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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Daesh spokesman killed in airstrike in Afghanistan IRNA 27 Dec 2018 -- The spokesman of Daesh (ISIS) has been killed in an airstrike by foreign forces in eastern Nangarhar Province, said a press official on Thursday.
• IS Spokesman In Afghanistan Killed In Drone Strike RFE/RL 27 Dec 2018 -- The Afghan National Army says a leading spokesman for the affiliate of the extremist group Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan has been killed in a drone strike.
• Islamic State-Afghanistan Spokesman Silenced in US Airstrike VOA 27 Dec 2018 -- The spokesman for the Islamic State terror group's branch in Afghanistan has been killed in a U.S. airstrike.
• Senior Taliban commander killed in Afghanistan IRNA 27 Dec 2018 -- A top Taliban commander was killed in a drone attack of foreign forces, said the spokesman of the Farah Province, eastern Afghanistan, on Thursday.
• Taliban to US: Leave Afghanistan or face Soviet-style defeat Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- The Taliban militant group has warned the United States it would face the same fate as the Soviet Union in the 1980s if it did not leave violence-wracked Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan Considers Delaying April Presidential Election RFE/RL 27 Dec 2018 -- Afghanistan's election authorities are considering delaying a presidential election scheduled for April 2019, an official said, due to delays in registration and ongoing technical issues.
• Pakistan, US Military Leaders Review Afghan Peace Efforts VOA 27 Dec 2018 -- The U.S. commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan traveled to Pakistan Thursday to discuss Afghan reconciliation efforts with Pakistan's military chief, officials said.
• Iran Holds Talks With Afghan Taliban as US Prepares Partial Troop Withdrawal Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, announced on a visit to the Afghan capital of Kabul that Iranian officials have met with the Afghan Taliban.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US to Boost Weapons Research in Response to Russia VOA 27 Dec 2018 -- The United States will step up research in hypersonic offense and defense weapons, in response to a Russian test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic glider.
• Littoral Combat Group 1 returns from South America NNS 27 Dec 2018 -- Sailors and Marines from Littoral Combat Group One (LCG-1) returned home to Naval Base San Diego and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam after participating in the International Maritime and Naval Exhibition for South America, known as EXPONAVAL.
• Germany 'strongly opposes deployment of US nukes in Europe' Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- Germany is strongly opposed to the stationing of American medium-range missiles with nuclear warheads in Europe if the United States scraps a key Cold War-era arms control treaty with Russia, the German top diplomat says.
• Ukraine Received Modern Communication Equipment From NATO - Minister Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- Ukraine has received modern communication equipment from NATO member states, including due to the country's temporary period of martial law, which came to an end earlier this week, Yury Grymchak, Ukraine's deputy minister for temporarily occupied territories, said on Thursday.
• Russian nukes far better than US nuclear peers: Missile designer Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- A weapons designer has rated Russian nuclear missiles as being better than those owned by the United States.
• China's Newest Carrier Begins Flight Tests Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- China's first domestically designed and built carrier, the Type 001A, has reportedly begun its fourth sea trial ahead of its anticipated April commissioning. These trials will test its aviation system for the first time.
• US does not dare mention military option against Iran: IRGC cmdr. Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- The top commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says the United States' power is on the decline and faced with Iran's increasing might, it does not dare mention the military option against the Islamic Republic anymore.
• Israel Building New Super-Stealth Wings For Its F-35Is Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced Wednesday it had begun production of a custom outer wing design for its F-35I Adir stealth fighters, a $2.5 billion deal that will see the contractor build hundreds of wing pairs for the Israel Defense Forces over the next 10 to 15 years.
• Chinese Military Jet Enters S Korean Air Defence Zone Without Warning - Reports Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- A Chinese military jet on Thursday entered South Korean air defence zone without notice, and the South Korean Air Force responded by promptly scrambling its fighter jets, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korean defence authorities.
• Turkey Conducts Successful Test of Its First Air Bomb Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- Turkey has successfully tested its first domestically manufactured air bomb, the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology said on Thursday.
• Turkey Would Not Let US Inspect Russian S-400s - Source Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu assured the Russian ambassador to Ankara, Alexei Yerkhov, that Turkey would not provide the United States with the opportunity to study S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
• Turkey would not allow US to inspect Russian S-400 missile systems: Official Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- A senior Turkish official says Ankara would not provide the United States with the opportunity to study the advanced Russian-built S-400 air defense missile system, regardless of strong opposition from Washington and warnings that Turkey should not buy the anti-aircraft platform.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 27, 2018

Other Conflicts

• UNICEF: Children in Conflict Face Grave Rights Violations VOA 27 Dec 2018 -- Violence and insecurity have forced more than 28 million children from their homes in 2018, UNICEF said in a news release Thursday.
• Following UAE, Bahrain set to reopen diplomatic mission in Syria Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- Arab states are preparing to restore their presence in Syria after years of absence following the outbreak of a foreign-sponsored conflict more than seven years ago, with Bahrain being the next in the line of countries to reopen its embassy in Damascus.
• UAE officially reopens embassy in Syria: Damascus Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has officially reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Thursday, the Syrian Information Ministry has announced.
• Russia: Eastern Syria must return to govt. control after US exit Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- Russia says the territories currently occupied by American troops in eastern Syria should return to government control following Washington's planned withdrawal of its military forces from the Arab country.
• Israeli Company Posts Alleged Photos of 'Iranian Facilities' Hit by IDF Strike Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- The satellite images were released after the Jerusalem Post reported that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) destroyed an arms depot stashed with Iranian weapons in the Syrian capital in Wednesday's airstrike.
• Reason Behind US Syria Withdrawal 'Gambit' is Yet to Be Found - Moscow Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- Last week, President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of US from Syria, posting on Twitter that the US had defeated the Daesh terrorist group in the Arab country.
• Israel's settlement expansion deepens apartheid: Palestinian Foreign Ministry Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- The Palestinian Foreign Ministry says the Israeli regime's continued land expropriation and settlement expansion policies in the occupied territories are threatening the entire culture of peace, deepening apartheid and destroying the so-called two-state solution.
• 'Repeated attacks' could close down key hospital in eastern Libya, says WHO UN News 27 Dec 2018 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly condemned an armed attack in Al Jala Hospital in Libya's second-largest city of Benghazi, which took place on Tuesday, warning that further assaults could shutter the key facility.

News Reports

• Trump vows to wait as long as it takes for wall funding Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- US President Donald Trump has vowed to wait as long as it takes to get $5 billion from taxpayers for a wall on the US-Mexico border, a demand that has triggered a partial shutdown of the federal government that is now in its sixth day.
• Economists: Russia Faces Economic Downturn, Higher Inflation In 2019 RFE/RL 27 Dec 2018 -- Russia faces an economic slowdown and higher inflation in 2019 due to the risk of new Western sanctions, a weaker currency, and a planned tax increase, a poll of economists and financial analysts conducted by the Reuters news agency shows.
• Giving Tanks At Grand Russian Military Cathedral RFE/RL 27 Dec 2018 -- Stored for decades, Nazi military hardware captured by the Red Army is destined to serve God and country in Russia.
• Analysts Look Ahead at Uncertain North Korean Talks VOA 27 Dec 2018 -- North Korea announced last week it would not pursue denuclearization unless the United States removes what it calls its "nuclear threat."
• Iranian FM Takes Flak For Claiming Tehran Has Never Called For Destruction Of Israel RFE/RL 27 Dec 2018 -- When Iranian officials say Israel will be wiped off the map, does it mean they are suggesting that Iran should be the one to do it?
• Ankara Seeks to Prolong Turkey's Exemption From US Sanctions Against Iran Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- Ankara is seeking to prolong its exemption from the US sanctions on Iran, which also affect countries that cooperate with Tehran, Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said on Thursday.
• CPC meeting underlines core status of Xi People's Daily 27 Dec 2018 -- A key meeting convened by the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has underlined efforts to uphold Xi Jinping's position as the core of the CPC Central Committee and the whole Party, as well as the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership.
• High-Ranking Chinese Intelligence Officer Jailed For Life in Corruption Case Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- Ma Jian, the former deputy head of China's Ministry of State Security, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday after being found guilty of taking huge bribes, using his position to exert influence on business deals and insider trading.
• Ex-spymaster in China jailed for life over corruption Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- A provincial court in China has handed down a life sentence to a former deputy head of the country's Ministry of State Security over corruption.
• China's BeiDou launches global service today People's Daily 27 Dec 2018 -- China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System will start providing global services on Thursday, as announced by the China Satellite Navigation Office at a news conference in Beijing.
• What You Need to Know About Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with two Russian and 26 foreign satellites lifted off from the Vostochny space center in Russia's Far East on Thursday, which became the fourth launch from the cosmodrome. The Vostochny cosmodrome is the first civilian spaceport in Russia, designed to prepare and launch spacecraft for scientific, socio-economic and commercial purposes.
• Russian Soyuz-2.1a Rocket With Satellites Blasts Off From Vostochny Cosmodrome Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- The Russian Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying Russian Kanopus-V satellites number five and number six and foreign spacecraft successfully lifted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome on Thursday, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
• Russian State Commission Approves Soyuz-2.1a Launch From Vostochny Cosmodrome Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- A Russian state commission, which gathered at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the country's Far East, approved the launch of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with two Russian Kanopus-V satellites and 26 smaller spacecraft from the spaceport, Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Thursday.
• Pakistan adds former president Zardari to no-fly list over graft probe Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- Pakistan has announced that it will ban former president Asif Ali Zardari from travelling abroad following an investigation into allegations of money laundering.
• Alleged Mastermind Of Chinese Consulate Attack In Pakistan Reported Dead RFE/RL 27 Dec 2018 -- The alleged mastermind of an attack by a Pakistani separatist group on the Chinese Consulate in the port city of Karachi last month has been killed, the group said.
• Saudi king demotes FM in reshuffle seen as whitewash Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- Saudi King Salman has demoted Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in a major reshuffle, which included changes to key national security posts amid fallout from the murder of a dissident journalist.
• Venezuela's top court jails nine coup plotters Press TV 27 Dec 2018 -- Venezuela's Supreme Court has imprisoned nine members of the country's armed forces for participation in a coup plot o overthrow President Nicolas Maduro in 2014.
• Armenia 'Committed To Further Integration' Within Eurasian Union RFE/RL 27 Dec 2018 -- Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian says his country is determined to continue "integration" within the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EES).
• Nineteen Dead, Almost 400 Injured During Sudan Protests - Minister Sputnik 27 Dec 2018 -- A total of 19 people were killed and 397 were injured during a week of anti-government protests in Sudan, country's Minister of Information, Communications and Information Technology Bushara Aro said Thursday.
• UN calls for 'peaceful, credible and inclusive' election in Bangladesh UN News 27 Dec 2018 -- In the run-up to Sunday's general elections in Bangladesh, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for "an environment free of violence, intimidation and coercion" to allow a "peaceful, credible and inclusive poll."
• Police Fire Live Rounds on Congolese Election Protesters VOA 27 Dec 2018 -- Police in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo fired live ammunition and tear gas Thursday to disperse demonstrators who were protesting a decision to effectively exclude them from Sunday's presidential election.