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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• 40 soldiers killed as 7 suicide assailants attack army base in Helmand IRNA 01 Mar 2019 -- About 40 soldiers were killed as seven suicide intruders attacked a huge army base in Helmand, Afghanistan, on Friday, according to Afghan news sources.
• Dozens Of Afghan Troops Killed In Taliban Attack In Helmand RFE/RL 01 Mar 2019 -- Afghan forces repelled a Taliban attack at deadly cost after the militants assaulted a large military base in the southern province of Helmand late on February 28.
• Taliban Attack on Afghan Military Base Kills 25 Soldiers VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- The Taliban carried out a pre-dawn assault Friday against a major military base in southern Afghanistan, killing at least 25 troops and taking "a number of others" hostage.
• Taliban: Afghan Cease-fire Not Part of Talks With US VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- The Taliban are hoping that negotiations with the United States will lead to the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan, allowing Afghans themselves to peacefully negotiate an end to years of hostilities, a senior member of the group says.
• US to Withdraw All Troops from Afghanistan in Five Years – Report Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- The newly proposed peace plan suggests cutting the US contingent in half immediately and withdrawing the remaining forces in three to five years.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Statement from Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan and Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson on the Delivery of the Legislative Proposal to Congress for the U.S. Space Force DoD 01 Mar 2019 -- The Pentagon announced today the delivery of the legislative proposal to Congress on the establishment of the Space Force.
• DOD Sends Space Force Legislation to Congress DoD News 01 Mar 2019 -- The Defense Department has proposed legislation that would create the U.S. Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces.
• Officials Explain U.S. Space Force Need, Culture DoD News 01 Mar 2019 -- The U.S. Space Force will allow the Defense Department to deliver space capabilities and results faster, better and ahead of adversaries, Pentagon officials said today.
• NAVFAC Southeast awards $24.7 million for new LCS Operational Trainer Facility at NS Mayport NNS 01 Mar 2019 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded a $240 million indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity design-build multiple award construction contract (IDIQ-MACC) to five large businesses February 22 for construction projects located at Naval Station (NS) Mayport and the NAVAC Southeast area of responsibility (AOR).
• USS Donald Cook Departs the Black Sea NNS 01 Mar 2019 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) began its previously announced southbound international straits transit of the Bosphorous, en route to the Mediterranean Sea March 1 after conducting maritime security operations in the Black Sea.
• Strengthening Ally Relationships at Sea NNS 01 Mar 2019 -- In southern Spain, the U.S. Navy and the Armada Española share piers at Naval Station Rota. Operating in and out of the Cadíz Harbor, both navies share similar missions, operating areas and mindsets, which helps to strengthen their relationship both as neighbors as well as maritime counterparts.
• Air Force merging intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance staffs with cyber operations staffs to forge more nimble, effective team US Air Force 01 Mar 2019 -- The Air Force is merging its headquarters staffs to integrate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance with cyber effects operations efforts to enable coordinated Title 10 and Title 50 actions across the range of military operations, while elevating chief information officer roles and responsibilities.
• F-35 Fleet to Receive Early Warning Radar Upgrades - BAE Systems Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- The global fleet of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters is to receive upgrades to its early warning (EW) AN/ASQ-239 radar system, BAE Systems announced in a press release on Thursday.
• Boeing Unveils First Wingman Drone for Fighter Jets Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- Named the "Loyal Wingman" and also known as the Airpower Teaming System, the drone is supposed to fly alongside manned jets and perform a wide variety of missions, from intelligence gathering and surveillance to actual combat.
• US, South Korea Expected to Scale Back Joint Military Drills VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- The U.S. and South Korea are expected to announce they will significantly scale back annual large-scale joint exercises.
• NATO Secretary General praises Bulgaria's strategic role in the Black Sea region NATO 01 Mar 2019 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg praised Bulgaria's commitment to NATO during a visit to Sofia on Friday (1 March 2019). After talks with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, the Secretary General thanked Bulgaria for its strong contributions to NATO missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq, and its strategic role in the Black Sea and Western Balkans regions.
• NATO Deputy Secretary General visits Portugal NATO 01 Mar 2019 -- Visiting Portugal on Friday (1 March) the NATO Deputy Secretary General Ms. Rose Gottemoeller met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva and with Minister of Defence João Gomes Cravinho to discuss defence investment and the challenges facing the Alliance.
• NATO Chief Says Eastern Enlargement Process Not Provocation Against Russia Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that the alliance's enlargement to the east was not a provocation against Russia, dismissing such assessments as the concept of spheres of influence that should be left behind.
• NATO Chief Urges Russia To Comply With INF Treaty RFE/RL 01 Mar 2019 -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said the Western military alliance must be prepared if Russia ignores calls to return to compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a cornerstone of arms control for decades.
• Russian Air Defence Forces Already Training S-500 System Operators – General Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- The S-500 Prometey mobile missile-based air defence system is expected to begin coming online in 2020, eventually becoming the backbone of Russia's integrated air defence network.
• Poland poised for F-35 buy? Minister calls 5th-gen fighter program a 'priority' for govt RT 01 Mar 2019 -- Poland's defense minister has labeled the purchase of fifth-generation fighter jets a "priority task" for the government, leaving local media to speculate that an expensive acquisition of Lockheed Martin's F-35 could be imminent.
• Germany May Extend Ban on Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia Beyond Deadline - Reports Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- The German government is considering the possibility of extending its halt on arms sales to Saudi Arabia for two weeks, with the current deadline set for March 9, German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday, citing sources.
• Radar, navigation aid systems unveiled IRNA 01 Mar 2019 -- The radar and navigation aid systems of Moein 40 and Nasser 40 were unveiled in the presence of Khatamulanbia Air Defense Commander Ali-Reza Sabahibard.
• 20 years on from landmark Mine Ban Treaty, dangers on the rise to life and limb UN News 01 Mar 2019 -- Twenty years after the Mine Ban Treaty was adopted, landmines continue to kill and injure on former battlefields, long after the guns have gone away. On Friday, the United Nations and partners commemorated the landmark treaty that has saved the lives of million and prevented millions more from suffering terrible injuries.

Defense Industry

• Contracts for March 1, 2019

Other Conflicts

• 1 March 2019 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 01 Mar 2019
• Syrians 'exposed to brutality every day' as thousands continue fleeing ISIL's last stand UN News 01 Mar 2019 -- In eastern Syria, 13,000 people have arrived at a protection camp in just the last week, after fleeing fighting in the last ISIL extremist stronghold in Deir-Ez-Zor governorate, the UN's emergency coordination office, OCHA, said on Friday.
• Final Assault on Last IS Syrian Enclave Underway VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- U.S.-backed forces in Syria moved to retake the very last patch the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in Syria, advancing on the terror group's remaining fighters late Friday.
• US-Led Allies Finishing Off 'Caliphate' VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- Islamic State militants are being as vicious at the end as they were at the start when they rolled out their caliphate.
• UN: Thousands of Syrian Civilians Fleeing IS Stronghold VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- Thousands of civilians continue to flee Baghuz as Islamic State militants make a final stand to retain control of their last stronghold in Syria, the United Nations reports.
• OPCW Releases Doc Claiming Chlorine Used in Attack in Syria's Douma Last Year Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- According to the documents published by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), chlorine was used in an allehed chemical attack in Syria's Douma in April 2018.
• Misinformation Flies After Kashmir Air Battles RFE/RL 01 Mar 2019 -- On February 26, Indian jets launched a bombing raid on what it described as a militant training camp inside Pakistan. The air strike came in retaliation for a suicide attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir on February 14 that left 40 Indian servicemen dead.
• Indian Officials, Red Cross Greet Freed Pilot At Border Crossing RFE/RL 01 Mar 2019 -- Indian officials, accompanied at a border crossing by representatives of the Red Cross, greeted a pilot who had been freed minutes earlier by Pakistan.
• Pakistan in Contact With Global Powers Over Standoff With India - Spokesperson Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- Pakistan's army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa, had a "telephonic communication" with the United States, Britain and Australian militaries, as well as diplomats from the US, the UK and China over the present volatile situation.
• Terrorists in India's Kashmir Kill 4 Soldiers, Gun Battle Still Raging - Reports Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- The encounter reportedly broke out at midnight after a joint team of the Indian army's 22 Rashtriya Rifle, 92 Battalion Central Reserve Police Force and local police launched an operation at Khanan Babagund in Langate, acting on a tip-off about the presence of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists in the area.
• Indian, Pakistani Troops Exchanging 'Heavy Fire' Along Line of Control - Sources Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- Tensions between the nuclear-armed Asian nations escalated this week, with their militaries skirmishing following an Indian Air Force strike on a suspected terrorist stronghold in the contested region of Kashmir.
• India Kills Two Militants in Kashmir Amid Indo-Pakistan Border Violations Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- The conflict between India and neighbouring Pakistan has escalated to a level not seen since the 1970s; the rival nations, which both possess nuclear weapons capabilities, have already exchanged artillery fire and the nations' fighter jets have engaged each other in the skies above the contested Kashmir region.
• Pakistan Hopes to Avoid War With India: It Would Lead to Mutual Suicide Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- Earlier, the Indian Air Force (IAF) claimed that it had lost a MiG-21 fighter but that a Pakistan F-16 jet had also been downed as the two sides engaged in an air battle, just a day after the IAF carried out an airstrike against a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist camp located in the Pakistani-controlled part of the Kashmir region.
• Indian Pilot Captured by Pakistan Returns Home VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- An Indian pilot captured by Pakistan after his fighter jet went down over disputed Kashmir has been handed back to India at the Wagah road border crossing between the two countries.
• Joint Statement on Libya US Dept. of State 01 Mar 2019 -- The text of the following statement on Libya was released by the Governments of the United States of America, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
• UN chief hails Libyan leaders' agreement to hold general election UN News 01 Mar 2019 -- An agreement by Libya's Prime Minister and a key rival military leader to improve political stability across the country through new general elections, has been welcomed by the UN Secretary-General.
• Bangladesh Tells UN It Cannot Accept More Rohingya Refugees VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- Bangladesh has told the United Nations Security Council that it cannot take in any more Rohingya refugees.
• State Department Maintains Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Designation of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) US Dept. of State 01 Mar 2019 -- The Department of State has reviewed and maintained the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended (8 U.S.C. § 1189). The PKK was originally designated as an FTO in 1997.
• Huge Spanish Warship Challenged by Royal Navy Boat in Gibraltar Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- The incident comes two weeks after a Spanish warship with its guns manned attempted to order commercial vessels to leave Gibraltar waters, in what was reportedly described by the government of the UK overseas territory as "foolish games".
• Somali Forces End Deadly Mogadishu Building Siege VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- Somali security forces Friday ended the al-Shabab siege of a residential building in Mogadishu after battling the militants for almost 24 hours. An unknown number of al-Shabab militants had remained holed up in a building near a hotel in Mogadishu since Thursday.
• UN chief urges Somalis not to be 'deterred' by latest deadly terror attack UN News 01 Mar 2019 -- The Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday that he "strongly condemns the deadly terrorist attacks" that took place in the Somali capital Mogadishu late on Thursday local time, which reportedly killed more than 20 people, with scores injured.

News Reports

• US Not Planning Military Intervention in Venezuela - Official Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- The United States is not planning a military intervention in Venezuela, but all options remain on the table, US Special Representative Elliott Abrams said during a press briefing on Friday.
• Venezuelan FM Praises Victory of Peace After US Resolution Failure at UNSC Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- Peace and preservation of national sovereignty have won at the UN Security Council session, dedicated to the Venezuelan crisis, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said, as the US-drafted UNSC resolution, calling for new elections in the Latin American country, got vetoed.
• Briefing on Venezuela US Dept. of State 01 Mar 2019 -- Special Briefing by Elliott Abrams, U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela
• Treasury Sanctions Security Officials Associated with Violence and Obstruction of Humanitarian Aid Delivery US Treasury 01 Mar 2019 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated six Venezuelan government officials who are aligned with illegitimate former President Nicolas Maduro and associated with the obstruction of humanitarian aid deliveries into Venezuela on February 23, 2019.
• Venezuela must guarantee judicial impartiality - UN human rights expert UN News 01 Mar 2019 -- As political tensions continue to escalate in Venezuela, a United Nations independent human rights expert has called on the Government to "take all necessary measures to guarantee judicial independence," following concerns that some pressure may have been placed on the country's justice system "to act against the political opposition".
• US Imposes Sanctions on Venezuelan Officials for Blocking Aid VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- The United States increased its pressure on Venezuela Friday, imposing sanctions on six high-ranking security officials as well as revoking the visas of dozens of other high officials.
• Trump Demands WH to Grant Kushner Top Security Clearance Amid US Intel Concerns Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- US President Donald Trump ordered senior White House officials to upgrade his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner top-secret security clearance despite concerns of the intelligence community, media reported.
• The Week In Russia: Boris Nemtsov And The Russia That Might Have Been RFE/RL 01 Mar 2019 -- Thousands of people in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other cities honored the memory of slain Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, and in doing so mourned the loss of a Russia that might have been. Meanwhile, in the Russia that is what it is, state TV elaborated on President Vladimir Putin's saber-rattling warning to the West about missiles.
• Huawei Units Plead Not Guilty to Trade Secret Theft Charges - Justice Dept Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- Two equipment-manufacturing units of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei pleaded not guilty in a US court to theft of trade secrets and wire fraud charges, the Justice Department said in a press release.
• Canada to Allow Extradition of Huawei CFO to US Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- The Canadian Department of Justice has decided to allow the US to extradite Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei. Meng is wanted in the US for alleged financial crimes.
• Talks Held between Vice Foreign Ministers of DPRK and China KCNA 01 Mar 2019 -- Talks were held between Ri Kil Song, vice foreign minister who is on a visit to China as head of the DPRK Foreign Ministry delegation, and Kong Xuanyou, vice foreign minister of China, in Beijing Thursday.
• DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Meets Chinese Foreign Minister KCNA 01 Mar 2019 -- Ri Kil Song, vice foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, met Wang Yi, state councilor and foreign minister of the People's Republic of China, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Thursday. Ri is heading a DPRK foreign ministry delegation on a visit to the PRC.
• DPRK FM Ri Yong Ho disputes Trump reason for summit collapse People's Daily 01 Mar 2019 -- In Hanoi, DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho presented a rare and unexpected midnight news conference following the Trump-Kim summit.
• Trump Says Unwilling to Give Up DPRK Sanctions Unless Denuke Program Agreed Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that he did not want to fully abandon sanctions against North Korea unless there is a real program for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula agreed.
• DPRK only asked U.S. for partial sanctions removal, says FM Global Times 01 Mar 2019 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) only proposed that the United States partially remove its sanctions against Pyongyang, said the country's foreign minister here early Friday.
• Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, President Trump Hold Second-day Talks KCNA 01 Mar 2019 -- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, met again and had talks with Donald J. Trump, president of the United States of America, on Thursday.
• UN Chief Hopes Denuclearization Talks With North Korea Continue - Spokesman Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hopes denuclearization dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will continue, SG Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Thursday.
• Moon Unveils Plans for New Korean Peninsula System KBS World Radio 01 Mar 2019 -- Marking the centennial of the March First Independence Movement, President Moon Jae-in stressed South Korea's role in reaching an agreement in denuclearization talks with North Korea and laid out his plans for what he calls a new Korean Peninsula system.
• Address by President Moon Jae-in on 100th March First Independence Movement Day ROK Office of the President 01 Mar 2019
• Netanyahu Says Will Not Resign From PM Post Over Looming Corruption Charges Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he intended to win the upcoming parliamentary election and to remain in office for many years despite looming corruption charges against him.
• Lukashenka Says Russia Won't 'Swallow' Belarus, But Further Integration A 'Must' RFE/RL 01 Mar 2019 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says Russia has no intention of "swallowing" Belarus but added that further integration between the two countries is a "must."
• Attacks Destroy Ebola Treatment Centers in DR Congo - WHO Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- Medical facilities treating Ebola victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo are upgrading security following attacks this week that forced patient evacuations and the closure of two treatment centers, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said in a press release on Thursday.
• DR Congo: Insecurity and attacks mean Ebola will keep spreading, warns world health agency UN News 01 Mar 2019 -- Worsening security in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo marked by attacks on Ebola clinics have made it a "given" that the deadly virus will spread further, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
• Ebola Likely to Spread in Eastern DRC as Security Worsens VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) says the deadly Ebola virus is likely to spread in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo because of deteriorating security in conflict-ridden North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
• New Jersey Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS DoJ 01 Mar 2019 -- Gregory Lepsky, 22, of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for planning to construct and use a pressure cooker bomb in New York on behalf of a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
• Saudi Arabia Strips Al-Qaeda's Hamza Bin Laden of Citizenship - Reports Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- The decision comes as the Daesh* terrorist group holds on to its last slither of territory along the Syrian border with Iraq. However, policymakers are becoming increasingly concerned that with the defeat of that group, the traditional al-Qaeda* franchise may, once again, begin to surge.
• Erdogan Threatens to Reverse Local Election Results VOA 01 Mar 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose AK Party is facing major defeats this month in local elections, is being accused of behaving like a "dictator" after his threat to remove victorious pro-Kurdish mayoral candidates.
• Investigation Finds Suspicious Donations In Tymoshenko's Presidential Campaign RFE/RL 01 Mar 2019 -- The presidential campaign of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has registered numerous suspicious donations, repeating a pattern that journalists uncovered in her Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party's accounts in 2016.
• Rallies Against Bouteflika's Bid to Seek Re-Election Resume in Algeria - Reports Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Algiers on Friday to protest President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's intention to seek a fifth term in the April election, the El Watan newspaper reported.
• Sudan's Al-Bashir Hands Over Gov't to Newly Appointed Deputy teleSUR 01 Mar 2019 -- The unpopular head of state, just last week, dissolved the government and shelved a plan to push through legislation to extend political term limits.