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Current Operations

Defense Policy / Programs

• DOD Cloud Has Leading Uses For Warfighter, Officials Say DoD News 10 Aug 2019-- Warfighters are "absolutely" waiting for the enterprise cloud so they can gain real-time data access and other tools, the Defense Department's chief information officer told reporters in a media roundtable at the Pentagon.
• Trump calls US-South Korea military exercises 'ridiculous and expensive' Press TV 10 Aug 2019-- US President Donald Trump has called the US-South Korea military exercises "ridiculous and expensive exercises," and said that he will meet with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un in the "not too distant future".
• US threatens to withdraw troops from Germany over insufficient NATO spending Press TV 10 Aug 2019-- The US Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, has warned that Washington will move American troops stationed in Germany to Poland if German Chancellor Angela Merkel fails to boost military spending as part of its contribution to the NATO military alliance.
• US Threats to Withdraw Its Troops From Germany Leave Gov't Coalition Split Sputnik 10 Aug 2019-- US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell has resumed criticising Berlin for failing to meet the NATO voluntary goal of 2% GDP spending on its military forces. He praised Donald Trump's idea to redeploy troops from Germany to Poland and insisted that it was time for Berlin to "pay for its own defence".
• To avoid Iran ire, Japan may send ships off Yemen: Report Press TV 10 Aug 2019-- Japanese government sources say Tokyo is not willing to join a US-led naval mission purportedly aimed at protecting shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf, but is mulling over sending ships off Yemen.
• Death Toll Raised To Five In Arkhangelsk Military Site Blast RFE/RL 10 Aug 2019-- Officials have raised the death toll to five people in a mysterious August 8 explosion and fire at a military unit in Russia's northwestern Arkhangelsk region, as a string of blasts have rocked Russian military sites in recent days.
• Number of People Wounded in Blast at Ammo Depot in Achinsk, Russia Grows to 10 Sputnik 10 Aug 2019-- The number of people wounded in an explosion at an ammunition depot near the town of Achinsk in Russia's Krasnoyarsk Territory rose to 10 people, while four of them were hospitalised, a spokesperson of regional emergency services announced on Saturday.
• Russia's Rosatom Says 5 Employees Were Killed in Accident at Military Range in Arkhangelsk Region Sputnik 10 Aug 2019-- Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom said five of its employees died in an accident at a military range in the Arkhangelsk Region during tests of liquid-propellant engine, while three other people suffered injuries and burns.
• Citing Trump, North Korea Defends Ballistic Missile Tests VOA 10 Aug 2019-- U.S. President Donald Trump has said for weeks he has "no problem" with North Korea testing short-range missiles, insisting they are not a threat to the United States. It seems Pyongyang got the message.
• DPRK fires 2 unidentified projectiles -- Yonhap People's Daily 10 Aug 2019-- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday (local time) fired two unidentified projectiles into the East Sea, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said, citing the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
• North Korea fires 2 unidentified projectiles seawards: South military Press TV 10 Aug 2019-- North Korea has fired two "unidentified projectiles" seawards, South Korean military says, as Pyongyang has already warned that it could take a "new road" if the South and the US keep militarizing the Korean Peninsula.
• Commander describes Iran armed forces as invincible IRNA 10 Aug 2019-- Commander of Iranian Army Ground Forces Brigadier General Kiumars Heidari said armed forces are invincible, adding that no danger threatens security at borders.
• Sweden Eyes Joining French-led European Intervention Initiative - Defence Minister Sputnik 10 Aug 2019-- Sweden plans to join the European Intervention Initiative (EII), a joint military project between European nations proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron in September 2017, Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told Sveriges Radio.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Yemeni Houthis Launch Drone Attack on Saudi Abha Airport - Reports Sputnik 10 Aug 2019-- The Houthis previously stated they had targeted military facilities in Abha at the end of July, but the Kingdom didn't comment on the incident.
• 30 Killed in Yemen's Aden During Clashes in Presidential Palace Security Forces Camp - Reports Sputnik 10 Aug 2019-- At least 30 people were killed during clashes inside a camp of security forces of the presidential palace in Yemen's city of Aden, Al Arabiya reported, citing sources, on Saturday amid fighting between separatist and government forces there.
• Yemeni Separatists Seize Much of Aden, Security Officials Say VOA 10 Aug 2019-- Yemeni separatists have seized control of much of the city of Aden, inflicting a blow to the Saudi-led coalition that is trying to dismantle the country's Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
• Yemeni forces hit airport in Saudi Arabia's Asir province with combat drones Press TV 10 Aug 2019-- Yemeni army troopers, backed by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have hit an airport in Saudi Arabia's southwestern province of Asir, using a squadron of domestically-manufactured combat drones.
• UAE-backed separatists seize Aden military camps, presidential palace Press TV 10 Aug 2019-- Separatists in southern Yemen, backed by the United Arab Emirates, have taken control of all military camps belonging to Saudi-backed militants loyal to ex-Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in the restive port city of Aden.
• Foreign Ministry official: Kingdom has followed with great concern developments in Aden, calls on Yemeni government and all parties involved in the conflict to hold an urgent meeting in kingdom SPA 10 Aug 2019-- An official source at the Foreign Ministry stated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has followed with great concern the developments in the interim Yemeni capital of Aden and accordingly, invites the Yemeni government and all parties involved in the conflict in Aden to hold an urgent meeting in their second country, Saudi Arabia, to discuss disputes, give priority to prudence and dialogue, renounce division and stop strife and unify ranks, in order to confront the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia and other terrorist organizations, restore the state and return Yemen to stability and security.
• Forces Loyal to Yemeni Southern Transitional Council Take Over Presidential Palace in Aden - Source Sputnik 10 Aug 2019-- The Yemeni Southern Transitional Council has captured the Maashiq presidential palace in the southern port city of Aden, a military source told Sputnik.
• Islamic State Working to Make US Military's Fears Come True VOA 10 Aug 2019-- In the 4½ months since U.S.-backed forces declared victory over the Islamic State terror group's last shred of territory in Syria, there has been a steady drumbeat of doubt.
• Militants Continue Accumulating Manpower, Hardware in Syria's Idlib - Russian Military Sputnik 11 Aug 2019-- Terrorist groups continue boosting their presence in the south of the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria, having recently dispatched there about 470 militants and additional military hardware, the head of the Russian centre for Syrian reconciliation said on Saturday.
• UN Security Council Meeting Convened Over Situation in Libya Sputnik 10 Aug 2019-- A UNSC source said earlier that France was planning to call a UN Security Council meeting after two UN staff were killed in an explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
• Libya's National Accord Government Commits to Truce for Eid Al-Adha Holiday Sputnik 10 Aug 2019-- The Presidential Council of Libya's Government of the National Accord announced a truce for the period of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, it said in a statement.
• Three UN workers killed following Benghazi car bomb attack, as Security Council meets in emergency session, honours their 'ultimate sacrifice' UN News 10 Aug 2019-- Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned a car bomb attack in front of a shopping mall in the Libyan city of Benghazi, which left three UN workers dead, and three others injured, with dozens of civilians also wounded.
• Car Bomb Kills 3 UN Staffers in Libya as Cease-Fire Deal Is Reached VOA 10 Aug 2019-- At least three U.N. staff members were killed Saturday when a car bomb exploded in Benghazi, Libya, a U.N. spokesman said.
• More Than 500,000 Rohingya Refugees Receive Fraud-Proof Identity Cards VOA 10 Aug 2019-- The U.N. refugee agency reports more than half-a-million Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh have received identity documents that will give them better access to aid.
• Pakistan cuts last remaining transport link to India over Kashmir dispute Press TV 10 Aug 2019-- Pakistan has suspended a bus linking Lahore to India's capital in reaction to New Delhi's revocation of the autonomy of the disputed Kashmir region.

News Reports

• Hundreds Detained As Moscow, Other Russian Cities Stage Fresh Protests RFE/RL 10 Aug 2019-- MOSCOW -- Riot police are said to have detained more than 200 people in Moscow following an opposition protest that drew tens of thousands of supporters demanding that officials allow independent candidates on the ballot in upcoming municipal elections.
• Tens of Thousands Demand Fair Elections at Moscow Rally VOA 10 Aug 2019-- Tens of thousands of people converged on central Moscow Saturday to protest the exclusion of several opposition candidates from the upcoming city council election.
• VOA Exclusive: Navalny Deputy Calls Assets Freeze a Predictable, 'Psychological Projection' VOA 10 Aug 2019-- The fundraising chief for prominent Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny says a Moscow court's decision to freeze financial assets of the jailed activist's anti-corruption watchdog is a laughably predictable outcome that says more about the group's success in exposing widespread corruption than the money laundering charges it's now facing.
• Trump Says North Korea's Kim Wants To Meet Again RFE/RL 10 Aug 2019-- U.S. President Donald Trump has said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants to meet once again to "start negotiations" after joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises end.
• Trump Says Kim Ready to Start Negotiations as Soon as US-South Korea Drills Over Sputnik 10 Aug 2019-- US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a letter expressed his readiness to start negotiations with Washington as soon as US-South Korea joint drills were over.
• Iran's power, not weakness, triggering US pressure: Zarif Press TV 10 Aug 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the United States' policy of piling incessant pressure on Iran is mainly due to the fact that Tehran has grown more powerful over the past years.
• US fears it's real image to be unveiled by Zarif IRNA 10 Aug 2019-- Few days after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's visit to New York, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions against him to cover up its failures.
• China, France vow to enhance cooperation to ease tensions on Iran nuclear issue IRNA 10 Aug 2019-- China is willing to work with France to prevent further escalation of tensions on the Iran nuclear issue, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday in a phone conversation with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron.
• Iran's power, not weakness, triggering US pressure: Zarif Press TV 10 Aug 2019-- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the United States' policy of piling incessant pressure on Iran is mainly due to the fact that Tehran has grown more powerful over the past years.
• Iran awards deal for development of South Pars gas field Press TV 10 Aug 2019-- An Iranian oil and gas company has won a contract for work on development plans at South Pars gas field, the world's largest which is located in the Persian Gulf.
• Iran urges world bodies to act against US sanctions against Zarif Press TV 10 Aug 2019-- Iran's representative to international organizations based in Vienna has denounced the administration of US President Donald Trump over imposing sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, calling on the international community to take urgent action and confront the illegal move.
• 'Iran Won't Hesitate': FM Zarif Slams Extra-Regional Coalition in Persian Gulf Sputnik 10 Aug 2019-- The US decision to build a maritime coalition to patrol the key sea route across the Strait of Hormuz has prompted outrage in Tehran, predicting it will result in more instability in the region. Tensions over the issue further escalated after reports of Israeli involvement in the matter, deemed a "clear threat" by the Islamic Republic.
• China denounces "gangster logic" of US State Department spokesperson's remarks Global Times 10 Aug 2019-- A spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Friday denounced the remarks made by the U.S. State Department spokesperson on Thursday as a blatant slander against China, which has confounded right with wrong and again exposed U.S. gangster logic and hegemonic thinking.
• Carrie Lam urges end to violence to lift Hong Kong out of economic plight Global Times 10 Aug 2019-- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam has urged an end to violence to lift Hong Kong out of the economic plight.
• The "silent majority" in HK should be silent no more! People's Daily 10 Aug 2019-- Extreme radicals have initiated violent activities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and seriously violated the bottom line of "one country, two systems" principle, endangering the normal life and property of residents, disrupting the region's prosperity and stability, and challenging the authority of the government.
• US, China step up war of words over Washington's role in Hong Kong unrest Press TV 10 Aug 2019-- A new war of words has escalated between Washington and Beijing after the Chinese media shared the news of a meeting between a Hong Kong-based US diplomat and leaders of the city's anti-government protesters.
• Hong Kong Demonstrators Turn to Flash Mob-Style Protests VOA 10 Aug 2019-- It didn't seem to matter that police barred several protest marches Saturday, citing the fear of violence. Thousands of residents, furious with government indifference and harsh policing, fought battles throughout the city as they tried frenzied, urban guerrilla tactics to block roads, occupy the airport terminal, march en masse, participants shrugging off rounds of tear gas.