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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

Defense Policy / Programs

• Readout of Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo's Phone Call With Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan DoD 02 Mar 2019 -- "During a phone call on March 2, Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo and the Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan assessed the outcomes of the Summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim and discussed the further coordination of measures to establish complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, as well as steps to maintain the readiness of combined forces."
• US, South Korea Announce End to Joint Military Drills VOA 02 Mar 2019 -- The U.S. and South Korea announced late Saturday the two countries will end annual large-scale joint military exercises as part of diplomatic efforts to "achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
• US to End Annual Spring Joint Drills With South Korea – Reports Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- The US military is planning to announce the end of large-scale joint military exercises with South Korea that are held each spring, media reports said on Friday.
• USS Donald Cook Departs Black Sea After Third 2019 NATO Drills - Pentagon Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- The US guided-missile destroyer Donald Cook has departed the Black Sea for a continuing deployment in the Mediterranean and other areas covered by the Sixth Fleet, the Navy said in a press release on Friday.
• US Air Force Rejects New Boeing KC-46s Over Dangerous Debris Issues Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- Airplane maker Boeing was forced to ground the US Air Force's KC-46 tanker fleet for a week to investigate reports of loose tools and debris inside the planes. As a result, the USAF has stopped taking deliveries of the jet until Boeing sorts out its manufacturing problems.
• Turkey Rejects US Patriot Offer Amid Row Over Russian S-400 - Reports Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- The United States has been pressing Turkey, its NATO ally, to reject a plan to purchase Russia's cutting-edge S-400 missile systems, which Turkey estimates to be three times cheaper than a $3.5 billion order for US anti-aircraft weapons.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Children are still dying in Yemen war, despite partial ceasefire, says UNICEF chief UN News 02 Mar 2019 -- Responding to the violent deaths of five children in the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah on Thursday, Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that Yemen's civil war continues to take a "horrific toll" on children.
• Yemen targets southern S. Arabia with missiles IRNA 02 Mar 2019 -- Yemen targeted positions of Saudi Arabia's army in Najran, south of the country with missile and artillery.
• Major Challenges Loom Amid IS 'Last Stand' VOA 02 Mar 2019 -- Heavy fighting continued throughout the first full day of the final assault on the Islamic State militant group's last bit of land, according to Syrian Democratic Forces spokesman Mustafa Bali.
• Report: Iran Forming All-Syrian Militia in Syria VOA 02 Mar 2019 -- Iranian military advisers in Syria are reportedly forming a new militia in the country under their supervision with the aim of boosting an Iranian agenda in the region, a rights group said in a recent report.
• Syrian Army kills scores of terrorists in Hama IRNA 02 Mar 2019 -- Syrian Army units operating in Hama northern countryside inflicted heavy losses on terrorists in terms of personnel and equipment in retaliation to their frequent breaches of the de-escalation zone agreement in Idleb.
• U.S.-Backed Forces In Syria Advance On Last IS-Held Territory RFE/RL 02 Mar 2019 -- U.S.-backed forces battling Islamic State (IS) in eastern Syria are reported to have advanced into the last area the extremist militants control.
• Chlorine Used In Attack On Syria's Douma, Watchdog Says RFE/RL 02 Mar 2019 -- The global chemical weapons watchdog said March 1 that chlorine was used against the rebel-held Syrian town of Douma last year, in a long-awaited final report on the attack that killed 43 people.
• US Blocks Evacuation Convoys at Syria's Rukban Camp - Russian MoD Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- The United States has refused to let bus convoys, set to evacuate refugees from the Rukban camp, enter the US-controlled zone in Syria's At-Tanf, where the camp is located, Russian Defense Ministry Center for Syrian Reconciliation head, Lt. Gen. Sergei Solomatin, said Saturday.
• US-Backed Forces: Last Remnant of IS Caliphate to Fall Soon VOA 02 Mar 2019 -- Time is running out for fighters defending the last shred of the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in Syria.
• UN: Nearly 2 in 3 Syrians in Need of Humanitarian Aid VOA 02 Mar 2019 -- The United Nations reports 11.7 million people or nearly two-thirds of Syria's population is dependent on international humanitarian assistance for survival. The U.N. has drawn up a so-called humanitarian response plan detailing the staggering needs in advance of an international pledging conference for Syria in Brussels March 12 to 14.
• US Briefs Turkey on Plans to Withdraw Troops From Syria by Summer - Reports Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- Washington has informed Ankara about its intention to pull out US troops from Syria by the summer of this year, noting, however, that the schedule can be adjusted depending on the situation on the ground, Turkish media reported on Friday.
• Indian, Pakistani Forces Continue Deadly Artillery Fire In Kashmir RFE/RL 02 Mar 2019 -- Indian and Pakistani forces continued their fierce artillery barrages in the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir, with both sides accusing the other of initiating the deadly shelling.
• Released Indian Pilot Says He Suffered 'Mental Harassment' in Pakistan - Report Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- The Indian pilot was released by Pakistani authorities as "a peace gesture" several days after he was captured amid heightened tensions between the two states. Prior to his release, Pakistan published a video where the pilot praised the professionalism of the Pakistani military. It was perceived in India as heavily "edited" and "scripted".
• Deadly Pakistan-India Border Skirmishes Continue in Kashmir VOA 02 Mar 2019 -- Pakistan confirmed Saturday that two of its soldiers have been killed in ongoing military skirmishes with India across the disputed Kashmir border, known as the Line of Control (LoC).

News Reports

• Colombian Border to Be Closed as Long as Threat Remains - Venezuelan Minister Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- The Venezuelan authorities will not open crossings on the country's border with Colombia as long as there is a risk of aggression toward Venezuela from its neighbour, Jorge Rodriguez, Venezuela's minister of Communication and Information, has told Sputnik.
• Vietnam, DPRK agree to facilitate high-level visits, delegation exchanges People's Daily 02 Mar 2019 -- The top leaders of Vietnam and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed on Friday to facilitate high-level visits, and expand the exchange of all-level delegations via the party, state and mass organization channels, Vietnam News Agency reported.
• China calls on all parties concerned to play active role in solving Korean Peninsula issue People's Daily 02 Mar 2019 -- China called on all parties concerned to take a constructive attitude and play an active role in resolving the Korean Peninsula issue together, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here Friday.
• North Korean Debt to Sweden Reaches Record High $302Mln in 2019 - Reports Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- North Korea's debt to Sweden in 2019 has reached its highest level of 2.8 billion Swedish kronas ($302 million), Sveriges Radio reported on Saturday, citing Stefan Karlsson, the chief analyst of the Swedish National Export Credits Guarantee Board (EKN).
• US Officials Believe Sanctions Lead to Boost in DPRK's Cyberattacks - Reports Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- North Korea's lack of funds, caused by international US-led sanctions, has prompted the increase in the number of cyberattacks by the country's hackers on financial institutions and businesses in the United States and across the world, the CNN broadcaster reported, citing US officials.
• Kim Proposed New US-DPRK Summit Following Meeting With Trump in Hanoi - Reports Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- North Korea's official news agency KCNA said in its report about the recent summit between the country's leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump that Kim had expressed readiness for the next meeting with the US president.
• Experts: 'Experience Matters' in Negotiating With North Korea VOA 02 Mar 2019 -- The American team's lack of experience in negotiating with North Koreans, as well as a lack of preparation, may have contributed to the collapse of this week's Hanoi summit between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, who favors top-down diplomacy, according to experts.
• Chinese FM Lodges Protest Over Huawei CFO Extradition to US, Slams Canada Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- The Canadian Department of Justice has said that Ottawa had decided to grant authorisation to proceed with the extradition process in Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou's case.
• Algerian President Bouteflika in Critical Condition in Geneva Hospital - Reports Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who announced that he would seek a fifth term, sparking mass protests, is currently staying in a hospital in Geneva, and doctors cannot allow him to continue working, since he is in critical condition, Al Mayadeen broadcaster reported on Saturday, citing an unnamed medical source.
• Protests Grow in Algeria as Aging Leader Eyes 5th Term VOA 02 Mar 2019 -- Algeria is facing its biggest demonstrations in years, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets to protest another re-election bid by ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
• Sudan's President Hands Party Leadership to Deputy VOA 02 Mar 2019 -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has stepped down from his position as chairman of the ruling party.