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News Reports

Current Operations

• Washington & Baghdad Agree to Withdraw US Troops From Syria Via Iraq - Official Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- US President Donald Trump announced his intention to pull out American forces from Syria in mid-December, explaining the move by citing the apparent defeat of the Daesh* terrorist group. However, no exact timeframe was set for the withdrawal.
• U.S. Envoy Calls On Afghanistan To Unite As Peace Talks Intensify RFE/RL 19 Feb 2019 -- U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has called on Afghans to put aside their differences and unite as attempts to end Afghanistan's 17-year war gain momentum.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Air Force Starts Detailed Planning for Space Force Set Up – Chief of Staff Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- The US Air Force has begun preparations for establishing a new military branch for space within the department, Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein said on Tuesday.
• President Donald J. Trump is Establishing America's Space Force The White House 19 Feb 2019
• Trump Signs Space Force Directive VOA 19 Feb 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump signed a directive on Tuesday to outline the establishment of the Space Force as the newest branch of the military.
• National Guard units partner for joint aviation training in Arabian Gulf Army News 19 Feb 2019 -- Aviators with the Minnesota, Texas and Utah National Guards, led by the Kansas National Guard's 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment, practice landing and taking off during deck landing qualification training aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57) in the Arabian Gulf on Feb. 4.
• USS Donald Cook en route to Black Sea NNS 19 Feb 2019 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) began its north-bound transit of the Dardanelles Strait, en route to the Black Sea Feb. 19 to conduct maritime security operations and enhance regional maritime stability, combined readiness, and naval capability with our NATO allies and partners in the region.
• SNMG1 Completes Dynamic Guard NNS 19 Feb 2019 -- Naval forces from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1), commanded by U.S. Rear Adm. Edward Cashman completed a ten-day NATO Allied Maritime Command led exercise Dynamic Guard 2019 off the coast of Norway, Feb. 15.
• Hill AFB Airmen, F-35 a lethal combo at Red Flag US Air Force 19 Feb 2019 -- The 388th Fighter Wing's 4th Fighter Squadron wrapped up flying operations with the F-35A Lightning II in an exponentially more challenging exercise Red Flag, 19-1 Feb. 15.
• 'Little to Fight With': NATO Reprimands Norway for Lack of Credible Defence Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- One month after Norway's Chief of Defence Haakon Bruun-Hanssen admitted that the kingdom's defence capabilities fell short, NATO issued a list of concrete demands to its "sentinel in the North" to make up for the deficiencies uncovered during the Trident Juncture drill.
• Russian Duma Bans Military Personnel From Using Smartphones, Tablets RFE/RL 19 Feb 2019 -- Russian lawmakers have approved a bill banning the armed forces from carrying smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets capable of recording and keeping information while on duty.
• Erdogan: NATO gives arms to Syria Kurds but not to Turkey Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at Turkey's NATO allies for supplying huge loads of weapons to US-backed Kurdish militants in northern Syria, while ignoring Ankara's request to buy their arms.
• 'What Kind of Alliance Is This?' Erdogan Blasts NATO Over Arms for Syria's Kurds Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- Earlier, Turkish media reported on deliveries of US arms, generators and construction equipment to Kurdish militias in northern Syria via Iraq amid Washington's imminent plans to withdraw from the war-torn country.
• Erdogan Recommits to Buying Russian Missiles Despite US Warnings VOA 19 Feb 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reaffirmed his commitment to buy a Russian missile system in the face of renewed warnings from NATO ally the United States. The prospect of a clash between Ankara and Washington has grown, with Moscow moving the delivery date for the missiles to this year.
• Mideast accounted for over half of US arms sales in 2018 Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- The Middle East accounted for more than half of all the United States arms sales last year, a senior Pentagon official has revealed, saying Washington seeks to increase the figure in the coming years.
• Department Press Briefing - February 19, 2019 US Dept. of State 19 Feb 2019

Defense Industry

• Contracts for February 19, 2019

Other Conflicts

• 19 February 2019 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 19 Feb 2019
• Not enough resettlement solutions for refugees worldwide, says UN UN News 19 Feb 2019 -- Despite record numbers of people forcibly displaced across borders, with 1.2 million in need of a new permanent place to call home last year, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) released new data on Tuesday showing that only 55,700 of them – 4.7 per cent – were able to be resettled in 2018.
• Moving from a promise made in Sweden towards hope for peace in Yemen UN News 19 Feb 2019 -- "Significant progress" is being made in implementing the deal reached in Stockholm last December between Government and Houthi leaders in Yemen, according to United Nations Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.
• Yemen accuses Saudi Coalition of breaching truce 231 times IRNA 19 Feb 2019 -- Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman has accused the Saudi-led coalition of repeatedly breaching ceasefire agreement in Yemen, saying that it has violated the truce 231 times over the last 48 hours.
• Yemen targets southern Saudi Arabia with missile IRNA 19 Feb 2019 -- The Yemeni army and the popular committees fired a Zelzal-1 missile to Saudi aggressors positions near Alab killing and injuring some Saudi forces.
• Redeployment of Fighters From Yemeni Seaports Imminent VOA 19 Feb 2019 -- Redeployment of opposing forces in Yemen's civil war away from crucial seaports could begin within days, but that development is being tempered by a warning that humanitarian operations are at risk of running out of money in a matter of weeks.
• Two safe corridors opened for displaced Syrians at Rukban camp Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- Russian and Syrian coordination centers on returning refugees have managed to open two humanitarian corridors for thousands of displaced Syrians stranded in a camp near the Jordanian border to leave the site toward government-controlled areas.
• UN rights chief 'alarmed' by upsurge in attacks against civilians in Syria's Idlib UN News 19 Feb 2019 -- Civilians in Syria's north-western city of idlib continue to be used "as pawns", caught in the crossfire of bombardments by the Government and its allies, and attacks by non-State armed groups, the United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, warned on Tuesday.
• Hundreds of Thousands of Rohingya Refugees at Risk From Looming Cyclones VOA 19 Feb 2019 -- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warns that hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, have little to protect themselves from the ravages of the upcoming cyclone season.
• Pakistan Launches Diplomatic Push to Counter India After Attack VOA 19 Feb 2019 -- Pakistan launched an intense diplomatic push to repel India's efforts to isolate it after India blamed a Pakistan based group for an attack Friday in Kashmir killing more than 40 security personnel.
• India-Pakistan Tensions Escalate after Deadly Kashmir Attack VOA 19 Feb 2019 -- India says Pakistan should "stop misleading the international community" and take action against the perpetrators of a deadly militant attack in Indian Kashmir, while Islamabad has warned it will swiftly retaliate if New Delhi launches any military action against Pakistan.
• Pakistan's Khan urges dialog on Kashmir, warns India against military action Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for dialog with India to ease tensions that were triggered days after a bomb attack claimed the lives of over 40 paramilitary troops in the disputed region of Kashmir.
• Pakistan's spy agency involved in Kashmir bombing: India Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- A senior Indian military commander in Kashmir says Pakistan's main spy agency was involved in a deadly bomb attack in the disputed region that killed more than 40 Indian troops last week.
• Pakistan Urges Talks With India, Asks UN To Help Defuse Tensions RFE/RL 19 Feb 2019 -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that his country had nothing to do with a suicide bombing that killed dozens of Indian soldiers in Kashmir and called for talks as the only way to ease tensions.
• Text of a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Libya The White House 19 Feb 2019

News Reports

• Multiple Whistleblowers Raise Grave Concerns with White House Efforts to Transfer Sensitive U.S. Nuclear Technology to Saudi Arabia House Committee on Oversight and Reform 19 Feb 2019 -- Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, issued an interim staff report after multiple whistleblowers came forward to warn about efforts inside the White House to rush the transfer of highly sensitive U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in potential violation of the Atomic Energy Act and without review by Congress as required by law–efforts that may be ongoing to this day.
• US rushing to give Saudi sensitive nuclear technology: Congressional report Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- A congressional report reveals that the United States is rushing to transfer "highly sensitive nuclear technology" to Saudi Arabia, with President Donald Trump being "directly engaged" in the push.
• US Congress Committee Probes Trump Plan to Give Saudis Nuclear Technology Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee are launching an investigation into a plan by the Trump administration to transfer sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia despite warnings from national security officials, committee Chairman Elijah Cummings said on Tuesday.
• Maduro slams Trump's 'Nazi-like' rhetoric Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has denounced US President Donald Trump's "Nazi-style" rhetoric in which he threatened the Latin American country's military forces with dire consequences if they continue to stand with Maduro's elected government.
• You are risking your lives and future, Trump warns Venezuelan military Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- US President Donald Trump has once again thrown his support behind the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, warning that members of the country's military would be risking their future and their lives by remaining loyal to President Nicolas Maduro and refusing to allow in the so-called humanitarian aid blocked at the Colombian border.
• Venezuelan troops to remain alert on borders to prevent any territorial violation: Minister Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez says the country's troops will remain stationed along the borders to prevent any territorial violations amid a constant threat of military intervention by the United States to overthrow the elected government of President Nicolas Maduro.
• Venezuela's Maritime Border With Dutch Antilles Islands Closed - Reports Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- Venezuelan maritime border with Dutch Caribbean has been closed, regional Venezuelan military chef said.
• Venezuelan Government Accuses US of Threatening With Military Aggression Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- The US military has been airlifting food, medical supplies and other products to a Colombian border town despite President Maduro blocking the way for their delivery to Venezuela. The US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido has declared 23 February as the day humanitarian aid would enter the country.
• Venezuela Pins Responsibility for Any Breach of Peace on Trump - Caracas Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- Venezuela assigns the responsibility for any possible disturbance of peace in the country on the United States and its President Donald Trump, the Venezuelan government said in a statement.
• Maduro Says Russia to Deliver 300 Tonnes of Humanitarian Aid to Venezuela Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- Russia will deliver 300 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Wednesday, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro said.
• Trump Urges Venezuelan Military to Accept Guaido's Amnesty Offer Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- US president Donald Trump has called on Venezuelan military to accept opposition leader Guaido's offer of amnesty.
• Trump: 'Absolute Right' to Build Border Wall VOA 19 Feb 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump asserted Tuesday he had an "absolute right" to declare a national emergency to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border without congressional approval of funding for it.
• Coalition of 16 US States Sue Trump Administration Over Emergency Declaration Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- A coalition of 16 US states led by California have filed a lawsuit against the administration of US President Donald Trump over the latter's decision to declare a state of emergency in order to gain finances for building a wall on the US-Mexico border, local media reported.
• Putin To Deliver State Of Nation Address As Popularity Wanes RFE/RL 19 Feb 2019 -- President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to deliver his annual address to parliament on February 20 as polls show trust in the Russian leader is at near record lows as average Russians struggle to make ends meet.
• Indian Ex-Naval Officer On Death Row Is A 'Terrorist,' Pakistan Tells UN court RFE/RL 19 Feb 2019 -- An Indian citizen on death row in Pakistan for alleged spying committed "terrorist" acts on New Delhi's orders, lawyers representing Islamabad told the UN's top court on the second day of a hearing over the fate of the man.
• Former Russian Intelligence Officer Released From Prison RFE/RL 19 Feb 2019 -- Former Russian intelligence officer Vladimir Kvachkov, known for his radical views about the Russian leadership, has been released from prison after his conviction for incitement to hatred was annulled following the partial decriminalization of extremism in the Crimin

• Trump: 'No Rush' to See North Korea Denuclearize VOA 19 Feb 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump is downplaying expectations for his second summit next week with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, but is predicting "it'll be a very exciting couple of days."
• Bomber, 2 other terrorists in Iran attack were Pakistanis Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- A senior Iranian military commander says a suicide bomber and two other terrorists involved in a recent deadly attack that targeted members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have been identified as Pakistani nationals.
• Iran Says Pakistani Carried Out Deadly Suicide Attack On Troops RFE/RL 19 Feb 2019 -- The suicide bomber who allegedly carried out last week's deadly attack on Iranian security forces was a Pakistani national, local media quoted a senior military commander as saying.
• Insurgents behind Zahedan terror attack detained ISNA 19 Feb 2019 -- Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces, Brigadier-General Mohammad Pakpour announced that insurgents involved in the recent Zahedan terror attack have been detained and the suicide bomber of the attack is a Pakistani citizen named Hafiz Mohammad Ali.
• Despite sanctions, Iran's oil exports rise in early 2019: sources ISNA 19 Feb 2019 -- Iran's exports of crude oil were higher than expected in January and are at least holding steady this month, according to tanker data and industry sources, as some customers have increased purchases due to waivers from U.S. sanctions.
• Iran's new refinery opening is a poke in US eye Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- Iran is now a gasoline exporter but the country is not exporting any volumes for the moment, preferring to build up its stocks first, Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh says.
• S Korea resumes Iranian oil imports after five months IRNA 19 Feb 2019 -- South Korean companies imported $101.2 million worth of Iranian crude last month, wrote Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday.
• South Korea imports one-fifth of pre-sanction Iran oil Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- South Korean companies imported $101.2 million in Iranian crude last month, the country's Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday, citing official data.
• Ukraine President Signs Constitutional Amendment On NATO, EU Membership RFE/RL 19 Feb 2019 -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a constitutional amendment committing the country to becoming a member of NATO and the European Union.
• Cross-strait peace pact bill not targeted at any person: Premier CNA 19 Feb 2019 -- The government's push to prioritize a bill during the Legislature's current session that would subject any peace agreement with China to a national referendum was not targeted at any person, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said Tuesday.
• Premier Su declines to sign 'independence referendum petition' CNA 19 Feb 2019 -- Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) Tuesday indicated he would not sign a petition to change the Referendum Act so Taiwan can hold a referendum on independence as proposed by the pro-independence Formosa Alliance, saying Taiwan is already a sovereign country.
• Premier opposes peace agreement with China CNA 19 Feb 2019 -- Taiwan should not sign a peace agreement with China, which is the least friendly nation to Taiwan, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said Tuesday.
• US Willing to Create New Separating Lines in Middle East – Moscow Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- The recent Warsaw summit on the Middle East showed that the United States wanted to create new separating lines in the Middle East region while the decision to establish working groups to solve the regional problems demonstrates the US wish to act unilaterally, Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
• US attempted to create new Mideast dividing lines at anti-Iran Warsaw forum: Russia Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- Russia has denounced a recent US-organized conference in Poland – which had a highly hostile anti-Iran agenda -- as yet another America-style attempt to create new "dividing lines" in the Middle East and impose its own "unilateral recipes" on the conflict-ridden region.
• Preliminary Hearings Into Kyrgyz Officials' Corruption Case Begin RFE/RL 19 Feb 2019 -- Preliminary hearings have begun in Kyrgyzstan into a high-profile corruption case against eight close allies of former President Almazbek Atambaev, who was in power from 2011 to 2017.
• Text of a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Cuba The White House 19 Feb 2019
• Georgia's Ex-President Saakashvili Resorts To Swiftian Satire RFE/RL 19 Feb 2019 -- A day after announcing that he is an almost pure-blood Georgian, former President Mikheil Saakashvili had people scratching their heads after he updated his Facebook cover photo to show himself depicted as Gulliver enslaved by Lilliputians, a reference to Jonathan Swift's classic 18th century novel.
• Myanmar and UN agriculture agency agree framework to improve nutrition and food security UN News 19 Feb 2019 -- The Myanmar Government and the UN's agriculture agency signed on Tuesday a multi-year agreement that will create conditions to help improve nutrition and food security in the south-east Asian country, while safeguarding and sustainably managing the use of natural resources.
• Nigerian Opposition Candidate: Military Should Have 'No Role' in Elections VOA 19 Feb 2019 -- Nigeria's main opposition candidate declared Tuesday that the military "has no role to play" in the country's presidential and parliamentary elections.