Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Uzbekistan Experiences The Pitfalls Of Peacemaking In Afghanistan RFE/RL 24 Aug 2019 -- Fostering peace is a complicated process, and Uzbekistan just received a strong hint that best intentions can be interpreted as unwanted actions.
• Afghan Taliban Say Peace Deal With US in Sight VOA 24 Aug 2019 -- The Taliban said Saturday that they expected negotiations with the United States to conclude the following day, finalizing a peace deal to end the 18-year-old war in Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US to hold first ever war games with Southeast Asian allies, irking China Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- The US military is to hold war games for the first with 10 Southeast Asian allies next month, with officials saying the naval drills are aimed at thwarting "wrongdoing" amid persisting rivalry with China for influence in the region.
• Iran warns: US missile test triggers global arms race, threatens peace Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- Iran says the United States is triggering a new arms race and threatening international peace and security by testing a cruise missile banned under a now-defunct Cold War-era treaty.
• Iran Concerned About Recent US Missile Test, Fears Global Arms Race - Spokesman Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- Tehran is concerned about the recent US missile test and warns against a global arms race, Abbas Mousavi, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said on Saturday.
• Russia Test Fires Ballistic Missiles From Submarines in Barents Sea, Arctic Ocean RFE/RL 24 Aug 2019 -- Russia says it has fired two missiles -- a liquid-fueled intercontinental Sineva and a new solid-fuel Bulav -- from submarines in the Arctic Ocean and the Barents Sea, hitting targets in the northern Arkhangelsk region and the Far East Kamchatka Peninsula.
• Russia Test-Launches Submarine-Based Ballistic Missiles Bulava, Sineva Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- Russian military has successfully test-launched ballistic missiles Bulava and Sineva from submarines Tula and Yuriy Dolgorukiy, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday.
• London Sending Third Warship To Persian Gulf To Protect British-Flagged Ships RFE/RL 24 Aug 2019 -- Britain says it is sending a third warship to the Persian Gulf to defend freedom of navigation in the tense region.
• UK Sends Third Warship to Strait of Hormuz Amid Tensions With Iran - Defence Secretary Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- Last month, the US suggested establishing an international maritime coalition to patrol the Gulf and 'ensure freedom of navigation' in the region. As of today, only the UK and Australia have joined the US-led mission.
• China, Pakistan air forces starts joint training Global Times 24 Aug 2019 -- The air forces of China and Pakistan began joint training in a location in northwest China Friday, according to Chinese air force sources.
• PLA Hong Kong garrison not 'strawmen'; Central govt could interfere: official Global Times 24 Aug 2019 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison in Hong Kong is not a "strawman," but could step in to contain the violent unrest in the Chinese city when necessary to protect the country's "one country, two systems" principle in Hong Kong, an official at China's top legislature said on Saturday.
• 85th joint patrol on Mekong River completed People's Daily 24 Aug 2019 -- The 85th Mekong River joint patrol led by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand concluded Friday, as two Chinese law enforcement boats anchored at Guanlei Port, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
• N. Korea: Test of "super-large rocket launcher" NHK 24 Aug 2019 -- North Korean state media has reported that the country's leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a test of a newly developed "super-large multiple rocket launcher " on Saturday.
• North Korea fires 2 more unidentified projectiles seawards: South military Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- North Korea has launched two "unidentified projectiles" toward the ocean off its eastern coast, South Korean military says, in the latest in a series of launches by Pyongyang amid the gridlocked nuclear talks with the United States.
• North Korea Not Banned From Testing Short-Range Missiles – Trump Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- It is not prohibited for North Korea to test short-range missiles as such tests are carried out by many other countries, US President Donald Trump said after new launches of unidentified projectiles by Pyongyang.
• North Korea Fires Two Unidentified Projectiles Into Sea of Japan - South Korean Military Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- South Korea's military leadership announced Saturday morning that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had twice fired unidentified projectiles into the Sea of Japan from Sondok, South Hamgyong Province, in a mirror of recent ballistic missile tests.
• FCO statement following North Korea missile tests UK FCO 24 Aug 2019 -- The Foreign & Commonwealth Office responds to further short-range ballistic missile tests by North Korea.
• Seoul's Decision to End Intelligence-Sharing Pact Could Backfire VOA 24 Aug 2019 -- Seoul's decision to end a military intelligence pact with Tokyo could have far-reaching consequences that could put its own security at risk, reducing its ability to defend against potential North Korean aggression, experts say.
• Yemeni army unveils two advanced domestically-built missile defense systems Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- Yemeni Armed Forces have displayed two domestically-built long-range, surface-to-air missile defense systems, which could act as game changers in the face of the Saudi-led military aggression against the Arab country.
• Iran test-fires new missile amid boost of deterrence power: IRGC chief Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says that Iran has test-fired a new missile.
• Iran Successfully Test Fires 'New Missile' - Revolutionary Guards Commander Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- The announcement of the test comes days after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the Middle Eastern country won't start a conflict in the Persian Gulf but will defend itself.
• Remarks by President Trump Before Marine One Departure The White House 24 Aug 2019
• Remarks by President Trump and President Macron of France in Working Luncheon The White House 24 Aug 2019

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Senior pro-Hadi commander defects to Yemeni army: Official Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- A Yemeni official says a senior commander loyal to Saudi-backed former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has defected to the army and allied fighters from the Popular Committees.
• Israeli missiles flying over Damascus dealt with 'efficiently': Syria's SANA Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- Syrian army's air defense systems have intercepted Israeli missiles flying above Damascus before they could inflict damage on targets in the capital city.
• Israel Confirms Strike in Syria after Syrian Media Report Defences Countering Targets Over Damascus Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- Several explosions were heard in the sky over the Syrian Capital of Damascus on Saturday night, a correspondent reported.
• Syrian Forces Take Control of Northern Hama Province for First Time Since 2012 VOA 24 Aug 2019 -- Syrian state media report that government forces now control all of northern Hama province for the first time since 2012 and that they have encircled a Turkish military monitoring post in the town of Morek. Turkish President Erdogan says that he will discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin when they meet next week.
• Syrian Army May Eliminate Turkish Observation Points in Idlib Zone – Assad's Aide Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- The Syrian army may eliminate Turkish observation points in the Idlib de-escalation zone to cut off supplies of terror groups that are operating in the area, the aide of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Bouthaina Shaaban, told the Al-Mayadeen broadcaster.
• Washington-backed Kurdish militants voice support for US-Turkey 'safe zone' in northern Syria Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- US-backed Kurdish militants operating in northern Syria have expressed their support for a so-called safe zone plan in the area.
• Turkey Launches Pence-3 Operation in Northern Iraq Against Kurdish PKK - Military Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- The Turkish Defence Ministry announced on Saturday that it had launched a new operation on Friday dubbed Pence-3 (Claw-3) in northern Iraq targeting members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which it considers a terrorist organisation.
• Iraqi Hashd Sha'abi forces cleanse 6 Anbar villages of Daesh remnants Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- Members of the pro-government Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), known as Hashd al-Sha'abi in Arabic, have managed to cleanse a number of villages in the country's western province of Anbar during the fourth phase of a major offensive to hunt down remnants of the terrorist group of Daesh.
• U.S. Continues to Push for Action Two Years after Rohingya Ethnic Cleansing US Dept. of State 24 Aug 2019 -- Two years ago, Burma's security forces engaged in a brutal attack against hundreds of thousands of unarmed men, women, and children in a grossly disproportionate response to attacks by militants on security posts in northern Rakhine State. The Burmese military's horrific atrocities against Rohingya villagers caused an exodus of more than 740,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh in actions that constituted ethnic cleansing.
• Zelenskiy Likens Russia's Seizure Of Crimea To 'Kids Being Stolen' RFE/RL 24 Aug 2019 -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has likened Russia's 2014 seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula to "kids being stolen and issued a new birth certificate," as the country marked 28 years of independence on August 24.
• India intensifies restrictions on Indian Kashmir after Friday clashes Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- Some three weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi controversially stripped Indian-controlled Kashmir of its autonomous status, the Muslim-majority region's main city of Srinagar looks like a ghost town scarred with military barricades, barely breathing under a massive lockdown.
• Thousands of Congolese Refugees in Angola Head Home to DRC's Kasai VOA 24 Aug 2019 -- The U.N. refugee agency said Saturday that 8,500 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Kasai province had spontaneously abandoned their camp in Angola and were heading to the homes they fled more than one year ago.
• Lebanon's Hezbollah says downs two Israeli drones near Beirut Press TV 25 Aug 2019 -- Lebanon's resistance movement Hezbollah says it has shot down two Israeli drones flying over areas near the capital Beirut.
• Lebanese foreign minister lauds Hezbollah as pillar of national unity Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has lauded the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah as a pillar of the country's stability and unity.

News Reports

• Briefing by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, August 28, 2019 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24 Aug 2019
• Tusk Says G7 Has More Reasons Than Ever To Keep Russia Out RFE/RL 24 Aug 2019 -- European Council President Donald Tusk has rejected President Donald Trump's suggestion that Russia be readmitted to the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations.
• Hiding In Plain Sight: United Russia's Bid To Distance Itself From Moscow Polls Falls Flat RFE/RL 24 Aug 2019 -- Officially, United Russia -- the political party that has dominated national, regional, and local politics since it was created by the Kremlin in 2003 -- is not participating in the September 8 elections to choose a new Moscow City Duma. Its logo does not appear on any campaign advertising and will not figure on the ballot papers.
• Russia launches world's first nuclear power plant in Arctic Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- Russia has reportedly launched the world's first floating nuclear power plant, hauling it in an epic 6,000-kilometer journey to a remote Siberian town near the US state of Alaska.
• Sanctions Will Never Work on DPRK KCNA 24 Aug 2019 -- Jong Hyon on Saturday made public the following article titled "Sanctions will never work on the DPRK":
• Sanctions Will Never Work on DPRK KCNA 24 Aug 2019 -- The prestige of the DPRK advancing on the strength of self-reliance is drawing the worldwide attention.
• National unity key to withstanding hardships amid US-imposed sanctions: Rouhani Press TV 24 Aug 2019 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has hailed national unity as key to withstanding hardships amid US-imposed sanctions on the country.
• Corruption Probe Or Power Struggle? Iran's Former Judiciary Chief Comes Under Attack RFE/RL 24 Aug 2019 -- As head of Iran's judiciary for a decade, Sadegh Amoli Larijani held significant power to use the country's legal system to crack down on dissenters, political opponents, and others.
• Iranian Oil Tanker Changes Listed Destination To Turkey RFE/RL 24 Aug 2019 -- An Iranian-flagged oil tanker that has been pursued by the United States in the Mediterranean Sea for weeks now appears to be heading for a port in Turkey.
• Iranian Oil Tanker Switches Destination to Turkey After US Issues Threats to Greece - Reports Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- Earlier it was reported that the Iranian tanker Adrian Darya, formerly known as the Grace 1, had been detained in Gibraltar in July 2019, was released on 19 August and was heading eastward towards the Greek port of Kalamata.
• Hong Kong Protests Turn Violent VOA 24 Aug 2019 -- Hong Kong protests turned violent Saturday for the first time in nearly two weeks, as hundreds of demonstrators dressed in black and armed with baseball bats and bamboo poles hurled gas bombs and bricks at police.
• HK chief executive urges protesters to 'sit down and talk' amid ongoing protests Global Times 24 Aug 2019 -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday called for a halt to violence and urged protesters to "sit down and talk" to find a way out of the standstill that violent protests have brought to the city's social order for the last two months.
• HK rioters turn protests into violence again on 12th straight weekend Global Times 24 Aug 2019 -- Radical protesters on Saturday continued to sabotage the peaceful life of ordinary Hong Kong residents as the 12th straight weekend of protests again turned violent in the city.
• Top legislature hears law enforcement, economic reports People's Daily 24 Aug 2019 -- The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, held a plenary meeting on Friday to hear reports on law enforcement and economic work.
• US, China Boost Tariffs on Each Other; Trump 'Always Open to Talks' VOA 24 Aug 2019 -- The trade war between Washington and Beijing further escalated Friday.
• Russian Capsule Carrying Robot Fails To Link Up WIth ISS RFE/RL 24 Aug 2019 -- An unmanned Soyuz spacecraft carrying Russia's first humanoid robot has failed to dock with the International Space Station (ISS).
• Russia's Soyuz-14 to Make 2nd Attempt to Dock at ISS on Monday Night - Control Centre Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- The second attempt to dock Russia's Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft at the International Space Station (ISS), following a failed attempt to do so on Saturday, will take place on the night between August 26-27, experts from the mission control centre of the Russian Federal Space Agency said.
• Soyuz MS-14 With Russian Humanoid Robot Fedor Failed to Dock ISS Amid Previously Unseen Fluctuations Sputnik 24 Aug 2019 -- Earlier in the day, the Soyuz MS-14 failed to dock at the ISS on schedule and started retreating from the station. Later, the spacecraft was steered to a safe distance from the ISS. In the wake of the incident, the docking was delayed until Monday, according to the Mission Control Center.
• Another political party formed in Taiwan ahead of 2020 elections CNA 24 Aug 2019 -- The Taiwan Renewal Party (台灣維新黨) was launched in Taipei on Saturday less than five months before Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections, advocating political, economic and social reforms as its main platform.