Further Reading

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• January 15: CJTF-OIR Strike Summary Dec. 30, 2018 - Jan. 12, 2019 CENTCOM 17 Jan 2019 -- Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners continue to target and pursue the enduring defeat of ISIS.
• Daesh Not Defeated, US Commanders Reportedly Warned Trump Ahead of Syria Pullout Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- Announcing the planned pull-out of US troops from Syria in December 2018, President Donald Trump mentioned Daesh's apparent defeat, insisting there is no reason to keep forces deployed in the Arab Republic.
• Trump Vows to Exit Syria Despite Manbij Attack Killing US Soldiers Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- The statement comes as a spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve said that several US servicemen had been killed in a suicide bombing in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. The Daesh* terrorist group reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
• Pakistan Trying to Arrange US-Taliban Meeting VOA 17 Jan 2019 -- Pakistan has intensified efforts to keep the U.S.-led dialogue with the Afghan Taliban on track by attempting to arrange a meeting between the visiting chief American negotiator and insurgent representatives, highly placed sources told VOA Thursday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Remarks by President Trump and Vice President Pence Announcing the Missile Defense Review The White House 17 Jan 2019
• Department Of Defense Off-Camera Press Briefing on the 2019 Missile Defense Review DoD 17 Jan 2019-- Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John C. Rood; Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael D. Griffin; Missile Defense Agency Director U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves; Colonel Rob Manning, Director, Defense Press Operations
• Strong Missile Shield Protects U.S., Allies DoD News 17 Jan 2019 -- President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Michael R. Pence and Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan announced the release of the 2019 Missile Defense Review today at the Pentagon. The MDR is the last of four strategic guidance documents that Trump directed the national security establishment to create to better guide decision-making on critical defense policy issues.
• Trump Pledges to Protect America from Any Enemy Missile DoD News 17 Jan 2019 -- When it comes to defending America against the threat of a missile attack from any nation, President Donald J. Trump said today that "the goal is simple. It is to ensure we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States, anytime, anywhere and any place."
• Trump Announces Expansion Of U.S. Missile Defense RFE/RL 17 Jan 2019 -- President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will develop new technologies -- including in space -- to acquire unrivaled missile-defense capabilities and maintain an advantage over adversaries such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
• Trump Unveils Space-Based Missile Defense Strategy VOA 17 Jan 2019 -- President Donald Trump unveiled the military's long-delayed Missile Defense Review (MDR), the first overhaul of U.S. missile defense policy since 2010.
• Trump To Unveil New Missile-Defense Policy Amid Concerns From Moscow, Beijing RFE/RL 17 Jan 2019 -- President Donald Trump was set to release the United States' new, long-delayed policy on missile-defense capabilities, providing indications whether the administration's approach toward Russia and China has changed significantly.
• New US Missile Defence Strategy to Include 20 New Interceptors in Alaska - Trump Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- The Trump administration began a review of US missile defence capabilities in 2017, saying the evaluation, the first of its kind since 2010, was aimed at countering alleged North Korean and Iranian threats, as well as the advanced strategic missile capabilities being developed by Russia and China.
• US Missile Defense Systems in Europe Needed to Counter Iran Threat - US Official Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- US missile defense forces positioned in Europe are there to deter threats from rogue states like Iran, a senior US administration official said during a conference call previewing the 2019 Missile Defense Review (MDR).
• First metallic 3D printed part installed on F-22 AFNS 17 Jan 2019 -- In December, 574th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron maintainers installed a metallic 3D printed part on an operational F-22 Raptor during depot maintenance at Hill Air Force Base.
• Surface Navy Association Continues 31st Annual Symposium NNS 17 Jan 2019 -- Naval leaders, government officials and members of private industry continued to discuss the Surface Navy's future and capabilities at the 31st Annual Surface Navy Association Symposium in Arlington, Va., Jan. 16.
• CNO Visits 7th Fleet Waterfront NNS 17 Jan 2019 -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson engaged 7th Fleet Sailors during a regional visit to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), Jan. 17.
• NDW Prepares for Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2019 NNS 17 Jan 2019 -- Naval installations in the National Capital Region are preparing to participate in exercise Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2019 (CS/SC 19), which is scheduled to take place Feb. 4-15.
• 10th AAMDC Soldiers Integrate aboard USS Donald Cook NNS 17 Jan 2019 -- Three Soldiers from the 10th Army and Air Missile Defense Command (AAMDC) embarked the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), Jan. 12, in order to integrate with the ship's ballistic missile defense (BMD) team.
• NMCB 133 Opens the Door for Wiggins Police Department NNS 17 Jan 2019 -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 and Wiggins city officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 15, 2019.
• Kearsarge Departs Souda Bay, Greece NNS 17 Jan 2019 -- Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) departed Souda Bay, Greece, following a scheduled port visit, Jan. 10.
• US Army to acquire Israeli Iron Dome missile systems Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- The US Army is in the process of acquiring two batteries of the Israeli-made Iron Dome missile system, a new report suggests.
• NAVFAC EXWC MUSE Division Supports Critical Cape Canaveral Ballistic Missile Defense Power Plant NNS 17 Jan 2019 -- Two Seabees deployed from Naval Facilities (NAVFAC) Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (EXWC) Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE) Division to complete the installation of a critical power plant in Cape Canaveral.
• AI could be game-changer for combat, says acquisition chief Army News 17 Jan 2019 -- The Army is looking at artificial intelligence to increase lethality, and a senior Army official said the key to A.I. is keeping a proper level of decision-making in the hands of Soldiers.
• CNO Meets with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe NNS 17 Jan 2019 -- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Thursday, to further strengthen military ties between the United States and Japan.
• U.S. Says 'No New Ground Broken' With Russia On Missile Treaty Impasse RFE/RL 17 Jan 2019 -- The United States has rejected a Russian proposal on saving a key Cold War arms control treaty because the pact cannot be properly verified.
• US Failed to Provide Proof for Claims of Russian Missile Violating INF - Moscow Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- The United States has not provided Russia with specific proof to substantiate its claims that the ground-launched SSC-8 cruise missile (Russian designation 9M729) violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik Thursday.
• UK government calls up army reservists to help prepare for no-deal Brexit Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- The British government has called up the army reservists to deal with a potential disorderly exit from the European Union.
• £293 million deal for Apache fleet UK MOD 17 Jan 2019 -- The MOD has awarded a five-year, multi-million-pound deal to Leonardo Helicopters (UK) for the support of the existing fleet of 50 Apache attack helicopters.
• PLA South China Sea Fleet sets sail for far-sea drill Global Times 17 Jan 2019 -- A formation of Chinese naval ships consisting of four advanced warships under the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command's South China Sea Fleet set sail Wednesday for deepwater exercises with the PLA's Air Force, Rocket Force and Strategic Support Force.
• Beijing Calls New US Arms Development Policy 'Double Standards' Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- The United States demands that other countries cut their spending on arms research and development activities, while not implementing the same standards to their weapons of mass destruction research programs, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, commenting on the new US missile doctrine.
• Philippine Defense Chief Eyes Subic Bay Amid Chinese Takeover Fears RFA 17 Jan 2019 -- Philippines authorities should take over a major shipyard that sits on the site of a former U.S. navy base, or risk letting it fall into the hands of the Chinese who could use it as a regional foothold amid contentious South China Sea claims, Filipino officials said Thursday.
• Taiwan military stages joint anti-landing drill CNA 17 Jan 2019 -- The Republic of China military staged a joint forces anti-landing drill in Taichung Thursday, in a simulation aimed at eliminating invading Chinese forces as they attempted to land on a beach.
• Biggest IAF Transport Aircraft Lands Near Chinese Border in Arunachal Pradesh Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- In a bid to enhance its reach at an Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) along hostile international borders, the Indian Air Force (IAF) landed its largest transport aircraft, the C-130J, in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh for the first time.
• US Program Trained UAE Pilots for Airstrikes Targeting Yemen Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- The United States ran an aircrew training program to prepare United Arab Emirati personnel for air raids over Yemen, the poorest Middle Eastern nation, according to a new report that shows the Pentagon's involvement in the conflict has been much deeper that official statements suggest.
• Iran, Azerbaijan sign agreement on defense cooperation Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- Senior defense officials of Iran and Azerbaijan have signed an agreement aimed at boosting defense and military cooperation between the two neighbors.
• IDF Air Force Invited to Take Part in Joint 'Cobra' Drills With British RAF Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- Cobra Warrior is the UK Royal Air Force's largest training exercise, in which different countries take part after being invited by the UK. In 2018, the RAF invited Germany and Italy to become a part of the training.
• South Korea's First F-35s to Arrive in March Amid Easing Tensions With North Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- Two F-35A stealth fighter aircraft will be delivered to South Korea's air force in March, beginning a process that will send two F-35As to South Korea each month until the end of the year.
• Turkey Wants Patriot Missile System Tech Transfer as Condition for Deal With US Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- Earlier, the US State Department approved the sale of $3.5 billion-worth of Patriot PAC-3 air defence systems to Turkey in a bid to convince Ankara to ditch its $2.5 billion S-400 deal with Moscow.
• On Visit to Serbia, Putin Accuses Kosovo Of 'Illegally' Setting Up An Army RFE/RL 17 Jan 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin, on a visit to Serbia, has accused Kosovo of taking provocative measures, including establishing an army.

Defense Industry

• Contracts for January 17, 2019

Other Conflicts

• 17 January 2019 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 17 Jan 2019
• UN Peace Monitoring Team in Yemen Attacked VOA 17 Jan 2019 -- A U.N. team overseeing the truce in the Yemeni port of Hodeida came under fire Thursday.
• US training UAE aircrew in Yemen bombing campaign: Report Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- A recent report has revealed the US's active complicity in the deadly Saudi-led war on Yemen, saying the Pentagon runs an aerial combat training program for UAE personnel.
• Yemen's Houthis, former govt. meet for 2nd day to hammer out prisoner swap Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- Representatives of Yemeni warring parties, the Houthi Ansarullah movement and the country's former Saudi-backed government, have held their second session of talks in Jordan in an attempt to thrash out the details of a major prisoner swap, a UN source says.
• Manbij Blast Reflects IS's Deep Reach in Syria VOA 17 Jan 2019 -- With a single deadly blast Wednesday, the Islamic State group did more than rattle the calm in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. The terror group also rekindled the debate over its much-heralded demise.
• Syria arrests Turkish-backed militants planning terror attacks Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- Syrian Kurdish officials have arrested a group of Turkish-backed militants from the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA), who was apparently plotting new terror attacks in the country's northern province of Aleppo on orders from Turkey's intelligence agency (MIT).
• Manbij bomb attack won't impact Trump's planned troop pullout from Syria: Erdogan Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he believes the recent deadly bomb attack in Syria's flashpoint northern city of Manbij, which killed several American soldiers, would not impact US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw troops from war-torn Syria.
• Syrian Army Eliminates Terrorist Group Trying to Reach Palmyra - Reports Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- The Syrian servicemen eliminated on Thursday a group of terrorists, who were trying to get from the US-controlled At Tanf region in Syria's south to the city of Palmyra, SANA reported.
• Militants Who Planned New Terror Attacks Arrested in Syria – Manbij War Council Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- On Wednesday, over 20 civilians were killed and 19 others wounded as a result of an explosion in the centre of the city of Manbij, while a US military patrol was passing.
• Macron: France to Keep Military Presence in Syria-Iraq Region Over Next Year Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- French President Emmanuel Macron explained that the recent terror attack that claimed the lives of US soldiers in the Syrian city of Manbij showed that the battle against Daesh* is not over.
• Iraq: UN demining agency rejects desecration accusations, involving historic Mosul churches UN News 17 Jan 2019 -- The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Iraq issued a statement on Thursday rejecting allegations made earlier this week by a non-profit organization there, alleging that personnel had carried out explosive hazard clearance inside two historic churches in Mosul "in a barbaric and arbitrary manner."
• Hundreds of Rohingya families flee India for fear of deportation, persecution Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- Some 2,000 Rohingya Muslims, who had fled to India from death and violence in Myanmar, have reportedly left the South Asian country too, fearing continued harassment there and possible deportation.
• Analysts: Seoul-Tokyo Diplomatic Rows Unlikely to Have Lasting Effect VOA 17 Jan 2019 -- Relations between South Korea and Japan continue to sour as a pair of diplomatic disputes creates a renewed strain on bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo.
• Fatah trying to drag Gaza into new war with Israel: Hamas co-founder Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- A high-ranking leader of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has accused the West Bank-based Fatah movement of attempts to provoke the Israeli army to launch a new military campaign against the impoverished Gaza Strip.
• US 'deal of century' doomed to hit dead end: Palestine Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- The Palestinian Authority (PA) says US President Donald Trump's yet-to-be-unveiled proposal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will hit a "dead end" after an Israeli TV report released what it called details of the so-called "deal of the century."
• Russia, Japan far from being partners: Lavrov Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia and Japan are still "far from being partners" on the international stage, despite renewed efforts to resolve a decades-old conflict over a group of Pacific islands claimed by both sides.
• Car bomb at police academy kills 9, wounds several in Colombian capital Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- At least nine people have lost their lives after a car bomb was detonated in Colombia's capital Bogota in what the authorities condemned as a terror attack.
• Car bomb attack on National Police Academy in Colombia, 'strongly condemned' by UN UN News 17 Jan 2019 -- A car bomb attack at the National Police Academy in the Colombian capital Bogotá, which reportedly left at least nine dead and dozens injured, has been 'strongly condemned' by the United Nations.
• Suicide Truck Bombing in Colombia Kills at Least 10 VOA 17 Jan 2019 -- A suicide truck bombing on a police academy Thursday in Colombia killed at least 10 and wounded at least 54.

News Reports

• Giuliani: Trump Campaign May Have Colluded With Russia, but Not Trump VOA 17 Jan 2019 -- Rudy Giuliani, one of U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyers, is acknowledging that some officials with Trump's 2016 campaign may have colluded with Russia to help him win, but says that Trump himself did not.
• Russia Detains Belarusian Escort Claiming Trump Secrets RFE/RL 17 Jan 2019 -- Russia has detained a Belarusian model who claimed she had evidence of the Kremlin's efforts to help Donald Trump win the presidency, reports from Moscow say.
• Legislation To Maintain Sanctions On Deripaska Companies Fails In U.S. Senate RFE/RL 17 Jan 2019 -- The U.S. Senate has failed to pass a resolution that could have stopped sanctions on companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska from being lifted.
• Prominent Global Law Firm Agrees to Register as an Agent of a Foreign Principal US Dept. of Justice 17 Jan 2019 -- Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP has entered into a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice, resolving its liability for violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), announced Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers.
• Facebook Removes Hundreds Of Fake Pages, Accounts 'Linked' To Russia's Sputnik RFE/RL 17 Jan 2019 -- Facebook has removed hundreds of pages, groups, and accounts on its Facebook and Instagram platforms that the U.S. company says were part of two online disinformation operations targeting users across the former Soviet space.
• Second Trump-Kim Summit May Take Place in Vietnam in March, April - Reports Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- Japanese Foreign Minister, US State Secretary Discuss North Korean Issue
• FM Zarif: US officials have no right to meddle in Iran-Iraq ties Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif says US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- who was recently on an anti-Iran tour of the Middle East -- and other American officials have no right to meddle in neighborly and deep-rooted ties between Iran and Iraq.
• Senior cleric questions Iran's stay in JCPOA amid EU inaction Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- A senior Iranian cleric has censured Europe for dragging its feet on adopting practical measures to save the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement following the US's withdrawal, saying he thinks the Islamic Republic will ultimately have to "set fire" to the deal.
• Iran's Satellite Fails to Reach Orbit, Crashes Into Indian Ocean - Reports Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- Iranian media has reported about the successful launch of the Payam satellite. The vehicle has reportedly passed its first and second stages but had failed to reach the necessary speed for the third stage in order to rise to the planned altitude of 500 kilometers (311 miles).
• Public welfare a priority for justice system People's Daily 17 Jan 2019 -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has urged law enforcement and judicial agencies to better fulfill their obligations in safeguarding the country's political security and social stability and make all-around efforts to promote justice and guarantee a safe living environment for the people.
• China to keep economic growth within reasonable range: Premier Li People's Daily 17 Jan 2019 -- China will continue to innovate and improve its macro-control policies to offset external uncertainties and strive to keep economic growth within a reasonable range, Premier Li Keqiang said.
• Taiwan condemns China's 'evil intent' to downgrade nation CNA 17 Jan 2019 -- Taiwan on Thursday condemned a proposal by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) that 66 foreign companies who have failed to label Taiwan as part of China's territory on their websites should be punished, saying the move demonstrates Beijing's "evil intent" to downgrade the nation's sovereignty.
• Taiwan to closely monitor CPTPP membership discussions: MOFA CNA 17 Jan 2019 -- Taiwan will closely watch upcoming membership expansion discussions for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTTP) to be held this Saturday to prepare for its push to join the trade bloc, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Thursday.
• Japanese defense minister calls for peaceful cross-strait resolution CNA 17 Jan 2019 -- Japan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Wednesday in Washington that Japan would like to see cross-strait issues resolved through peaceful discussion and action, indicating that Tokyo and Washington would support such peaceful action.
• U.S. voices opposition to changing cross-strait status quo CNA 17 Jan 2019 -- Chief U.S. Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson voiced Washington's opposition to any unilateral action to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, during a recent visit to China, an official said Wednesday.
• For UK's May, Quitting Not an Option VOA 17 Jan 2019 -- Yet again an embattled Theresa May has survived to fight another day as Britain's Prime Minister, seeing off on Wednesday a motion of no confidence in her government tabled by the country's main opposition Labor party.
• Ukrainian Parliament Adopts Law On Religious Communities' Affiliation RFE/RL 17 Jan 2019 -- The Ukrainian parliament has adopted a bill setting the procedure for changing the affiliation of religious communities in the country.
• Minister for Africa's statement on the situation in Zimbabwe, January 2019 UK FCO 17 Jan 2019 -- Minister for Africa Harriett Baldwin has summoned the Zimbabwean Ambassador to the UK to the Foreign Office.
• Zimbabwe Slowly Returns to Normalcy After Violent Protests VOA 17 Jan 2019 -- Zimbabwe was calm Thursday after three days of protests that turned violent and saw authorities shut down internet service. Doctors said they treated dozens of people with gunshot wounds.
• Sudanese march on presidential palace as protests linger Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- Sudanese police have fired tear gas at protesters marching towards the presidential palace in the capital during a demonstration against the 29-year rule of President Omar al-Bashir.
• Sudan: UN rights chief alarmed over 'excessive force', alleged use of live fire against protestors UN News 17 Jan 2019 -- The reported use of "excessive force" against demonstrators across Sudan over food and fuel shortages that has led to the deaths of at least 24 people is "deeply worrying", the UN's top human rights official, Michelle Bachelet, said on Thursday.