Further Reading

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• US Official: No Abrupt Pullout of Troops From Syria VOA 06 Jan 2019 -- President Donald Trump's national security adviser said Sunday that U.S. withdrawal of its 2,000 troops in Syria will not be abrupt and also will be conditioned on Turkish assurances that it will not target Kurdish fighters allied with American forces.
• US continues Syria airstrikes despite Trump's troop withdrawal order: Military Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- US forces have conducted hundreds of aerial and artillery strikes in Syria and will continue to do so indefinitely despite President Donald Trump's order to withdraw American troops from the country, the US military's regional command has announced.
• Bolton Says U.S. Syria Withdrawal Conditioned On IS Defeat, Turkish Protection For Kurds RFE/RL 06 Jan 2019 -- The United States has said its decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria was conditional on Turkey ensuring the safety of Kurds in Syria, U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton has said.
• CJTF-OIR erases ISIS propaganda cells CENTCOM 06 Jan 2019 -- Operation Inherent Resolve continued supporting Coalition partner forces with precision strikes and coordinated fires to make further progress in the fight against ISIS in the Middle Euphrates River Valley, Syria, during the week of Dec. 23 – 29.
• Taliban seek venue change for peace talks with US to Qatar Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- Taliban militants say they will not attend planned peace talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia this month and want a shift of venue to Qatar, the political headquarters of the group.
• US: Airstrike Killed Alleged USS Cole Attack Mastermind VOA 06 Jan 2019 -- U.S. military officials have confirmed that a U.S. airstrike last week killed one of the alleged masterminds of the USS Cole bombing which killed 17 sailors in 2000.
• Trump Confirms Al-Qaeda Terrorist Badawi Killed in Yemen Strike Sputnik 06 Jan 2019 -- US President Donald Trump appeared to confirm reports on Sunday that Jamal Badawi, an operative of the al-Qaeda terrorist group (banned in Russia) responsible for a 2000 attack on the USS Cole, had been killed in an airstrike.

Defense Policy / Programs

• China, Russia, Iran cited by US govt as biggest 'national security threats' Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- China, Russia and Iran have been identified as the biggest three "national security threats" to the United States in an official US government report listing its top 26 perceived security threats.
• REDHORSE and Prime BEEF building up ADAB AFNS 06 Jan 2019 -- The 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group provides theater-wide engineering technical services, light and heavy troop labor construction and repairs within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in order to engineer combat power and establish and sustain combat platforms for USCENTCOM and other joint forces.
• USS Fort McHenry en route to the Black Sea NNS 06 Jan 2019 -- The Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), with embarked elements of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), began its north-bound transit of the Dardanelles Strait, en route to the Black Sea, Jan. 6, 2019.
• USS Fort McHenry to Advance US 'National Interests' in Black Sea - 6th Fleet Com Sputnik 06 Jan 2019 -- An American landing ship, the USS Fort McHenry, has entered the Black Sea, in what Commander Lisa Franchetti of the 6th Fleet said was a routine operation to uphold security.
• Turkey Rejects New US Offer to Cancel Purchase of Russian S-400 Systems - Report Sputnik 06 Jan 2019 -- According to the Yeni Safak newspaper, a US delegation has tried to convince Turkey to give up on purchasing the Russian missile systems during the visit to Ankara earlier this week. However, the Turkish authorities reportedly rejected the offer since it did not include a discount on the price set or a transfer of technology.
• Iran, Russia to hold joint naval drills ISNA 06 Jan 2019 -- Iranian Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi announced on Sunday that Iranian and Russian navies are preparing to hold joint naval exercises in the Caspian Sea, including rescue and anti-piracy drills.
• Iran, Russia to hold joint military drill in Caspian Sea Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- The commander of the Iranian navy says Iran and Russia will hold joint drills in the Caspian Sea as he underlines opposition to the military presence of any country from outside the region.
• Pakistan's fleet docks at Iran's Bandar Abbas port on friendly visit Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- A Pakistani naval fleet has berthed in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on a friendly four-day visit to further improve military relations and good neighborliness between the two countries.
• China's new flying saucer-like stealth drone seen in first public flight Global Times 06 Jan 2019 -- A video featuring China's flying saucer-like stealth drone, the Sky Hawk, was shown for the first time on China Central Television (CCTV) on Saturday, with leading military experts saying the technologies mastered by Chinese developers will allow the drone to fly faster, farther and avoid detection.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• WFP Calls for Biometric System to Prevent Food Aid Theft in Yemen VOA 06 Jan 2019 -- The World Food Program is calling for a biometric-based registration system in Yemen to prevent the theft of food rations meant for hungry people.
• Yemeni fighters complying with Stockholm agreement: Houthi official Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- A senior official from Yemen's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement, which has been defending the nation against a Saudi-led war, says the movement will comply with the Stockholm agreement on a ceasefire in the Red Sea port city of Hudaydah.
• Yemeni ballistic missile hits Saudi mercenaries' base in Ta'izz: Report Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have hit a military base in Yemen's southern province of Ta'izz with a domestically-manufactured high-precision ballistic missile as Saudi Arabia presses ahead with a campaign of military aggression against its impoverished southern neighbor.
• Syrian Army foils terrorists' attempt to sneak into military points in Hama IRNA 06 Jan 2019 -- An army unit has thwarted terrorist groups' attempt to sneak into safe villages and military posts in Hama northern countryside in a new violation of the demilitarized zone agreement in Idleb.
• Syria may join Arab League again soon: Tunisian presidential advisor Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- Tunisian Presidential advisor, Lazhar al-Qorawi al-Chabi, says the Arab League is currently studying the possibility of restoring Syria's membership in the 22-member regional organization amid promising signs that the incumbent Damascus government led by President Bashar al-Assad is being admitted back into the Arab world.
• Turkey slams 'irrational' US accusation that it attacks Syrian Kurds Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman has denounced as "irrational" US claims that Turkey was attacking Kurds in Syria's northeastern parts.
• Syria sends reinforcements to Hama, Idlib amid clashes Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- The Syrian army has reportedly dispatched military equipment, including artillery, armored vehicles and personnel carriers, to the outskirts of the western provinces of Hama and Idlib.
• Netanyahu Says Israel to Continue Withstanding 'Iran's Aggression' in Syria Sputnik 06 Jan 2019 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would continue to confront Iran's military activities in Syria.
• US Doesn't Want Turkey to Take Military Action in Syria - Bolton Sputnik 06 Jan 2019 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview on Thursday that Washington's key priority would be to avoid a regional massacre between the Turkish military and Kurds.
• Terrorists Storm Opposition-Held Town in Syria's Aleppo - Reports Sputnik 06 Jan 2019 -- Terrorists from the Hayat Tahrir Ash-Sham group (former Jabhat al-Nusra) have clashed with the armed opposition groups in the town of Atarib in the west of Syria's Aleppo province, media reported on Sunday.
• YPG Offers to Surrender its Zones in Syria for Kurdish Autonomy - Reports Sputnik 06 Jan 2019 -- Syrian Kurdish YPG leader Sipan Hemo offered last month to hand over control of Kurdish-held lands to the Syrian government in return for Kurdish autonomy, media said Saturday.
• Israel's military helicopters strike Hamas posts south of Gaza Strip Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- Israeli attack helicopters have struck two posts belonging to the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, in southern parts of the besieged Gaza Strip, the regime's military says.
• Israel Strikes Two Hamas Military Posts in Gaza - IDF Sputnik 06 Jan 2019 -- In late December, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they had detected a rocket launch from the Gaza Strip, which was the first attack from the Palestinian enclave on the Israeli territory in over a month, and responded to it by striking a Hamas post in the south of Gaza.
• 2019 'a critical year' for Somali politics and development says Security Council UN News 06 Jan 2019 -- In the wake of the Somali Government's decision last week to expel the head of the UN's assistance mission, UNSOM, the Security Council on Saturday cautioned that 2019 would be "a critical year" for the east African nation that is reconsituting itself after decades of conflict.

News Reports

• Trump Says Will Not Bend in Wall Funding Demand VOA 06 Jan 2019 -- Another work week begins in the U.S. Monday - but not for hundreds of thousands of federal employees forced to stay home because of the government shutdown.
• US House panel to probe Saudi links to Trump's finances Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- A US House of Representatives panel plans to investigate ties between the sprawling business conglomerate owned by President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia.
• Iran says EU 'hostage' of US, warns of 'consequences' Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- Iran has criticized the European Union for failing to set up a payment mechanism meant to circumvent US sanctions, warning that the bloc should account for the "consequences" of the delay.
• Iran's Central Bank Proposes Reform Of Battered Currency RFE/RL 06 Jan 2019 -- The Iranian Central Bank has proposed a currency reform that would remove four zeros from the rial, Iranian state media have reported.
• China explores effective governance of religion in secular world Global Times 06 Jan 2019 -- China passed a five-year plan to sinicize Islam at a meeting on Saturday with representatives from China's eight Islamic associations. During the meeting, participants agreed to guide Islam to be compatible with socialism and implement measures to sinicize the religion. This is China's important act to explore ways of governing religion in modern countries.
• Brazil deploys troops to contain criminal violence in northern city Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- Troops have been deployed to the northern Brazilian city of Fortaleza to stop widespread criminal activity in the area.
• Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Arrives in Pakistan, $3 Billion Deal Expected - Reports Sputnik 07 Jan 2019 -- Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has arrived in Islamabad for a two-day official visit, media reported on Sunday.
• Still No Word On Location, Fate Of Abducted Russian Sailors Off West Africa Coast RFE/RL 06 Jan 2019 -- The whereabouts are still unknown of six Russian sailors abducted by pirates in the dangerous waters off the West African coast, Russian officials say.
• UK PM warns Brexit can be cancelled if parliament rejects her deal Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- British Prime Minister Theresa May has warned that growing criticism of her European Union withdrawal agreement and opponents' attempt to discard it in a parliamentary vote this month would finally lead to the cancellation of a 2016 popular decision to leave the bloc.
• Decree On Independence Handed Over To New Orthodox Church In Ukraine RFE/RL 06 Jan 2019 -- Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has handed over a "tomos" of autocephaly to Metropolitan Epifaniy of the new Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
• Ukraine Has No Platform for Dialogue Between UOC-MP, 'New Church' - Archbishop Sputnik 06 Jan 2019 -- There is currently no platform for dialogue between the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) and the unrecognized "new Ukrainian Orthodox church," UOC-MP Archbishop Clement told Sputnik on Sunday.
• Sudan: Police Fire Tear Gas at Anti-Bashir Protesters VOA 06 Jan 2019 -- Riot police fired tear gas at thousands of protesters in Sudan's capital on Sunday, as demonstrations calling for President Omar al-Bashir to step down continued for the third week.
• Sudan police break up anti-govt. protesters, Bashir backers plan to rally Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- With supporters of President Omar al-Bashir planning a counter-rally next week, police in Sudan have once again fired tear gas canisters at protesters to break up their crowds, more than two weeks after anti-government protests began in the African country.
• Venezuela parliament accuses Maduro of 'usurping presidency' Press TV 06 Jan 2019 -- Venezuela's opposition-led Congress has accused President Nicolas Maduro of "usurping presidency," vowing to take up a fight against the socialist leader as he prepares to assume office for a second term.
• Malaysia's King Muhammad V Abdicates the Throne Sputnik 06 Jan 2019 -- The Malaysian National Palace has said in a statement that Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan has resigned as the 15th Agong or Supreme Ruler of the federation.
• DRC Delays Announcing Results of December Election VOA 06 Jan 2019 -- Democratic Republic of Congo officials say they are delaying the announcement of the results of its presidential election until some time later this week.
• UN Calls on Bahrain to Free Imprisoned Human Rights Defender VOA 06 Jan 2019 -- The U.N. Human Rights office is calling on Bahrain to immediately release human rights defender Nabeel Rajab who has been in prison for two-and-a-half years after tweeting criticism about Saudi Arabia's airstrikes in Yemen and alleging torture inside Bahrain's Jau Prison. The U.N. agency says Rajab is being jailed for exercising his freedom of opinion and expression.