Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Daesh Boosted Clandestine Network in Iraq, Syria in April-June – Pentagon Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- The Islamic State terror group was boosting its clandestine network in Iraq and Syria in April-June, the 18th Lead Inspector General report on the Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), issued by the Pentagon, said.
• Deadly Taliban Car Bomb Rocks Afghan Capital VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- Afghan officials say a massive car bomb exploded near a police compound in the capital, Kabul, Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and causing extensive damage to nearby buildings.
• UN Afghan Mission 'outraged' by deadly Taliban attack in Kabul, as hardline group threatens election violence UN News 07 Aug 2019 -- The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed outrage at a Taliban attack in Kabul, that led to "scores" of civilians casualties on Wednesday. In a Tweet, the Mission said that such "indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks in heavily populated civilian areas must stop".
• 14 killed, 145 wounded in car bomb blast in Kabul Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- A large car bomb explosion outside a police station in the Afghan capital, Kabul, has left at least 14 people killed and over 140 wounded.
• At Least 14 Killed, 145 Wounded In Taliban Car Bombing In Kabul RFE/RL 07 Aug 2019 -- At least 14 people have been killed and 145 wounded after a Taliban suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle outside a police station in Kabul, according to the Afghan Public Health Ministry.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Orders Equipment for Testing Missiles Formerly Banned Under INF Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- US defence contractor Lockheed Martin won more than $400 million to deliver parts and equipment for intermediate-range missile tests, the Pentagon said in a press release.
• Innovative AI system could help make Army fuel cells more efficient Army News 07 Aug 2019 -- As part of an effort to address the gap the U.S. Army faces in the need for long-lasting power and batteries for warfighters, the Army Research Office funded a research team who developed an artificial intelligence system that officials say identifies a promising material for creating more efficient fuel cells.
• Next-Generation Air Dominance Will Rely On Data Sharing DoD News 07 Aug 2019 -- For about two decades, the Air Force has fielded both the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II – both billed as technical marvels. But what's next for the Air Force?
• Esper Says Indo-Pacific Trip Highlights Allies' Role in U.S. Strategy DoD News 07 Aug 2019 -- Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper stressed that his trip to the Indo-Pacific region is in direct support of the National Defense Strategy.
• US, Indonesian Navies Conclude CARAT 2019 NNS 07 Aug 2019 -- The 25th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Indonesia concluded during a ceremony at the Indonesian Navy's 2nd Fleet Training Command headquarters Aug. 7.
• HSC-25 provides urgent MEDEVAC of Chinese mariner at sea NNS 07 Aug 2019 -- The Guam-based "Island Knights" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 responded to a civilian in distress aboard a Chinese-flagged vessel in the Pacific Aug. 6.
• F-35 Successfully Transmits Live Track Data to US Army Missile Defense System Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- The troubled single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation F-35 fighter recently successfully demonstrated its ability to transmit live tracking data to the US Army's Integrated Air and Missiles Defense Battle Command System (IBCS).
• US Aircraft Carrier Visits Philippines Amid Tensions Between Manila, Beijing Radio Free Asia 07 Aug 2019 -- The commander of one of the biggest American aircraft carriers vowed to protect freedom of navigation, as the ship arrived in Manila on Wednesday soon after the U.S. defense chief accused Beijing of destabilizing the region through expansionism in the South China Sea.
• Record-setting first sortie for wing's newest F-35A US Air Force 07 Aug 2019 -- The 388th Fighter Wing set a speed record for bringing online a newly-delivered aircraft last week, flying a local sortie less than five hours after accepting delivery of its 68th F-35A Lightning II.
• New US Defense Secretary Visits Mongolia VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as part of his first international tour since accepting the Cabinet post last month.
• DOD Leaders Highlight Talent, Technology in Cybersecurity Strategy DoD News 07 Aug 2019 -- Any failure to take the cyber threat seriously puts military missions at risk, and it compromises defense industrial partners and critical U.S. infrastructure, a senior defense official told the audience during a panel discussion at the Cybersecurity Summit in Washington.
• US Missile Defence Agency Pushes Ahead With Long-Range Radar in Alaska Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- The US Missile Defence Agency (MDA) has started to erect long-range radar panels in its new facility in the US state of Alaska, Lockheed Martin said in a press release on Wednesday.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper's Meetings in Japan DoD 07 Aug 2019
• Marine F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft complete GAU-22 cannon, ordnance hot reload exercise in Indo-Pacific Region USMC News 07 Aug 2019 -- F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, used the GAU-22 cannon against a simulated target and executed the first shipboard hot reload of ordnance in the Indo-Pacific region while underway in the Solomon Sea from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, August 4.
• Joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds NATO 07 Aug 2019 -- (As delivered)
• Watch New Russian Stealth Assault Drone's First Flight Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Testing started earlier this year, the 20+ tonne flying wing design, thought to be capable of carrying up to 2.8 tonnes of precision armament, has been dubbed the Hunter ('Okhotnik').
• Republic of Korea - MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopters with Support DSCA 07 Aug 2019 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Republic of Korea of MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopters with support for an estimated cost of $800 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on August 7, 2019.
• South Korea agrees to pay more money to US, Trump announces Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- South Korea "has agreed to pay substantially more money" to the United States "to defend itself" from North Korea, US President Donald Trump has announced.
• Trump Says South Korea Agreed to Pay 'More Money' to US to 'Defend Itself From North Korea' Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Earlier, the United States and South Korea agreed to hold "reasonable and fair" discussions on sharing the cost for maintaining the US force stationed in South Korea.
• Trump Says South Korea to Pay 'Substantially More' for US Troops VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump says South Korea has agreed to "substantially" increase its share of the cost of the U.S. troop presence in South Korea.
• 'Teething Issues': China's Type 001A Carrier Returns to Sea For Yet More Trials Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Despite having just returned from sea trials, China's newest aircraft carrier, the Type 001A, is heading back to sea again for more drills.
• Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Watches Demonstration Fire of New-Type Tactical Guided Missiles KCNA 07 Aug 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, watched the demonstration fire of new-type tactical guided missiles at daybreak Tuesday.
• North Korea's Kim Says Latest Missile Test Is 'Warning' Over US-South Korea Drills Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Pyongyang said in a Wednesday statement that its missile test the day prior was meant as a message to the US and South Korea to cease their military exercises that began earlier this week.
• Iran to unveil new domestically-built defense missile system on Aug. 22: Defense minister Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Reza Hatami says the country plans to unveil a domestically-designed and –manufactured missile defense system later this month.
• IRGC chief warns enemies against any act of aggression, stresses border security as redline Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- The chief commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned that any act of aggression against the country's territory will be met with a firm response, stressing that the security of borders is a redline for the country.
• Iran Unveils New Missiles, Says 'All US Bases' in Region in Range After 'Mother of All Wars' Warning Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Tehran previously warned the US and its European allies against any 'maritime security missions' in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran "does not seek confrontation," but is prepared to defend its 2,400 km coastline and ensure freedom of navigation in the region.
• Iran to Showcase Own Version of Russian S-300 Missile Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Tehran on August 22 intends to present its own version of Russia's S-300 surface-to-air missile system, dubbed Bavar 373, Iranian Defence Minister Amir Hatami said in a statement on Wednesday.
• US Congress Wants to Force Trump to Slap Sanctions on Turkey Over Purchase of Russian S-400 – Report Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that the White House is still "looking at" the possibility of slapping sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of the Russian missile systems S-400, in line with the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
• Duterte Pledges He Will 'Never' Allow US to Deploy Nukes in Philippines Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Earlier, Australia and South Korea stated that they have no plans to green-light the deployment of US medium-range missile on their respective territories after Washington's withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty last week.
• Trump Suspends U.S. Foreign Aid Pending Review RFE/RL 07 Aug 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has frozen foreign-aid funding until the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reviews any money that hasn't been spent, officials say.
• Trump Administration Orders Freeze on Congressionally-Approved Foreign Aid VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has ordered two federal agencies to freeze billions of dollars' worth of congressionally approved funding for foreign aid, pending the agencies' review.
• Remarks by President Trump in Press Gaggle Aboard Air Force One en route Joint Base Andrews The White House 07 Aug 2019
• Remarks by President Trump Before Marine One Departure The White House 07 Aug 2019
• Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo And United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab At a Press Availability US Dept. of State 07 Aug 2019 -- Remarks by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
• Joint Statement on the Ministerial Meeting of the United States, Greece, Republic of Cyprus, and Israel Regarding Cooperation in the Field of Energy US Dept. of State 07 Aug 2019 -- The text of the following statement was released by the governments of the United States of America, the Hellenic Republic, the Republic of Cyprus, and the State of Israel regarding cooperation in the field of energy.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Aug. 7, 2019

Other Conflicts

• 7 August 2019 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 07 Aug 2019
• Yemen's Civilians Suffer as Myriad of Armed Groups Intensify Attacks VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- The United Nations human rights office is reporting that intensified attacks by a myriad of armed groups in Yemen are having a devastating impact on civilians throughout the war-torn country.
• Yemeni missile strike kills dozens of Saudi mercenaries in kingdom's Najran Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- Dozens of Saudi-sponsored militiamen loyal to Yemen's former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, have been killed and scores of others sustained injuries when Yemeni army forces and their allies fired a domestically-manufactured ballistic missile at their camp in Saudi Arabia's southern province of Najran.
• Five killed in attack by Daesh in northeast Syria Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- At least five people have been killed in northeastern Syria in a car bomb attack claimed by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
• UN Security Council 'utterly failed' Syrian detainees; a victim voices her plea to 'end impunity and stop this horror' UN News 07 Aug 2019 -- The Security Council has "utterly failed Syrian detainees and their families", Amina Khoulani, Co-founder of Families for Freedom, told the Security Council on Wednesday, during a meeting focussed on those who have been jailed or gone missing across Syria, during years of brutal conflict.
• Turkey, US Progress on Joint 'Safe Zone' in Northern Syria VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- Turkey and the United States appeared to be inching closer Wednesday to establishing a purported safe zone in Syria, administered by a planned joint operations center. The area would be a "peace corridor," the countries wrote in joint statements, aimed at helping "our displaced Syrian brothers to return to their country."
• US, Turkey agree to form joint operation center for Syria safe zone Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- Turkey and the United States have reached an agreement on the establishment of a joint operation center in the northern part of Syria, in the wake of Ankara's threats to launch an operation against the US-sponsored Kurdish militants to push them away from the Turkish border.
• Turkey, US Agreed on Joint Centre to Coordinate Syria Safe Zone - Defence Ministry Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Turkey and the United States agreed to establish a centre to coordinate joint operations and the formation of a safe zone in Syria, the Turkish Defence Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
• Heightened Security Keeps Kashmir in Lockdown VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- Indian Kashmir remained in a state of heightened security to prevent protests, but despite a heavy deployment of troops, scattered incidents of stone throwing by small groups were reported in the capital, Srinagar.
• Heavy Firing Reported Between Indian, Pakistani Military Along Line of Control in Kashmir Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- The ceasefire violation took place as relations between India and Pakistan continue to deteriorate amid tensions in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Pakistan downgrades India ties as China slams New Delhi over Kashmir Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- Pakistan has announced that it will expel the Indian envoy and suspend trade in a deepening row over New Delhi's move to tighten its grip on disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
• Pakistan Downgrades Relations With India, Suspends Trade, Expels Top Envoy RFE/RL 07 Aug 2019 -- Pakistan says it is downgrading its relations with nuclear rival India, suspending bilateral trade, and expelling New Delhi's top envoy, as tensions soar over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
• Pakistan's PM Khan Calls National Security Committee Session to Discuss Kashmir Tensions - Reports Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan summoned on Wednesday a session of the National Security Committee (NSC), the second one within a week, following India's move to revoke the special status of its Jammu and Kashmir state, Geo News media outlet reported.
• Pakistan Downgrades Ties With India as Tensions Rise Over Kashmir VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- Pakistan says it is expelling India's high commissioner to Islamabad, just hours after downgrading diplomatic and trade ties with New Dehli for stripping the disputed Kashmir region of its special status, as bilateral relations continue to deteriorate.
• Amid Lockdown in Kashmir, Indian Parliament Approves Resolution to Revoke Its Special Status VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- As Kashmir remained locked down for a second straight day, India's parliament approved scrapping the special status that gave Kashmir significant autonomy, and passed a bill to split the state.
• Arakan Army Blamed For Deaths of Village Officials in Myanmar's Rakhine State Radio Free Asia 07 Aug 2019 -- The severely injured bodies of two missing village administrators from Kyauktaw township in Myanmar's conflict-ridden Rakhine state were found near a river bank this week, local residents said Wednesday, as the government military blamed Arakan Army (AA) soldiers for their deaths.
• Fresh Clash in Myanmar's Northern Shan State Drives Ethnic Villagers From Homes Radio Free Asia 07 Aug 2019 -- More than 200 villagers fled their homes in Tangyan township on Tuesday to escape nearby fighting between the Myanmar military and Shan State Army-North troops in northeastern Shan state, local residents said.
• Ukraine's Zelenskiy Urges Putin To Resume Peace Talks After Four Soldiers Killed RFE/RL 07 Aug 2019 -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he has called his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to urge him to help halt fighting in eastern Ukraine, following the killing of four soldiers there.
• Twin bombings kill three in northeast Nigeria Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- Three civilians have been killed and eight others wounded when two female bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of people in northeastern Nigeria.
• Baku, Yerevan Trade Accusations After Pashinian Visits Nagorno-Karabakh RFE/RL 07 Aug 2019 -- A recent visit by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh - and the comments he made there - have triggered a fresh war of words between Yerevan and Baku.
• Cameroon's Mbororos Abandoning Cattle Ranches VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- More than a thousand Mbororos, indigenous people in Cameroon, have fled their cattle ranches following repeated attacks and seizure of their herds by separatist forces in the central African nation. The Mbororos say they are being targeted because they refuse to join or assist the fighters.

News Reports

• US ready to impose sanctions on companies for doing business with Maduro: Bolton Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- US national security adviser John Bolton says that Washington could impose sanctions on any international company for conducting business with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
• Two Decades On, Smoldering Questions About The Russian President's Vault To Power RFE/RL 07 Aug 2019 -- One month after then-President Boris Yeltsin plucked a security agency official named Vladimir Putin from obscurity and made him prime minister, an explosion leveled a nine-story apartment building on Moscow's outskirts.
• Russia significantly reduces use of dollar in trade with India, China: Report Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- A new report suggests Russia has been considerably successful in its pledge to remove the US dollar from trade with others, adding that the greenback has been replaced by local currencies in nearly half of Moscow's transactions with leading partners India and China.
• Rouhani says US got to know sanctions will go nowhere IRNA 07 Aug 2019 -- The Americans have realized that they will go nowhere with sanctioning Iran, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.
• Rouhani says JCPOA stipulated Iranian oil exports, banking ties IRNA 07 Aug 2019 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action stipulated Iranian rights of oil exports and free banking ties with the outside world.
• US sanctions on Zarif violation of fundamental principles of Int. law: Iran's UN ambassador ISNA 07 Aug 2019 -- Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Majid Takhte-Ravanchi stressed that US sanctions on the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a brazen violation of the fundamental principles of international law and the purposes of the UN Charter.
• Iran's plans to cut zeros from rial would cost nearly $160m: Report Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- A report shows that Iran should spend around $160 million to implement a plan for overhaul of the national currency rial.
• India finding it hard to replace Iranian oil: Envoy Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- India's ambassador to the US says American sanctions on Iran are hurting his country which is finding it hard to replace Iranian oil imports.
• US has fully despaired of effecting regime change in Iran: President Rouhani Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the United States has "fully despaired of" bringing about regime change in Iran.
• Iran's security not merchantable: FM Zarif Press TV 07 Aug 2019 -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran does not view security as a merchantable commodity, but rather derives its security and power from its own people.
• President Rouhani Says Iran 'Only Shoots Aggressors,' Lauds Downing of US Spy Drone Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- The incident took place on 20 June, when Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that they had downed a US surveillance drone after it violated Iranian airspace. Washington insists that the unmanned aerial vehicle was downed over international waters.
• Zarif Accuses US of Attempting to Starve Iranians by Tightening Economic Sanctions Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday claimed that the United States was attempting to starve the Iranian people by tightening economic sanctions against Tehran.
• Iran Ready To Talk Once U.S. Sanctions Lifted, Asks UN To Intervene RFE/RL 07 Aug 2019 -- Iran on August 6 asked the UN to push back on U.S. sanctions and the Islamic republic's President Hassan Rouhani said restrictive measures must be lifted first before negotiations can start about the country's nuclear program.
• Persistent riots in Hong Kong unacceptable Global Times 07 Aug 2019 -- US Senator Tom Cotton released a statement Tuesday warning Beijing against launching "a violent crackdown" on protesters in Hong Kong. He urged the US government to prepare sanctions against China. Other US lawmakers expressed a similar view.
• Hong Kong fed up with 'black terror' Global Times 07 Aug 2019 -- The ongoing massive violent protests across Hong Kong are causing public fear, and the root of that fear did not come from the already-suspended extradition bill or from understaffed police, but from violent black-clad protesters who attack the city from all angles.
• Hong Kong's Lawyers March in Silence Over Political Arrests of Protesters Radio Free Asia 07 Aug 2019 -- Thousands of members of Hong Kong's legal profession took to the streets on Wednesday in a silent march of protest against the political arrests of hundreds of anti-extradition protesters since the movement began two months ago.
• China Says Hong Kong in Worst Crisis Since 1997 Handover VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- The Chinese official responsible for overseeing Hong Kong says the Asian financial hub is facing its "most severe situation" since Britain handed over control in 1997.
• China, World's No. 2 Economy, Still Growing but More Slowly VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- China is the world's second-largest economy, and its rapid growth is closing the gap with that of the United States, the globe's leading economy.
• One Dead As Kyrgyz Police, Ex-President's Supporters Clash RFE/RL 07 Aug 2019 -- One officer has died as Kyrgyz special forces battle supporters of former President Almazbek Atambaev, who are trying to prevent his arrest after security officials stormed his residence.
• Ex-Kyrgyz President Atambayev Detained - Former Leader's Supporters Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- Law enforcement officers detained ex-Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, eyewitnesses from among his supporters said on Wednesday.
• Researchers in Uganda Start 2-Year Ebola Vaccine Trial VOA 07 Aug 2019 -- Eight hundred health workers involved in the fight against the Ebola virus are receiving doses of a two-part vaccine.
• Ukrainian Oligarch Kolomoyskiy Says He Plans On Being A 'Nuisance' To Many RFE/RL 07 Aug 2019 -- Ihor Kolomoyskiy, the Ukrainian billionaire with ties to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, says he plans on being "a nuisance for many" in the country for at least the next five years.
• Atomic Tomb: Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Sarcophagus at 'Very High' Risk of Collapse Sputnik 07 Aug 2019 -- The organisation in charge of maintaining the Chernobyl nuclear plant noted that the old concrete sarcophagus covering the reactor would have to be dismantled and reinforced at the same time in order to avoid releasing radioactive material.