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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve Monthly Civilian Casualty Report CENTCOM 25 Apr 2019
• CJTF-OIR strikes Daesh in Wadi Ashai CENTCOM 25 Apr 2019 -- Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve supported Iraqi Security Forces against Daesh targets in Wadi Ashai, April 24, 2019, disrupting their ability to regroup and reorganize.
• Taliban-IS Clashes Displace Hundreds of Afghan Families VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- Fighting between the Islamic State terror group and Taliban insurgents has displaced more than 450 families in eastern Nangarhar province in recent days, Afghan officials told VOA.
• US Envoy Urges Peace Deal in Afghanistan to Lower Death Toll VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- The U.S. envoy negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, says the answer to lowering the death toll in that country is to achieve a peace deal.
• Delegates Flock to Kabul for Controversial Peace Jirga VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, is bracing for a peace jirga – a traditional gathering of elders and prominent Afghans – with heightened security next week, as nearly 3,000 delegates from across the country stream into the city.
• Khan: Pakistan Will No Longer Be Party to Afghan Conflict VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- Pakistan says it is "highly dismayed" at the recent surge in hostilities in Afghanistan "from all sides," warning it would harm ongoing efforts to bring peace to the war-ravaged neighboring country.
• Pakistan to Not Meddle in Afghan Internal Affairs - Imran Khan Sputnik 25 Apr 2019 -- With Iran expressing its displeasure over the US indulging in direct talks with the terror organisation Taliban, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has declared his country will not intervene in internal conflicts of Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• The National Background Investigations Bureau Moves to the Department of Defense DoD 25 Apr 2019 -- President Trump signed an executive order April 24, 2019 that, in combination with the National Defense Authorization Act of 2018, section 925, shifts the primary responsibility for conducting background investigations for the federal government from the Office of Personnel Management to the Department of Defense.
• U.S. Navy to Support Japanese-led F-35A Search and Recovery Operations NNS 25 Apr 2019 -- A U.S. Navy salvage team embarked a contracted vessel and departed Okinawa, April 24, to assist Japanese-led search and recovery operations for a downed Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) F-35A.
• NIWC Atlantic Joint Strike Fighter Logistics System Support Provides Warfighters a Strategic Advantage NNS 25 Apr 2019 -- Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic provides software and architecture engineering support to the Department of Defense F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) logistics system.
• PP19 FSM Mission Stop Concludes with Strengthened Indo-Pacific Partnerships NNS 25 Apr 2019 -- With a ceremony hosted onboard Military Sealift Command expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6), Pacific Partnership 2019 concluded the fourth mission stop in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, April 25.
• Military Sealift Command vessel USNS Brunswick plays critical role during Pacific Partnership 2019 NNS 25 Apr 2019 -- Since 2015, expeditionary fast transport ships have proven crucial to the success of Pacific Partnership.
• Wing begins annual mission to Greenland US Air Force 25 Apr 2019 -- Airmen of the 109th Airlift Wing kicked off their annual support for National Science Foundation research in Greenland April 23, as about 80 Airmen and three LC-130 Hercules aircraft left Stratton Air National Guard Base for Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.
• Runaway F-35 Bill to Impair Norway's Defence Capacity - Report Sputnik 25 Apr 2019 -- A drastically inflated bill for F-35 fighter jets would inadvertently hurt other branches of the Norwegian defence forces, a newspaper has warned amid ballooning costs, prompting strong reactions from Norwegian parties.
• US seeking surprise nuclear attack potential: Russia Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- The United States has been deploying missile defense systems near Russia to establish a nuclear shield that would make delivering a surprise nuclear strike on the country possible, says a top Russian general.
• Taiwan aware of all foreign ships in Taiwan Strait: president CNA 25 Apr 2019 -- Taiwan remains on top of the passage of all foreign ships through the Taiwan Strait, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Thursday following the reported passage of a French military vessel through the strait earlier in the month.
• China lodges protest after French warships passes through Taiwan Strait Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- Beijing says it has lodged "stern representations" with Paris after a French navy warship entered the Taiwan Strait earlier this month, prompting the Chinese military to scramble vessels to warn it off.
• Chinese Navy Warns Off French Warship in Taiwan Strait - Beijing Sputnik 25 Apr 2019 -- The development comes after Taiwan scrambled warplanes late last month to "drive away" two Chinese fighter jets which it said flew past a maritime border in the Taiwan Strait.
• 'A Very Big Gap': China's PLARF Outclasses US Missiles, Puts Carriers At Risk Sputnik 25 Apr 2019 -- The Chinese military is winning the conventional missile arms race, particularly for anti-ship missiles, and US commanders are frantically trying to come up with alternative strategies before US aircraft carriers become obsolete.
• North Korea Pledges to Provide Military Response to US-South Korea Drills Sputnik 25 Apr 2019 -- The North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country condemned South Korea on Thursday for conducting joint air force drills with the United States on the Korean Peninsula and promised a reciprocal response from the country's own armed forces.
• France seeks source of damaging leak on Yemen war Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- French authorities have been searching for a government employee who they believe has leaked damaging information about France's role in the Saudi-led war on Yemen to the media, a report says.
• Iran's military might for defending sovereignty: Commander IRNA 25 Apr 2019 -- Commander of Army Ground Force Brigadier General Kiumars Heidari reiterated that Iranian armed forces do not constitute a threat for others, and Iran's military power is meant merely for defending the country.
• Iran designs, builds three new missiles for attack copters Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- Experts at Iran's Defense Ministry and the Army Aviation have designed and produced three new missiles to be mounted on the military's attack helicopters, with a view to their mass-production in near future.
• Iranian Navy to Send Ships to Coasts of Italy, Japan - Reports Sputnik 25 Apr 2019 -- Iranian navy plans to send its flotilla to the coasts of Italy and Japan, Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said on Thursday, following meetings with his counterparts from Rome and Tokyo, Tasnim news agency reported.

Defense Industry

• Contracts for April 25, 2019

Other Conflicts

• 25 April 2019 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 25 Apr 2019
• Yemeni combat drone targets Saudi mercenaries' command center in Aden: Report Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- Yemeni army soldiers, backed by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have launched an airstrike against a command center of Saudi-sponsored militiamen loyal to Yemen's former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, in the country's southern province of Aden.
• Delivery of Humanitarian Assistance to Rukban US Dept. of State 25 Apr 2019 -- The United States is appalled by the Assad regime's decision to reject the UN request to deliver a convoy of urgently needed humanitarian aid from Damascus to the Rukban encampment.
• Militants Violate Ceasefire in 3 Syrian Provinces Over 24 Hours - Russian MoD Sputnik 25 Apr 2019 -- Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military registered ceasefire violations in three Syrian provinces, the head of the Russian Defence Ministry's Centre for Syrian Reconciliation, Maj. Gen. Viktor Kupchishin, said on Thursday.
• Amnesty: Anti-IS Coalition Strikes Killed 1,600 Civilians in Syria's Raqqa VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- The U.S.-led coalition's offensive to oust Islamic State from the Syrian city of Raqqa killed more than 1,600 civilians, according to the results of an investigation, released jointly Thursday by Amnesty International and the group Airwars.
• Libyan eastern-based army claims shooting down rival gov't warplane People's Daily 25 Apr 2019 -- Libya's eastern-based army on Tuesday announced that it shot down a fighter jet of the UN-backed government, which tried to attack its airbase in southern Libya.
• Intensified fighting turning Tripoli neighborhoods into 'battlefields': ICRC Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says the humanitarian situation has greatly deteriorated around the Libyan capital amid a Saudi-backed push by renegade General Khalifa Haftar.
• Libya's PM raps France for backing 'dictator' general Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, the leader of Libya's internationally-recognized government, has denounced France for supporting renegade general Khalifa Haftar, whose forces are pressing ahead with an offensive on the capital, Tripoli.
• Libyan Government Asks UN to Appoint Team to Investigate Alleged Attacks on Civilians in Tripoli VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- The Libyan government has asked the U.N. Security Council to appoint a team of experts to investigate alleged attacks on civilians in the capital of Tripoli.
• Security Council: UN calls for 'spirit and letter' of Ukraine agreements to be upheld, as Russia issues simplified citizenship decree UN News 25 Apr 2019 -- The UN's political affairs chief has urged all parties to the peace plan protocol for eastern Ukraine known as the Minsk Agreements, to avoid "any unilateral steps" that could undermine efforts to demilitarize the eastern conflict zone.
• Kiev, Washington rap Moscow for offering citizenship to eastern Ukrainians Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- Moscow has made it easier for residents of eastern Ukraine to obtain Russian citizenship, arousing the ire of the US and the president-elect of Ukraine, who called for international sanctions against Russia.
• Putin Rejects Criticism Of His Plan To Grant Russian Citizenship To Ukrainians RFE/RL 25 Apr 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected international criticism about his decision to ease the process of granting Russian citizenship to Ukrainians in territory of eastern Ukraine that is held by Russia-backed separatists.
• Two Terrorists Killed in Shootout with Indian Security Forces in Kashmir Sputnik 25 Apr 2019 -- In the sustained counter-terrorism efforts India has launched after the 14 February Pulwama attack, when more than 40 Indian soldiers were killed by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) jihadists, 41 terrorists have already been killed. Out of them, 25 belonged to JeM, claims the Indian Army.

News Reports

• Trump Rejects Mueller Conclusion That He Tried to Get Him Fired VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump is denying that he ordered White House Counsel Donald McGahn to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, to thwart Mueller's investigation into Trump campaign links to Russia in the 2016 election.
• US Warns of More Possible Attacks in Sri Lanka VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- The U.S. Embassy in Colombo has advised people to avoid places of worship in Sri Lanka over the coming weekend, citing Sri Lankan reports that additional attacks may occur.
• Sudanese marchers converge on army HQ to confront junta rulers Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- Sudanese marchers have converged from all directions on army headquarters for a "million-strong" demonstration to turn up the heat on the junta rulers.
• Sudan Military Council Vows to Hand Over Exec Power to Civilian Bodies - Reports Sputnik 25 Apr 2019 -- Sudan's transitional military council said Thursday it plans to hand over executive powers to civilian structures, Al Arabiya reported Thursday.
• In Sudan, Tens of Thousands March for Civilian Rule VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- Tens of thousands of people marched in Sudan's capital Thursday for what organizers called a "million strong march" in support of civilian rule. The rally took place even though Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and opposition groups agreed to form a committee to resolve their disagreements.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, April 25, 2019 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 25 Apr 2019
• Putin: US guarantees not enough for North Korea to denuclearize Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he believes US security guarantees will probably not be sufficient to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear program.
• Belarus, Poland Stop Accepting Russian Oil Via Druzhba Pipeline, Citing Poor Quality RFE/RL 25 Apr 2019 -- Poland and Belarus have stopped accepting shipments of Russian oil through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, saying Western buyers in Poland and Germany cannot accept the Russian crude because it is contaminated and of poor quality.
• Public Designation, Due to Gross Violations of Human Rights, of Muslim Khuchiev, the Chairman of the Government of the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation US Dept. of State 25 Apr 2019 -- The Department is publicly designating Muslim Khuchiev, the Chairman (Prime Minister) of the Government of the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, under Section 7031(c) of the FY 2019 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Act, due to his involvement in gross violations of human rights. Section 7031(c) provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that foreign officials have been involved in significant corruption or a gross violation of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States.
• U.S. Slaps Travel Ban On Chechen Prime Minister RFE/RL 25 Apr 2019 -- The United States has imposed an entry ban on Muslim Khuchiyev, the prime minister of Russia's North Caucasus Chechen Republic.
• 'Not A Spy In The Traditional Sense:' How The Butina Case Lifted The Lid On Alleged Russian Operations RFE/RL 25 Apr 2019 -- In the lexicon of U.S. counterintelligence, it's called "spot and assess," "access agents," and "backchannels." According to U.S. prosecutors, it's also what Maria Butina, a now 30-year-old Russian graduate student, was doing during her time in United States.
• After Meeting Kim, Putin Advocates Phased Denuclearization Approach VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could give up his nuclear weapons if he first receives security guarantees.
• Kim, Putin hold first ever summit Global Times 25 Apr 2019 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first ever summit on Thursday afternoon during which they discussed ways to peacefully settle Korean Peninsula issues in the aftermath of the fruitless US-North Korea summit in Hanoi.
• Putin, Kim pledge closer ties in first summit Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jung-un have met in their first summit, in Russia's Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok, pledging closer ties between their countries.
• Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Arrives at Vladivostok, Russian Federation KCNA 25 Apr 2019 -- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, arrived at Vladivostok, the Russian Federation on Wednesday.
• US Confident Iran Oil Buyers Will Find Alternatives VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- U.S. officials have expressed confidence that those who have been operating under waivers to buy Iranian oil will be able to find alternative supplies when those waivers expire next week.
• Zarif: Iran not after confrontation, but defending itself IRNA 25 Apr 2019 -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday that Iran 'is not seeking confrontation, but will not escape defending itself."
• Germany vows to stand by Iran nuclear deal IRNA 25 Apr 2019 -- Germany on Wednesday reaffirmed its commitment to a nuclear deal with Iran despite the recent US move to impose sanctions on countries that buy Iranian oil.
• US grants exemptions to new sanctions on Iran's elite military force Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- The United States has announced exemptions to new sanctions imposed on Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), easing foreign dealings with the elite military force, which Washington blacklisted earlier this month.
• Iran has PhD in going around sanctions: Foreign Minister Zarif Press TV 25 Apr 2019 -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran will do its utmost to export oil after the US tightened its sanctions against the country, stressing that the Islamic Republic – which has been the target of cruel American bans for decades – has gained much experience in going around such restrictive measures.
• Zarif: Iran to continue selling its oil IRNA 25 Apr 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned the US not to threaten Iranians by exerting pressures, saying Iran will continue selling its oil.
• Putin, Dozens Of Other Leaders Gather In China For 'Belt And Road' Summit RFE/RL 25 Apr 2019 -- Leaders from dozens of countries have begun arriving in Beijing to attend the April 25-27 Belt and Road Forum.
• Hong Kong: 2014 Occupy Movement Cases and Fugitive Ordinance Law US Dept. of State 25 Apr 2019 -- The United States is disappointed by the decision of the Hong Kong Government to prosecute and convict several Hong Kong residents for organizing peaceful protests during the Occupy Central movement in 2014. We are concerned that this decision will limit or discourage the people of Hong Kong from exercising the basic freedoms guaranteed them under the Joint Declaration.
• Taiwan to review issue of Chinese government subsidies: MAC CNA 25 Apr 2019 -- The government will look into the issue of subsidies from China and whether such developments are linked to Beijing's ongoing efforts to influence Taiwan's political scene, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Thursday.
• Parliament In Kyiv OKs Bill To 'Secure' Ukrainian As Official State Language RFE/RL 25 Apr 2019 -- Ukraine's parliament has approved legislation that its authors say will "secure" the use of Ukrainian as the official "state language."
• Ill-Tempered Spanish Election May Lead to Greater Deadlock, Division VOA 25 Apr 2019 -- For the third time in four years Spaniards head to polling stations Sunday, and are likely to confirm a Europe-wide electoral pattern of voters moving away from traditional parties.