Further Reading

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• White House: 200 US Troops to Remain in Syria VOA 21 Feb 2019 -- About 200 U.S. troops will remain in Syria after the U.S. withdraws from the country, the White House announced Thursday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Readout of Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan's Meeting With Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders DoD 21 Feb 2019
• Acting Secretary Shanahan Hosts Enhanced Honor Cordon and Meeting Welcoming Belgian Minister of Defense Didier Reynders to the Pentagon DoD 21 Feb 2019 -- Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan
• 3D printing across Army enhancing logistics Army News 21 Feb 2019 -- As 3D printing increases both in the field and at depots, the Army's Center of Excellence for Additive and Advanced Manufacturing is slated to reach initial operating capability this year at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois.
• NNSY Welcomes USS George H.W. Bush for Dry-docking Planned Incremental Availability NNS 21 Feb 2019 -- Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), Feb. 21, for a 28-month dry-docking planned incremental availability (DPIA).
• US Stryker Vehicles in Europe Have Deep Cyberwar Weaknesses - Pentagon Report Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- The two newest versions of the US Army's Stryker combat vehicle in Europe have "cybersecurity vulnerabilities that can be exploited," a US Department of Defense report reveals. It's a growing problem for the US' high-tech vehicles and weapons systems ‒ and one that reflects the priorities of the military-industrial complex, an expert tells Sputnik.
• Phase dock keeps F-16s in top shape for Operation Inherent Resolve US Air Force 21 Feb 2019 -- With each strike, coalition partners move a step closer to the defeat of ISIS' so-called physical caliphate. The 55th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron's relentless pursuit supporting Operation Inherent Resolve comes with an insatiable maintenance need for the F-16C Fighting Falcons at the 407th Air Expeditionary Group.
• Pentagon's War Plan Sees Beleaguered F-35 as Battlefield 'Quarterback' - USAF Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- The head of the US Air Force said on Tuesday that the Pentagon wants to use its stealthy F-35 as the "quarterback" of a new deep penetration strategy for war with Russia or China, managing the battlefield "in real time." However, the plane struggles in nearly every area compared to jets decades older, an expert told Sputnik Wednesday.
• NATO Admiral Discusses Complex Security Environment, Results of Trident Juncture DoD News 21 Feb 2019 -- Europeans view Russia as the greatest threat they face, but China has made inroads, and threats from violent extremism and ungoverned spaces in the Middle East and Africa complicate an already complex security environment, the commander of NATO's Allied Joint Force Command Naples said last week.
• Russian Navy vessels capable of firing 40 Zircon missiles on U.S. military targets People's Daily 21 Feb 2019 -- The Russian Navy vessels can fire 40 hypersonic cruise Zircon missiles at a time and successfully hit U.S. military control centers, Russian retired Rear Adm. Vsevolod Khmyrov said Thursday.
• Top Indian Court to Review its Earlier Judgement on $8.7 Billion Rafale Deal Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- In December last year, the Supreme Court of India, while hearing a number of petitions alleging irregularities in the deal, virtually vindicated Narendra Modi government's insistence that due process was followed in finalising the $8.7 billion deal with France.
• China develops weapon system based on microwave radar tech Global Times 21 Feb 2019 -- China and the United States kicked off a fresh round of high-level economic and trade talks here on Thursday morning, as negotiators strive to beat a 90-day deadline that ends on March 1.
• Chinese Jet Shows X-Ray Vision System Only Seen on US Jets Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- After months of complaints by the US administration that China is stealing intellectual property from companies in the United States, a picture of a Chinese fighter jet has been publicized on social media featuring key technology systems developed for the American F-35.
• UK and Oman sign historic Joint Defence Agreement UK MOD 21 Feb 2019 -- The UK and Oman have signed a new Joint Defence Agreement (JDA), signifying Britain's commitment to security in the Gulf for years to come.
• Israel Near Completion of Long-Range Bunker Buster Missile Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- A new air-to-surface missile featuring an extended range will limit the exposure of Israeli aircraft to ground threats, according to reports.
• Iran To Hold Navy Drills In Strait of Hormuz RFE/RL 21 Feb 2019 -- Iran will hold a three-day navy drill in and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz this weekend, according to state media.
• Iran to Start Major Navy Drills in Strait of Hormuz on 22 February - Commander Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- The Iranian Armed Forces will conduct massive naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz that will begin on 22 February and last for three days, the commander of the Iranian Army Navy, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi has stated.
• Foreign military bases not welcome in Iraq, national security advisor says Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- Iraqi National Security Adviser Falih al-Fayyadh says the Baghdad government is vehemently opposed to the presence of foreign military bases on its territory.

Defense Industry

• Contracts for February 21, 2019

Other Conflicts

• 21 February 2019 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 21 Feb 2019
• Arab Media Report Uncertain First Steps in Redeployment Agreement in Yemen's Hodeida Region VOA 21 Feb 2019 -- Arab media is reporting that both the Saudi-led coalition and forces loyal to the Houthi militia group are starting to implement a redeployment agreement worked out by mediators in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, last December. Witnesses, however, say that they have not detected significant movement of forces.
• New Airstrikes Target Last Islamic State Enclave VOA 21 Feb 2019 -- Coalition warplanes launched new airstrikes against the last remaining enclave of the Islamic State terror group's self-declared caliphate after efforts to evacuate additional civilians stalled.
• Blast hits minibus carrying oil workers in eastern Syria; 20 killed Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- Nearly two dozen people have lost their lives and a number of others sustained injuries when a powerful bomb explosion struck a minibus carrying workers employed in a major oil facility in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.
• US-backed SDF hands over to Iraq 130 Daesh terrorists captured in Syria Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- The so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have handed over more than a hundred Iraqi members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, who had been captured in neighboring Syria, to Iraqi government forces.
• Ankara Refutes Reports on al-Nusra Leader Finding Shelter in Turkey - Source Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- Ankara rejects reports claiming that Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group, outlawed in Russia) was currently on Turkish soil, a diplomatic source told Sputnik on Thursday.
• Pompeo: American-Born Islamic State Woman Is Not US Citizen VOA 21 Feb 2019 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo contended Thursday that an American-born woman who defected to the Islamic State terrorist group is not a U.S. citizen and should not be allowed to return home from Syria because her father was a Yemeni diplomat.
• Iraqi intelligence forces nab over dozen French Daesh terrorists inside Syria Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- Iraqi government forces have arrested more than a dozen French citizens over their membership in the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group during a counter-terrorism operation in neighboring Syria.
• Pakistani PM Authorizes Army to Respond to 'Any Aggression' by India VOA 21 Feb 2019 -- Pakistan's prime minister, Imran Khan, has authorized his military forces to immediately respond to "any aggression" against the country by India, officials said Thursday.
• Agreement on new peace deal 'only one step' on challenging road ahead for Central African Republic, says UN envoy UN News 21 Feb 2019 -- Despite the recent signing of a recent peace deal between the Government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and 14 armed groups "we should not forget that the situation in the country remains serious," a senior UN envoy told the Security Council on Thursday.
• South Sudan Rebels Say They Are Investigating Sexual Abuse Accusations VOA 21 Feb 2019 -- A South Sudanese rebel group says it is investigating accusations in a United Nations report that the group's fighters committed rape and sexual violence against civilians.

News Reports

• Venezuela's Maduro Shuts Down Border with Brazil to Stop Aid VOA 21 Feb 2019 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has shut down the country's border with Brazil and threatens to do the same with Colombia to try to stop foreign aid from crossing into the country.
• Maduro warns US against aggression, says Venezuela possesses advanced weapons Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- President Nicolas Maduro warns the US against carrying out the threat of military action in Venezuela, saying the country's armed forces are in possession of advanced weaponry supplied by Russia and China, and stand fully ready to face any act of aggression with the help of millions of paramilitaries.
• Venezuela's Guaido 'to personally bring in aid,' risking standoff Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaido says he plans to travel to the Colombian border to personally bring in what is claimed to be humanitarian aid supplied by the United States in defiance of the government in Caracas, which has banned the entry of that cargo.
• Venezuela to Close Border With Brazil, May Do the Same With Colombia - Maduro Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- Earlier in the day, an ally of Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido said as quoted by Reuters that the opposition head would personally accompany a humanitarian aid convoy that arrived from the US in the Colombian border town of Cucuta last week.
• Venezuela Doesn't Need to Ask Russia For Military Assistance - Caracas Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- The US has been stockpiling humanitarian aid on the Colombian border. However, President Nicolas Maduro, refused to allow the aid into the country, blasting it as a ploy to topple his government.
• US Does Not Want Venezuela to Be 'Cuban Puppet State' - Pompeo Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- The United States does not want Venezuela to be a "Cuban puppet state," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview on 21 February.
• House moving 'swiftly' to end Trump's border wall emergency declaration Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- The US House of Representatives is to introduce a resolution to block the national emergency declaration issued by President Donald Trump to raise funds for a Mexican border wall.
• American's Detention Potentially Decisive Moment for Russia, Trade Groups Say VOA 21 Feb 2019 -- Last week's shocking detention of one of Russia's most renowned and publicly visible American entrepreneurs not only caught fellow foreign investors off guard, it may have prompted a moment of national reckoning about how Moscow handles investor relations, say both Kremlin-aligned and international trade groups.
• Putin pledges to increase social spending, strengthen defense in annual address People's Daily 21 Feb 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual address to the parliament Wednesday that the government will boost expenditures on national projects concerning social development and beef up its military might to protect the country against external threat.
• Poisoned Bulgarian Arms Dealer Suggests Attackers Had Help Inside Bulgaria RFE/RL 21 Feb 2019 -- Emil Gebrev, a Bulgarian businessman who fell into a coma in April 2015 with symptoms of severe poisoning, says he believes whoever was involved in the attack against him had help from inside Bulgaria.
• Pompeo: No North Korea Sanctions Relief Until Nuclear Threat Reduced VOA 21 Feb 2019 -- The U.S. does not intend to ease its economic sanctions against North Korea until it is confident Pyongyang has "substantially reduced" the threat it poses as a nuclear-armed country, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday.
• Trump-Kim Summit Seen Unlikely to Touch on Human Rights VOA 21 Feb 2019 -- North Korea's human rights issues are likely to be sidelined at the upcoming second summit between Washington and Pyongyang, according to experts, but a top U.N. rights official hopes progress is made on the subject.
• Trump vaguely offers sanctions relief for North Korea Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- US President Donald Trump says he may offer North Korea relief from harsh sanctions provided that Pyongyang takes "meaningful" steps toward denuclearization, ahead of a meeting between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
• US to Require N Korea to Fully Declare Nuclear Capabilities - Senior Official Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- The United States will eventually require North Korea to provide a full declaration of its nuclear capabilities, and Washington is optimistic that Pyongyang will meet this demand before the end of the denuclearization process, a US senior administration official told reporters on Thursday.
• Commander vows IRGC revenge on Takfiris for deadly terrorist attack IRNA 21 Feb 2019 -- Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that Iran will take its soldiers' revenge on Takfiri mercenaries in Pakistan following their deadly terrorist attack on the IRGC southeast of Iran recently.
• US destablizes NPT by illegally, unilaterally leaving JCPOA: Russia FM IRNA 21 Feb 2019 -- US destabilized the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by withdrawing from Iranian nuclear deal, known also as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Russian foreign minister said.
• FM Spox: US should revive lost trust IRNA 21 Feb 2019 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi says the US should revive the lost trust.
• Iran FM warns Israel about its 'dangerous' adventurism Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned the Israeli regime that its "dangerous" adventurism with its bombing campaign in Syria could result in a military conflict in the region.
• China's top anti-graft agencies investigate 68 centrally-administrated officials Global Times 21 Feb 2019 -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission investigated 68 centrally-administrated officials in 2018.
• Chinese president meets Iran's parliament speaker People's Daily 21 Feb 2019 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with visiting Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
• Former military chief of staff sentenced to life imprisonment People's Daily 21 Feb 2019 -- A military court on Wednesday convicted Fang Fenghui, former chief of staff of China's Central Military Commission Joint Staff Department, on three accounts of crime and sentenced him to life imprisonment according to law.
• China, Saudi Arabia Try to Walk Together Amid Hurdles VOA 21 Feb 2019 -- Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a two-day visit to boost the country's international image sullied by the recent killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and to enhance economic ties. But the path to better ties between Saudi Arabia and China is riddled with political hurdles.
• BeiDou Navigation System completed first outbound trip, eyeing promotion in global markets People's Daily 21 Feb 2019 -- Chinese cargo ship Rongda Changsha equipped with terminal products of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System arrived at Brunei recently after embarking from Luojing Port in Shanghai, marking the first successful application of BeiDou terminal products and unveiling the ambition of promoting BeiDou products to the international market.
• Nazarbaev Sacks Kazakh Government Over Low Living Standards, Economic Failures RFE/RL 21 Feb 2019 -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has dismissed the government, citing its failure to raise living standards and diversify the economy away from the energy sector.
• Why Tajikistan Is Fighting To Bring Its Islamic State Widows Back Home RFE/RL 21 Feb 2019 -- With Islamic State (IS) fighters on the verge of defeat in their last stronghold in Syria, hundreds of foreign women and children, the family members of the militants, have ended up in refugee camps in the war-torn country's northeast.
• Pregnant, nursing women can now be given Ebola vaccine, UN health agency announces UN News 21 Feb 2019 -- Reversing an earlier decision, the World Health Organization (WHO) now recommends vaccinating pregnant and breastfeeding women against the Ebola virus.
• Turkey censures draft European report on Ankara's accession to EU Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- Turkey has denounced as "unacceptable" a draft report by a key European Parliament committee that calls for the suspension of negotiations with Ankara for accession to the European Union (EU).
• UK-China ties hurt by defense secretary's threats: Chancellor Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- Britain's Chancellor of Exchequer Philip Hammond has criticized the country's defense chief for irritating China with a series of military threats, saying London should adopt a milder tone vis-à-vis Beijing as it seeks better economic ties with the Chinese after Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.
• EU warns UK chances of no-deal Brexit have risen Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- The deputy head of the European Commission has warned that the risk for Britain leaving the bloc in a disorderly manner at the end of March has increased significantly despite efforts by London to secure a divorce deal signed in November.
• Sudanese detains dozens of opposition leaders in largest crackdown Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- Sudanese security forces have detained nearly two dozen opposition leaders, who were on their way to deliver a petition to the presidential palace calling for President Omar al-Bashir to resign.
• Aoun rejects US claims about Hezbollah's clout on Lebanon govt. Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun has strongly dismissed latest allegations by the US ambassador to the Arab country that the Hezbollah resistance movement is now wielding more influence on the Beirut government.
• EU States Begin Selection Process For New European Prosecutor RFE/RL 21 Feb 2019 -- In a first move to choose the head of a future European public prosecutor's office for financial crimes, ambassadors of 22 EU states have held a secret ballot that was reportedly won by French candidate Jean-Francois Bohnert, followed by former Romanian anti-corruption prosecutor Laura Koevesi, and Germany's Andres Ritter.