation and Technological Data for Years US Dept. of Justice 30 Oct 2018 -- Chinese intelligence officers and those working under their direction, which included hackers and co-opted company insiders, conducted or otherwise enabled repeated intrusions into private companies' computer systems in the United States and abroad for over five years. The conspirators' ultimate goal was to steal, among other data, intellectual property and confidential business information, including information related to a turbofan engine used in commercial airliners.
• Chinese intel officers charged with trying to steal US aviation data Press TV 30 Oct 2018 -- A group of Chinese intelligence officers have been charged in the United States with hacking into private companies' computer systems in an effort to steal aviation data.
• Ingushetian Court Declares Divisive Border Deal With Chechnya Illegal RFE/RL 30 Oct 2018 -- The Constitutional Court in Russia's Ingushetia region has ruled that a law designed to support a controversial border agreement with neighboring Chechnya is illegal.
• Tehran strongly rejects anti-Iran claims of a Danish official IRNA 30 Oct 2018 -- Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi on Tuesday dismissed claims of a Danish official against Iran and said it is enemies' conspiracy to influence the ever expanding Iran-Europe relations.
• Iran rejects Denmark claim about thwarted assassination plot Press TV 30 Oct 2018 -- Iran has "strongly" dismissed the claim made by Danish intelligence chief Finn Borch Andersen that an Iranian intelligence service had tried to carry out a plot to assassinate an Iranian Arab opposition figure on Denmark's soil.
• Denmark Accuses Iran Of Plotting Political Assassination On Its Soil RFE/RL 30 Oct 2018 -- Denmark has accused Iran of plotting to assassinate an Iranian Arab opposition leader on the European Union member's territory and will discuss taking possible action against Tehran over the matter.
• Denmark Recalls Envoy to Iran After Failed Murder Plot VOA 30 Oct 2018 -- Denmark recalled its ambassador to Iran Tuesday after accusing Iran of planning to kill three of its citizens who were living in Denmark.
• China, India Reported Set To Keep Buying Iranian Oil As U.S. Sanctions Loom RFE/RL 30 Oct 2018 -- With just days to go before U.S. sanctions take effect on Iran's oil sector on November 5, Tehran's top two customers – India and China -- are resisting Washington's call to reduce purchases to zero, arguing there are not sufficient supplies worldwide to replace them, media are reporting.
• South Korea Presses US for 'Maximum Flexibility' on Iranian Sanctions Exemption Sputnik 30 Oct 2018 -- A new wave of US measures targeting the oil exports and financial flows of the Islamic Republic is expected to take effect on November 5. Earlier this year, the US pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal and slapped Teheran with new sanctions, provoking criticism among Washington's European and Asian allies.
• Hurt by Iran sanctions, South Korea asks US for waiver Press TV 30 Oct 2018 -- New sanctions on Iran will harm South Korean companies, the Asian nation has told the US, asking for "maximum flexibility" on its request for a waiver.
• US: Pakistan Should Continue Ban on Terror-Linked Charity Groups VOA 30 Oct 2018 -- Washington is criticizing Pakistan for ending a ban on two Islamic charity organizations the United States has designated as terrorist groups.
• UN rights chief urges intl. experts to help murdered Saudi journalist's investigation Press TV 30 Oct 2018 -- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has called for international experts to be involved in an independent investigation into the murder of prominent Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing after visiting the kingdom's consulate in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul earlier this month.
• Saudi public prosecutor holds 2nd round of talks in Istanbul, visits Riyadh's consulate Press TV 30 Oct 2018 -- Amid investigations into the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the kingdom's public prosecutor holds a second round of talks with Turkish officials in Istanbul before visiting Riyadh's consulate, where the crime took place.
• Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Chairs Cabinet's Session SPA 30 Oct 2018 -- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session at Al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh on Tuesday afternoon.
• UN Commissioner Urges Saudi Officials to Reveal Whereabouts of Khashoggi's Body Sputnik 30 Oct 2018 -- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday called on Saudi authorities to reveal the whereabouts of the body of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi in order to ensure an independent and impartial investigation of his murder.
• UN rights chief says 'bar must be set very high' for investigation of murdered Saudi journalist UN News 30 Oct 2018 -- The United Nations human rights chief pressed on Tuesday for an impartial, investigation into the "shockingly brazen" murder of Saudi Arabian journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
• Turkey Presses Saudi Arabia to Reveal Who Sent Journalist's Killers VOA 30 Oct 2018 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday urged Saudi Arabia to reveal who gave the order to have Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi killed at Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul.
• Algerian Man is Sentenced to 15 Years' Imprisonment for Conspiring with Pennsylvania Woman and Others to Provide Material Support to Terrorists US Dept. of Justice 30 Oct 2018 -- Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and United States Attorney William M. McSwain for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced that an Algerian man was sentenced today to 15 years' imprisonment for conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists.
• Wisconsin Man Convicted of Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS US Dept. of Justice 30 Oct 2018 -- On Oct. 25, 2018, Jason Michael Ludke, of Milwaukee, pled guilty to conspiring to provide material support or resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339B(a)(1). Assistant
• Security Council urges responder-safety focus, as DR Congo Ebola outbreak worsens UN News 30 Oct 2018 -- The United Nations Security Council has voiced "serious concern" over the impact of deteriorating security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on the response to the deadly Ebola outbreak and fears that the virus could spread further into the country and the wider region.
• Pashinian's Bid To Force Snap Elections Advances In Armenian Parliament RFE/RL 30 Oct 2018 -- Armenia's acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's parliamentary faction has nominated him for the top post for the second time in a week, executing part of a plan to force snap elections that could increase his dominance four months after he came to power.