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News Reports

Current Operations

• Readout of Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan's Meeting with Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi DoD 12 Feb 2019
• Acting Pentagon chief makes unannounced visit to Iraqi capital Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit as anger grows in Iraq over Washington's continued military presence in the Arab country despite the collapse of the Takfiri Daesh terror group there.
• Readout of Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan's Meeting with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani DoD 12 Feb 2019
• Media Availability with Acting Secretary Shanahan While En Route to Afghanistan DoD 12 Feb 2019 -- Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan
• Eyeing leverage over Taliban, US ramps up Afghanistan airstrikes to decade-long high Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- The US military conducted more airstrikes in Afghanistan last year than any other year in the past decade, official data shows, a telltale sign that the administration of US President Donald Trump is stepping up engagement in order to get the upper hand in peace talks with the Taliban.
• Taliban Negotiating Team Named Ahead Of Talks With U.S. Envoy RFE/RL 12 Feb 2019 -- The Taliban has announced a 14-member negotiating team ahead of peace talks later this month with the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan.
• Taliban Add Haqqani Leader's Jailed Brother to Afghan Peace Negotiation Team VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- Afghanistan's Taliban have named a 14-member negotiating team for upcoming peace talks with U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. The Taliban's team includes the jailed brother of the head of the powerful Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network.
• China to Fund Installation of Modern Facilities at Pakistan-Afghan Border Crossings VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- China plans to fund and install modern reception centers, drinking water and cold storage facilities at main entry points on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Chinese project aims to better serve the daily movement of tens of thousands of people as well as trade convoys, and will help ease tensions between the two countries, officials said.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Saber Strike 18: Unopposed Wet Gap Crossing Army News 12 Feb 2019 -- As part of Saber Strike 18, the 2d Cavalry Regiment completed an unopposed wet gap crossing at Chemno, Poland, June 2, 2018. While
• New Year, New HHBN Unit Army News 12 Feb 2019 -- After a year of planning, the Human Resources Co., Headquarters and Headquarters Batt., 2nd Infantry Division, opened its doors in early November 2018 as a pilot program unit, one of three in the entire U.S. Army, designed to test a different type of HR unit.
• New Strategy Outlines Path Forward for Artificial Intelligence DoD 12 Feb 2019 -- The Department of Defense on Feb. 12 released the summary of its strategy on artificial intelligence. The strategy, Harnessing AI to Advance Our Security and Prosperity, outlines how DOD will leverage AI into the future.
• U.S. Forces Korea Commander: Tensions Down, But Guard Still Up DoD News 12 Feb 2019 -- While tensions are down along the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea, the process has not gone far enough for forces there to relax, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
• Indo-Pacific Command Worried About China's Path DoD News 12 Feb 2019 -- The commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command told Congress today that he is encouraged about progress with Asia's near-term threat – North Korea – but is worried about the path China is on.
• Final Resting Place of USS Hornet CV-8 Located in South Pacific NNS 12 Feb 2019 -- Wreckage of the World War II aircraft carrier USS Hornet rests on the floor of the South Pacific Ocean around the Solomon Islands, 5,400 meters (nearly 17,500 feet) below the surface as discovered last month by the expedition crew of Paul G. Allen's Research Vessel (R/V) Petrel.
• US Aircraft Carrier Carl Vinson to Be Overhauled for F-35C Use Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- The US Navy announced Friday it had awarded a $34.4 million contract to General Dynamics to overhaul the USS Carl Vinson so it can carry the Navy's first squadron of F-35C Joint Strike Fighters, which are due to enter full operations later this month.
• Iron Fist 2019 Strengthens U.S.-Japan Alliance; Certifies ARDB USMC News 12 Feb 2019 -- U.S. Marines from 1st Marine Division and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Soldiers with the 1st Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade celebrated another successful exercise during the closing ceremony of Iron Fist 2019, Feb. 8, at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.
• Media Availability with Acting Secretary Shanahan While En Route to Brussels DoD 12 Feb 2019 -- Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan
• NATO Defence Ministers to address pressing security challenges NATO 12 Feb 2019 -- NATO Defence Ministers will meet in Brussels this week at a critical time for transatlantic security. In a press conference (on Tuesday 12 February) ahead of the two-day meeting, NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced important discussions on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, NATO's defence and deterrence posture, NATO's missions and operations, and European cooperation on defence.
• NATO Discussing Its Response To 'A World With More Russian Missiles' RFE/RL 12 Feb 2019 -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Russia continues to "develop and deploy" 9M729 cruise-missile systems in breach of a key Cold War-era nuclear arms control agreement.
• NATO Preparing Measures if INF Treaty Terminated - Stoltenberg Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is giving a press conference in Brussels, ahead of the Meetings of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) for Defence Ministers.
• NATO Planning for More Russian Missiles in Europe VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg cautioned Tuesday the military alliance will respond to "more Russian missiles" following the collapse of a key Cold War-era arms treaty but will not deploy more nuclear missiles in Europe.
• Russia Challenges US Defense in Space, Developing Capabilities - Intel Report Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- Russia is likely pursuing directed energy weapons including lasers that could take out enemy satellites, the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said in a new assessment entitled "Challenges to Securities in Space".
• Indian Air Force MiG-27 Fighter Jet Crashes Near Pakistan Border, Pilot Safe Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- The fighter jet, which got airborne for a training mission from Jaisalmer, crashed at around 6.10 pm (Indian Standard Time) near the Pokhran Range.
• India Starts Shortlisting Firms for $4 Billion Naval Utility Helicopter Deal Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- The Indian Navy wants 4.5-tonne twin-engine naval helicopters that can be used for both shore-based and offshore operations and operate from ship decks in all weather and around the clock.
• India Successfully Tests Upgraded Version of Ballistic Missile Killer Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- The PDV (Prithvi Defence Vehicle) tested on Tuesday is set to replace the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) in India's multi-layered ballistic missile defense program that currently comprises two components-the PAD for high altitude interception and Advanced Air Defense (AAD) Missile for lower altitude interception.
• UK to deploy 'drone swarms' to beat Chinese, Russian air defenses: Williamson Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson says the country is planning to develop and deploy swarms of special drones to overwhelm enemy air defenses, a move that sources say is directly aimed at confronting Russia and China as London plans to expand its presence in the Pacific region after leaving the European Union (EU).
• UK wins global F-35 support assignment worth £500M UK MOD 12 Feb 2019 -- The UK's role as a leading partner on the global F-35 programme has received another huge boost today.
• Leidos to Lead on Integration of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Australia Department of Defence 12 Feb 2019 -- Minister for Defence, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, and Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Steven Ciobo MP, today announced Leidos Australia Pty Ltd as the Prime System Integrator to deliver the first tranche of Joint Project 2096 Phase 1.
• China: US seeking to turn space into 'battlefield' Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- China has slammed the US over its military buildup in the outer space, warning Washington against attempts to turn the space into yet another "battlefield."
• Xi signs order on trial regulation to supervise military training Global Times 12 Feb 2019 -- Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, has signed an order to release a trial regulation on the supervision of military training, the first of its kind in the country.
• Xi signs order to release regulation on military training supervision Global Times 12 Feb 2019 -- Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, has signed an order to release a trial regulation on the supervision of military training, the first of its kind in the country.
• China 'likely' to see steady increase in 2019 defense budget Global Times 12 Feb 2019 -- As China continues to push forward its military reform to achieve modernization in an unpredictable and volatile international security environment, the country is likely to see a steady increase in its defense budget in 2019 to about 1.2 trillion yuan ($179 billion), Chinese military experts said Monday.
• Study: Enough Uranium, Plutonium For 5-7 Nukes Made in North Korea Last Year Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- North Korea churned out enough plutonium and highly-enriched uranium to fill five to seven new nuclear weapons last year during the same period negotiations with the United States were taking place, according to a new US study.
• US General Notes 'Little to No' Progress on North Korea's Capabilities VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- North Korea's nuclear and other military capabilities remain unchanged and still pose a threat to the United States and its allies, the top U.S. military commander in South Korea told a Senate hearing Tuesday.
• Israel – Namer Armored Personnel Carrier (APC-MT883) Power Packs Less Transmissions (NPPLT) and Integrated Logistics Support DSCA 12 Feb 2019 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Israel of Namer Armored Personnel Carrier (APC-MT883) Power Packs, Less Transmission (NPPLT) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $238 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
• Moscow stresses on Iran's right to develop its missile program ISNA 12 Feb 2019 -- The director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control emphasized that UN Security Council resolutions do not prohibit Iran to independently develop, produce, test and launch spacecraft or ballistic missiles.
• Russia Not Supplying Iran With Missile Technologies - Foreign Ministry Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- Russia does not supply missile technologies to Iran that has the right to develop and test them on its own, Vladimir Ermakov, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control, told Sputnik.
• US Again Urges Turkey Not to Buy Russian S-400s, Warns It May Scrap Patriot Deal Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- The statement comes after Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said last month that deliveries of Russian S-400 systems to Turkey are not intertwined with the possible purchase of US-manufactured Patriot anti-aircraft batteries.
• Arms purchases by Middle Eastern countries have doubled: Annual security report Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- An annual international security report shows that arms sales to the Middle East doubled during the period between 2013 and 2017 compared to the previous five years.
• Pompeo Warns Central European Allies Over Russia, China Ties VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned during a trip to NATO allies Slovakia and Hungary that Russia and China are trying to fill a political vacuum in central Europe caused by what he described as the United States' absence in the region over recent years.
• Putin Threatening Democracies Worldwide, Pompeo Tells Slovaks RFE/RL 12 Feb 2019 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is on a tour of Central Europe, warned on February 12 that Russian President Vladimir Putin poses a threat to democracies worldwide.
• Remarks With Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini US Dept. of State 12 Feb 2019 -- Remarks by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
• Remarks With Slovak President Andrej Kiska Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 12 Feb 2019 -- Remarks by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
• Press Availability With Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak US Dept. of State 12 Feb 2019 -- Press Availability by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
• Media Availability with Acting Secretary Shanahan While En Route to Brussels DoD 12 Feb 2019 -- Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan
• Remarks by President Trump in Cabinet Meeting The White House 12 Feb 2019

Defense Industry

• Contracts for February 12, 2019

Other Conflicts

• 12 February 2019 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 12 Feb 2019
• PLA spokesman urges US to stop provocative actions in South China Sea People's Daily 12 Feb 2019 -- Senior Colonel Li Huamin, spokesman for the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), urged last night the US to stop its provocative actions in the South China Sea and stressed that the Chinese military will closely monitor the relevant sea and air situations and take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and security.
• US Military Mulls Base Deployment Near South China Sea - Adm Davidson Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- Chinese "militarization" of the South China Sea has prompted the United States to begin discussing the possibility of relocating US forces and opening bases in the region, US Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Philip Davidson said in congressional testimony on Tuesday.
• Syrian govt. swaps prisoners with militants as part of Astana Process Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- The Syrian government and the country's militants on Tuesday swapped prisoners as part of a peace process brokered by Iran, Russia and Turkey, Ankara said.
• UN Syria envoy underlines need for 'new beginning' in war-ravaged country Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen has stressed the need for a "new beginning" in the Arab country, which has been facing nearly eight years of foreign-sponsored militancy, adding that a focus on the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group is still required.
• 70 civilians killed, injured as US-led coalition warplanes pound Syrian town Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- Dozens of more civilians, mostly women and children, have lost their lives and sustained injuries when the US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group launched a fresh round of airstrikes against an area in Syria's troubled eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.
• UN Official: Conditions in Syrian Rukban Camp Throwback to 'Stone Age' VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- A senior U.N. official reports the distribution of life-saving aid is nearly complete for 40,000 Syrians stranded in the remote Rukban camp near the Jordanian border. The U.N.'s largest humanitarian convoy in Syria's eight-year conflict arrived at Rukban six days ago.
• Turkey, Russia at Odds Over Syria Ahead of Key Summit VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- Russia is hosting a three-way summit this week on Syria even as growing diplomatic differences between two participants threaten to undermine the event.
• Leading Shia blocs renew call for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- Iraq's two leading Shia parliamentary coalitions of Sairoon (Marching Towards Reform) and al-Fatah (Conquest) have renewed their calls for the withdrawal of American forces from the Arab country.
• Libya: Forces loyal to Tripoli-based govt. seize control of largest oil field - military Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- Forces loyal to the Tripoli-based government took control of the El-Sharara oil field, the largest in the country, on Sunday, according to an aide to a battalion commander.
• Moscow Court Upholds Prolongation Of Ukrainian Sailors' Pretrial Detentions RFE/RL 12 Feb 2019 -- A Moscow court on February 12 upheld the extension of the pretrial detention of four of 24 Ukrainian sailors detained by Russian forces along with their three naval vessels in November near the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
• New Violence in South Sudan Sends Thousands Fleeing to DR Congo VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- The United Nations refugee agency says a surge of violence in South Sudan's Yei State has displaced some 8,000 civilians and sent an estimated 5,000 people fleeing to the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Thousands flee fresh violence in South Sudan, many 'suffering from trauma' UN News 12 Feb 2019 -- Over the past few days thousands of desperate civilians have been fleeing a fresh outbreak of violence in South Sudan's Equatoria state, seeking safety in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), many "suffering from trauma."
• 'Urgent need' to stop Mali violence with 'effective' military response: UN expert UN News 12 Feb 2019 -- The state of human rights and security across Mali is a "cause of grave concern," the independent UN rights expert for the northwest African nation said in a statement on Tuesday, in which he called for an "effective military response" to end the violence and protect the civilian population.
• Cameroon Hospital Attacked; Medical Staff, Patients Flee VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- Armed men burned down a hospital in the Cameroonian town of Kumba this week, forcing patients and medical staff to flee for their lives. Cameroon's government blamed the attack on separatists demanding independence for Cameroon's English-speaking regions.

News Reports

• Venezuela's Guaido Says Humanitarian Aid to Enter Country Feb. 23 VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido says humanitarian aid would be brought into the country on February 23, even though President Nicolas Maduro has refused to let it in.
• US after hiding aggressive plans for Venezuela behind UN resolution: Russia Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the United States tries to hide its "aggressive" and "interventional" plans for Venezuela behind a draft resolution it proposed to the United Nations Security Council.
• UN chief still willing to mediate in Venezuela Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has renewed his offer to help mediate "serious negotiations" between the elected government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and opposition figure Juan Guaido, who has declared himself "interim president" of Venezuela.
• Russian FM Warns Pompeo of Meddling in Venezuela's Internal Affairs Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday to discuss recent global developments, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
• Lavrov: US Draft Resolution on Venezuela For UNSC Aimed at Possible Intervention Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the UN Security Council (UNSC) is unlikely to accept the US' draft resolution on Venezuela.
• Russian Internet-Isolation Bill Advances, Despite Doubts In Duma RFE/RL 12 Feb 2019 -- Amid pointed questions about costs, intent, and feasibility, Russia's lower house of parliament has given preliminary approval to a bill that backers say is designed to ensure the operation of the Internet in the country if access to servers abroad is cut off.
• Q&A: Hurdles Ahead As Russia Surges On With 'Sovereign Internet' Plan RFE/RL 12 Feb 2019 -- Draft legislation is in the pipeline in Russia that backers say is an effort to ensure the operation of a Russian Internet if access to servers located abroad is cut off or to prevent enemies abroad from co-opting Russian readers to undermine Moscow authorities.
• Iraq, US clash over Iran energy imports: Paper Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- Iraq is pushing back on US pressures to stop buying natural gas and electricity from Iran in what has become a major point of conflict between Washington and Baghdad, the New York Times reports.
• Warsaw meeting will fail to undermine Iran's power: Top military commander Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- Iran's top military commander says a hostile anti-Iran meeting to be co-hosted by the United States and Poland in Warsaw will fail to either undermine the Islamic Republic's power or affect its policy.
• Shah's Son Says Iranian Regime 'Close' To Collapse, Calls For 'Civil Disobedience' RFE/RL 12 Feb 2019 -- The son of the Iran's last monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, says Iranian society is close to a "flash point" like it was before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and that the government in Tehran is near collapse.
• Pressure tactics against Iran lead to undesirable outcomes for US: FM Zarif Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says all US plots against the Islamic Republic have failed over the past 40 years thanks to the nation's steadfastness in the face of Washington's pressure tactics that have always proved to have reverse outcomes for the US.
• Thai Princess excluded from list of candidates to run for Prime Minister People's Daily 12 Feb 2019 -- Thailand's Princess Ubolratana Mahidol has been excluded by the Election Commission from a list of candidates to run for the post of prime minister in the upcoming election in March.
• Acrimony, Fear Reign in Thailand Following Princess's PM Ploy VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- The dramatic foray of a Thai princess into the country's election, which collapsed almost as dramatically as it began over the weekend, has returned Thai politics to a familiar state of turmoil and fear.
• North Macedonia Puts Itself On The Map, Officially RFE/RL 12 Feb 2019 -- Macedonia's government says the country is now officially renamed the Republic of North Macedonia, under a landmark agreement to normalize relations with Greece that also allows Macedonia to enter NATO.
• The United States Calls for Zimbabwe To End the Excessive Use of Force by Government Forces and Embrace National Dialogue US Dept. of State 12 Feb 2019
• Nazarbaev Replaces Longtime Interior Minister, Keeps Him Close RFE/RL 12 Feb 2019 -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has dismissed long-serving Interior Minister Qalmukhanbet Qasymov, who has faced criticism for years over the use of force by police, but handed him two potentially influential positions in his administration.
• African Union Mulls Organizing Elections in Libya in October - Communique Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- The African Union (AU) has requested the AU Commission to make effort to organize presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya in October, the AU said in a communique, released on Tuesday, following the two-day 32nd AU Summit, which was held in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
• Fired aide to Saudi crown prince still working unofficially after Khashoggi murder: Wall Street Journal Press TV 12 Feb 2019 -- A report has revealed that Riyadh is not taking any serious action in response to the gruesome assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman still receiving advice from Saud al-Qahtani -- a key suspect in the case whom he had apparently fired as his aide -- and letting him operate discreetly.
• Pompeo Says U.S. Not Trying To Cover Up Khashoggi Murder RFE/RL 12 Feb 2019 -- The United States' top diplomat has denied allegations that President Donald Trump's administration is trying to cover up the killing of Saudi reporter Jamal Khashoggi.
• Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, Sinaloa Cartel Leader, Convicted of Running a Continuing Criminal Enterprise and Other Drug-Related Charges US Dept. of Justice 12 Feb 2019 -- Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known by various aliases, including "El Chapo" and "El Rapido," was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York of being a principal operator of a continuing criminal enterprise – the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the Sinaloa Cartel – a charge that includes 26 drug-related violations and one murder conspiracy.
• Mexico's 'El Chapo' Found Guilty in US Drug Trial VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has been convicted of drug-trafficking and related charges at a trial in New York.
• China improves Long March-6 rocket for growing commercial launches People's Daily 12 Feb 2019 -- China announced Monday that it is developing the modified version of the Long March-6 rocket with four additional solid boosters to increase its carrying capacity.